Hyde Park

Kensington / Chelsea, London – One of the largest parks in London, Hyde Park provides visitors with a quick escape from the hustle and bustle of the city’s streets.

The Grand Entrance – more than a hundred feet in length – features massive columns and iron gates opening onto three hundred and fifty acres of tree-lined paths, lakes, memorials, and sprawling meadows.

Brilliant colors abound near Hyde Park Corner, where lush rose gardens fill the air with sweet smells and lure couples down to The Serpentine, a recreational lake that snakes through the park’s center.

Nautical newbies often tour the lake in rental boats, slicing their way through the water past the picnickers on the banks, under the Serpentine Bridge, and into Kensington Gardens, an adjoining but technically separate park.

An impressive array of amenities keeps visitors busy, from public tennis courts and British bowling and putting greens to an open field at the southern end that draws hordes of university lads to play touch rugby, cricket, softball, and rounders.

Fleet-footed rollerbladers, cyclists, and skateboarders careen down myriad designated trails, while walkers, joggers, and even horseback riders enjoy their own thoroughfares. The area is also home to the Diana Memorial Fountain – a massive oval streambed built in tribute to the late princess – as well as the famous Speaker’s Corner, where orators pontificate loudly on every topic from Parliament to pop culture.

An urban oasis in the heart of the city, Hyde Park is a great getaway for sightseeing, exercising, or taking a lunchtime nap.    ← read less