a free zoo on the heath
A genteel free park on the edge of Hampstead Heath with a little free zoo, a walled flower garden and deer, donkeys and exotic birds to visit.
Free to visit · Golders Green · Golders Green · NW11 7QP
Opening: Daily, dawn to dusk · animal enclosures daytime
Tucked onto the western edge of Hampstead Heath, Golders Hill Park is the polite, manicured cousin of the wild Heath next door, and it is free. The big draw, especially with children, is the little free zoo, where you can wander past fallow deer, donkeys, ring tailed lemurs, kookaburras and a flock of exotic birds without paying a penny.
Beyond the animals there is a beautiful walled flower garden, a water garden with herons, rolling lawns and a bandstand, plus a butterfly house that opens in the warmer months. It has the feel of a proper Victorian pleasure garden, kept up with real care.
Families come for the animals, dog walkers for the lawns and everyone else for the quiet, and none of it costs anything. It is one of north London's most underrated free days out.
Getting there: On North End Road on the western edge of Hampstead Heath, a walk or bus from Golders Green.
Best time to go: A dry afternoon, ideally spring or summer when the walled garden is in full flower.
Insider tip: The animal enclosures and butterfly house keep daytime hours, so come in the afternoon rather than at dusk. The walled garden is the loveliest corner, do not skip it.
Free things to do in London · London Free Guide