Best London Parks With Kids

London may be densely populated and one of the largest cities in Europe, but it is also known for its amazing park areas.  The Royal Parks manages the city’s eight Royal Parks, which were originally owned by the monarchy for recreation and hunting but were preserved as public parks by the Crown Lands Act of 1851.  We enjoy visiting London parks with kids so much that I once spent the better part of a day wandering between Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens with a friend from my semester abroad at the University of York and my four month old son while my husband and his family went to Wimbledon.

Although I have visited all of the Royal Parks in London’s city center, we only made it to Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens with kids and enjoyed spending time in these amazing parks on most days that we traveled into the city center.

There is so much to see and do in London’s parks, but these are our some of the best London parks with kids:

#1:  Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Playground

The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Playground, which is located in the northwest corner Kensington Gardens, is one of my kids all time favorite playgrounds.  The Playground was inspired by J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan and opened in 2000 to honor Princess Diana.  On our first visit, we were accompanied by my sister, her husband and three kids who just happened to have scheduled a trip to London that overlapped ours.  Any playground is better with cousins to share it with, but this was a particularly amazing place to spend an afternoon.  Our boys had so much fun that they requested a return trip on our last day in London’s city center.

The centerpiece of the play area is a huge pirate ship, which is surrounded by an enormous sand play area.  The ship’s lookout was my boys’ favorite part and where they spent most of their time.

The Playground is fully gated, and kids cannot get in or out without an adult.  The Playground is free, but there may be queues to enter.  Luckily, we did not have any wait times during our June and July mid-week visits.

Fans of Peter Pan should also make sure to visit Kensington Gardens’ bronze Peter Pan statue that was commissioned by J.M. Barrie and created by George Frampton in 1912.

• Kid Facts:  Kids are delighted to learn that adults are not permitted to enter unless they are accompanied by a child aged 12 or younger.

#2:  Kensington Palace

Kensington Palace was designed by Christopher Wren, the architect of St. Paul’s Cathedral at the request of King William and Queen Mary and constructed within six months in 1689.  King William and Queen Mary only enjoyed Kensington Palace for a few years.  Queen Mary died from smallpox about five years after the completion of Kensington Palace.  King William died after falling off his horse and breaking his collar bone eight years later.

Kensington Palace is located in Hyde Park and was the royal residence before Buckingham Palace.   but now houses the “lesser royals”, including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (aka William and Kate), who currently occupy Apartment 1A’s four stories and 20 rooms with their three children.  Princess Diana also lived in the Palace  from 1981 to 1997.  The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (aka Harry and Meghan Markle) live in William and Kate’s previous home, a “cottage” also within the Palace.

The Palace Gardens were not open to the public when we visited, but are simply stunning.  The Sunken Garden includes a terrace with ornamental flower bed that surround a small pond.  The fountains were formed from water cisterns that were used in the Palace during the 18th century.

It would be lovely to stroll around in Palace Gardens, which are sometimes open to the public without required tickets.

• Kid Facts:  Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made their first appearance together after their engagement announcement in the Sunken Garden.

#3:  Picnic in Hyde Park

Hyde Park is a large 350-acre park that is often considered London’s Central Park and a lovely place to picnic.  There are chairs for rent if it is inconvenient to bring picnic blankets.

There are so many options for takeaway food on the periphery of Hyde Park that it is not necessary to pack your own meal but make sure the prepare for weather changes.  On our last visit, a quick shower brought the temperatures down unexpectedly, and we wished we had brought warmer clothes.

After lunch Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain is a great place to stop with kids.  The Fountain opened in 2004 as a memorial to Princess Diana, who lived in Kensington Palace.  It is constructed with 545 pieces of Cornish granite.  The Fountain has a circular stream, and it is permitted to sit on the edge of the memorial and to dip your feet but not to walk on the Memorial.

• Kid Facts:  Hyde Park was originally Henry VIII’s hunting grounds.

#4:  The Serpentine

The Serpentine is a man-made body of water near Hyde Park’s southern border.  Favorite activities in this area include renting boats and paddleboats, swimming and feeding ducks.  Visiting the Serpentine was one of the few “must-do” activities during our first trip to London when our oldest was only four months old.

On our most recent visit to London, we enjoyed hot chocolate and coffee with friends on a chilly July afternoon at Lido Café and Bar, which is located on the southern side of the Serpentine near the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain.

• Kid Facts:  Serpentine refers to the curving shape – even though there really is only one bend.  Although the entire body of water is commonly called the “Serpentine”, the name actually refers to only the eastern portion of the lake.  The portion to the west of the Serpentine Bridge is known as the Long Water.

#5:  Speaker’s Corner

Speaker’s Corner is an area for open-air public speaking on Sunday afternoons in the northeast corner of Hyde Park near Marble Arch.  Many of the speakers are often passionate and irrational orators who give political demonstrations.   We were glad to catch this eccentric tribute to free speech on our last visit to London, and our kids definitely enjoyed participating in this bizarre tradition.

The speakers each gave impassioned political demonstrations what were often irrational.  Several literally stood on soapboxes, or at least stepladders.  This may not be the best place to learn about current events or engage in intellectual political debate, but it an amusing sight to behold for sure.

• Kid Facts:  Historically, there have been other areas designated as Speakers’ Corners in London’s parks, but this is the original and most popular location.

London has so many fun family activities!  Make sure to check out our posts on London, including Our First Family Trip Abroad, Five(teen) Fun Family Attractions, Spotlight:  The Tower of London, Five Fun Family Museums and Sample Itineraries (to come).