Finsbury Park
One of London's first great public parks, free, a big lively north London green with a boating lake, an old American garden and the New River path running through it.
FREE
The lowdown
Finsbury Park opened in 1869 as one of the first parks built specifically for the working people of a fast-growing city, and it has been north London's shared back garden ever since. It is big, green and busy in the best way, ringed by Finsbury Park, Stroud Green and Harringay.
There is a boating lake, a café, tennis courts, a skate park and a gentle hill with views back over the city. The old American Gardens and the course of the New River, the historic channel that once carried fresh water into London, add a bit of quiet history to the open grass.
It is also a major events space, hosting big music festivals across certain summer weekends, so it is worth a quick check before you go if you want the calm version. The rest of the time it is simply a free, friendly, well-used park at one of the city's busiest transport hubs.
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