Hyde Park & Kensington Gardens • London

Originally a hunting ground for kings and aristocrats, now a favorite of locals, Hyde Park is one of London’s largest Royal Parks, ranging across 142 hectares. It’s set in the center of the city, with a royal palace, lots of Victoriana, boating areas at the Serpentine Boathouse, open air concerts, art galleries, and a memorial to Princess Diana as well as a memorial to Prince Albert facing Albert Hall.

Kensington Gardens were once the private gardens of Kensington Palace and is among the Royal Parks of London. The Serpentine is a small lake separating Hyde Park from Kensington Gardens.

 

The Serpentine Galleries are some of the best contemporary art spaces in the city – the original gallery has exhibited Damien Hirst, Louise Bourgeois, Gabriel Orozco, Jeff Koons, and Tomoko Takahashi. Pritzker Prize winner Zaha Hadid designed an undulating extension of the Serpentine Sackler Gallery.

Visit: Westminster and Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea W2 2UH; 300 061 2000

royalparks.org.uk/parks