Kensington Gardens
the elegant half of the park
The quieter, prettier half of Hyde Park, free, with the Italian Gardens, the Albert Memorial, the Peter Pan statue and Kensington Palace gardens all in one royal sweep.
Free to visit · Kensington · Lancaster Gate · W2 2UH
Opening: Daily · 6am to dusk
Kensington Gardens was once the private grounds of Kensington Palace, and it still feels more formal and genteel than the Hyde Park it joins onto. The two run together with no fence, but the gardens are the calmer, prettier half, all avenues, fountains and statues, and all free.
There is a lot packed in. The ornate Italian Gardens sit at the top by Lancaster Gate, the soaring gold Albert Memorial faces the Royal Albert Hall, and the bronze Peter Pan statue hides by the Long Water where J M Barrie used to walk. The Diana Memorial Playground is one of the best free play spaces in London.
Kensington Palace stands in the middle, and while the staterooms are ticketed, the gardens around it, including the sunken garden Princess Diana loved, are free to wander. A whole genteel morning for nothing, a world away from the Oxford Street crush.
Getting there: Lancaster Gate or Queensway on the north side, High Street Kensington for the palace, or simply walk west out of Hyde Park.
Best time to go: A spring morning for the Italian Gardens and the blossom, or late afternoon for the gold of the Albert Memorial catching the light.
Insider tip: Find the Peter Pan statue on the west bank of the Long Water. It was put up overnight in secret in 1912 so it would seem to appear by magic, and most people walk the main paths and miss it completely.
Official site: https://www.royalparks.org.uk/visit/parks/kensington-gardens
Free things to do in London · London Free Guide