Hyde Park

London

 

Hyde Park

Trek through Hyde Park to see the greener side of London. Walk through acres of parkland in the heart of the city to enjoy a relaxing time during your trip.


What you need to know about Hyde Park

City: London, United Kingdom

Transport links: Hyde Park Corner tube station (Piccadilly line).

Nearby attractions: Buckingham Palace, Royal Albert Hall.

Access: As a public park there is no charge to access the area. Special events or concerts that happen in the Park throughout the year may have their own entry fee to the event but the park itself is a free public space.

Fact: King Henry VIII created Hyde Park as a place to go hunting in 1536. It was not until 1637 that it became open to the general public upon decree of King Charles I.

A place to wander and happily get lost

The sheer size of Hyde Park means that you can easily take a walk through it and lose your bearings. It is a beautiful space covering over 350 acres making it one of the biggest and greatest parks in any major city in the world.

There are hundreds of species of plants and trees throughout. Any green-fingered horticulturalist will have their fill of the flora on show. Please be respectful of the plant life you do find as an army of gardeners painstakingly maintain the grounds with pride.

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Unwind and relax in London's greatest green space.

Landmarks that really stand out

Amidst this green oasis there are a number of landmarks that you should try to find on your travel through the park. They are quite distinct and worth seeing in their own right.

The Serpentine Lake and Serpentine Bridge are famous photo-worthy points of interest. The Serpentine Lake is a 1730 addition to the grounds, encompassing a 40 acre recreational lake for Londoners to frolic on. The bridge on the other hand was not built until much later in the 1820s.

The famous memorial for Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain has been a fixture of Hyde Park since 2004 and features some of the finest craftsmanship in the grounds. The fountain is made up of 545 different pieces of granite from Cornwall and water flows around the fountain forming a large irregular ring shape. The fountain can be sat on and otherwise experienced in a memorial that is as much a tribute to Diana as it is a gift to the people who frequent and enjoy it.

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Memorial fountain to Diana, Princess of Wales in Hyde Park

There is sculpture to be found throughout the grounds of Hyde Park with the famous Drinking Horse, the 18ft tall sculpture of Achilles (a tribute to the 1st Duke of Wellington who died in 1852) and the Joy of Life fountain all standing out as particular Globedge highlights.

Winter Wonderland

At Christmas time a huge event happens in Hyde Park every year with over a million people visiting the renowned Winter Wonderland festive fairground that is set up.

Go along and you will find everything from an ice rink to skate on, mulled wine to sip to keep warm, fairground rides and performances to entertain.

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The annual festive 'Winter Wonderland' fairground event

The scale of the event is huge and there is nowhere else in London that compares to this temporary fairground extravaganza. Be prepared to queue for some of the stands and rides as the event is extremely popular with residents of London. You can still have a fantastic time though and make your Christmas in London one to remember!