Parks · Our pick in London
Kensington Gardens
Palace, fountains and Peter Pan
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Gaius Cornelius · CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia CommonsAbout Kensington Gardens
Kensington Gardens, once the private gardens of Kensington Palace, joins Hyde Park across the Serpentine. Highlights include the Italian Gardens, the Albert Memorial, the statue of Peter Pan, the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Playground and the Serpentine Galleries of contemporary art. The palace itself can be visited. Lancaster Gate, Queensway and High Street Kensington are the nearest stations. The gardens are at their best on a spring morning.
Why it's on our list
- Kensington Palace
- Peter Pan statue
- Serpentine Galleries
Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Kensington Gardens before you go.
Hotels nearby
The closest hotels in our guide to Kensington Gardens, as the crow flies.
- The Baglioni Hotel London0.4 mi9 min walk
- Bulgari Hotel London0.8 mi15 min walk
- Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park0.9 mi18 min walk
- The Ampersand Hotel0.9 mi19 min walk
What’s nearby
Distances from Kensington Gardens are approximate, measured in a straight line (as the crow flies). Times are approximate too: walking at about 80 metres a minute, cycling at about 15 km/h and driving at typical city-traffic speeds. Traffic and routes vary.
Nearest stations
- Lancaster GateCentral0.4 mi7 min walk
- QueenswayCentral0.4 mi9 min walk
- BayswaterCircleDistrict0.5 mi11 min walk
Nearest taxi ranks
- Taxi rank, Westbourne Street0.4 mi8 min walk
- Taxi rank0.6 mi13 min walk
Black cabs can also be hailed in the street: a lit yellow TAXI sign means the cab is available.
Key sights
- Harrods0.9 miWalk 18 minCycle 6 minCar or taxi 9 min
- Buckingham Palace1.6 miWalk 33 minCycle 10 minCar or taxi 15 min
- Leicester Square2.1 miWalk 43 minCycle 14 minCar or taxi 19 min
- Trafalgar Square2.2 miWalk 44 minCycle 14 minCar or taxi 19 min
- Westminster Abbey2.3 miCycle 15 minCar or taxi 20 min
- The British Museum2.4 miCycle 15 minCar or taxi 21 min
- Covent Garden2.4 miCycle 16 minCar or taxi 21 min
- London Eye2.6 miCycle 17 minCar or taxi 22 min
- The Shard4.0 miCycle 26 minCar or taxi 33 min
- Tower of London4.4 miCycle 29 minCar or taxi 36 min
Main rail terminals
- Paddington0.6 miWalk 12 minCycle 4 minCar or taxi 8 min
- Victoria1.7 miWalk 34 minCycle 11 minCar or taxi 16 min
- Charing Cross2.3 miCycle 15 minCar or taxi 20 min
- Euston2.4 miCycle 16 minCar or taxi 21 min
- Waterloo2.8 miCycle 18 minCar or taxi 24 min
- St Pancras International (Eurostar)2.8 miCycle 18 minCar or taxi 24 min
- King’s Cross St Pancras2.9 miCycle 19 minCar or taxi 24 min
- London Bridge4.0 miCycle 26 minCar or taxi 33 min
- Liverpool Street4.2 miCycle 27 minCar or taxi 34 min