Greenery in London: How to Find Fresh Air in London

London is one of the biggest cities in the world, with plenty of history and architecture to sink your teeth into. But what you may not know is the amount of greenery located in and around Britain’s capital city.

DID YOU KNOW: Around 47% of London is made up of green spaces for you to explore.

It shows that London is not just an urban concrete jungle. If you enjoy nature and being in the great outdoors, London has plenty of opportunities for you to explore. Let’s start with the abundant number of parks that the capital city has to offer. 

What are the best parks in London?

Hyde Park and James Park are arguably two of the biggest parks in London, but we’ll go into more detail about those two later.

In total, there are a whopping 3,000 parks for people to enjoy around London. We couldn’t possibly go through every single one of those in this blog! However, we’ve whittled them down to a selection. Firstly, there are the royal parks, and these include:

• Richmond Park
• Hyde Park
• Kensington Gardens
• Bushy Park
• The Green Park
• St James’s Park
• The Regent’s Park and Primrose Hill
• Greenwich Park

From wetlands where you can spot magnificent birds, to open spaces with playgrounds that children can enjoy, there are plenty of options available to you.

Aside from the Royal Parks, there are loads of other fantastic options. Here are just a few of them:

• Beckenham Place Park in Lewisham
• Cannizaro Park in Merton
• Brockwell Park in Lambeth
• King George’s Park in Wandsworth
• Beddington Park in Sutton
• Gladstone Park in Brent
• Burgess Park in Southwark
• Eastbrookend Country Park in Barking and Dagenham
• West Ham Park in Newham

Good luck if you manage to visit all these parks we have listed! We are sure that there are many more fabulous parks around the city, but these are as many as we can list for now.

What’s at St James Park?

With Buckingham Palace setting the backdrop, St James’s Park truly is the most royal of royal parks. It has been a pivotal and beautiful setting for some of the most important events in the UK’s history, including royal weddings, jubilees, military parades, and state celebrations. If you’re lucky enough, you might spot one of the pelicans that have made the park their home since the 1600s. Horse Guard’s Parade, the Admiralty Arch, the Mall, the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother statue, and the white marble Boy Statue are just a few of the incredible landmarks you will find around this most celebrated of parks.

What’s at Hyde Park?

This cultural hub of London is also known as the ‘People’s Park.’ The triathlon at the 2012 Olympics was held here, while some of the biggest artists in the world have performed here as well, such as Adele, The Rolling Stones, Elton John, Andrea Bocelli, Bruce Springsteen, and a host of others. The Suffragettes gave speeches here, and the UK’s first Pride march took place, so the history of Hyde Park is abundant. The Serpentine, with its lakeside paths and waterfront cafes, is a stunning setting for this enormous park in the middle of London. You’ll find people swimming in the Lido and lots of wildlife in a vast green space that has to be seen to be believed.

Gardens in London that you should visit

Parks are not the only green spaces that visitors can take a look at when they are in London. Here are a few of the fabulous gardens that London has to offer:

• Sky Garden – This is the highest public garden in the city, with bars and restaurants and a 360-degree panoramic view of London to enjoy. The Sky Garden is exquisite and provides a modern twist on enjoying plants, flowers, and nature
• Chelsea Flower Show – Floral displays and the most unique and special gardens in the world, the Chelsea Flower Show is a mecca for anybody who has a horticultural bone in their body
• Kensington Gardens – Covering 285 acres, it is believed that the inspiration for Peter Pan came from here. Queen Caroline came up with the idea of this space in the 18th century, and it has been wowing visitors ever since
• Kyoto Garden – This Japanese garden is only a three-minute walk from the Holland Park Tube station, and it comes with a waterfall, a koi-filled pond, and incredible flowers
  

What other greenery is in London?

London is so blessed to have plenty of green spaces to enjoy. Here are a few other examples of greenery that comes from unexpected places:

• Brompton Cemetery – Looked after by The Royal Parks, this may seem like a strange place for a garden. With 200,000 people lying in peace here, the juxtaposition of all this life in this landscape is one that really gets your mind thinking
• Hackney Marshes – Lying on London’s Lea Valley, this area is known as the spiritual home of Sunday league football. As well as football, rugby, and cricket pitches, there are plenty of trails for you to spot the birds, enjoy the water, and see the wildlife among the abundance of trees
• Happy Valley in Croydon – Spread over 252 acres, ancient woodlands, meadows, and nature trails give you a flavour of the countryside even while you remain within London
  

Mudchute Park and Farm in Tower Hamlets – If you want to get up close and personal with animals such as sheep, llamas, chickens, pigs, and more, this city escape on the Isle of Dogs is ideal for families

So much to do, but where can you stay so that you can fit it all in?

This blog has given you so many green places to visit, you would need to stay in London for a month to be able to fit it all in! So if you were planning on visiting in London for a bit, where could you stay?

Luckily, LHA London has the answer.

We have accommodation at several places across the capital city, which is ideal for students, young professionals, those who need somewhere in the short term to stay, and those who need cheaper accommodation. Make sure you look at our special offers, with LHA rewards available for those who stay with us for longer periods of time. Just speak with our experts if you would like to find out more.