Queen Mary's Gardens
twelve thousand roses, all for nothing
London's largest rose collection, free to walk through, set in the inner circle of Regent's Park with thousands of blooms.
Free to visit · Regent's Park · Regent's Park · NW1 4NR
Opening: Daily, 5am until dusk
At the heart of Regent's Park, inside the Inner Circle, sits Queen Mary's Gardens, home to London's biggest collection of roses and free to everyone. Around twelve thousand plants of some four hundred varieties are arranged in beds and over arches, and in June the air is thick with scent.
It is not only roses. There is a pretty lake with a waterfall and a heron or two, a begonia garden, generous lawns and an avenue of climbing roses that frames the view perfectly for a photograph. The Open Air Theatre tucks into one corner if you fancy a paid evening later.
Because it sits in the middle of a royal park, you arrive through some of the loveliest gardens in the country anyway. A slow loop of the rose beds with an ice cream is a faultless free summer afternoon.
Getting there: In the Inner Circle of Regent's Park, a short walk from Regent's Park or Baker Street stations.
Best time to go: June, when the roses are at their fullest and the scent hangs over the whole garden.
Insider tip: Go in mid-June for the peak, and head for the central circular bed and the rose-covered pillars first, before the late-morning crowds. Early evening is quieter and the light on the blooms is gorgeous.
Free things to do in London · London Free Guide