Parks · Our pick in London
St James’s Park
The oldest Royal Park
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Colin · CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia CommonsAbout St James’s Park
St James’s Park lies between Buckingham Palace, Horse Guards and Whitehall. Its lake is home to ducks, geese and a famous colony of pelicans, first given to Charles II by a Russian ambassador in the 17th century. From the Blue Bridge there are views of Buckingham Palace one way and the turrets of Whitehall the other. St James’s Park and Westminster stations are a short walk away.
Why it's on our list
- Pelicans
- The lake
- Palace views
Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with St James’s Park before you go.
Hotels nearby
The closest hotels in our guide to St James’s Park, as the crow flies.
- Conrad London St. James0.2 mi5 min walk
- Dukes London0.3 mi6 min walk
- The Stafford London0.3 mi6 min walk
- Raffles London at The OWO0.4 mi8 min walk
- The Ritz London0.4 mi9 min walk
What’s nearby
Distances from St James’s Park 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
- St. James's ParkDistrictCircle0.2 mi5 min walk
- WestminsterDistrictCircleJubilee0.4 mi9 min walk
- Green ParkPiccadillyVictoriaJubilee0.5 mi9 min walk
Nearest taxi ranks
- Taxi rank, Broadway0.2 mi4 min walk
- Taxi rank, Piccadilly0.5 mi9 min walk
Black cabs can also be hailed in the street: a lit yellow TAXI sign means the cab is available.
Key sights
- Buckingham Palace0.4 miWalk 7 minCycle 2 minCar or taxi 6 min
- Westminster Abbey0.4 miWalk 8 minCycle 2 minCar or taxi 6 min
- Trafalgar Square0.5 miWalk 10 minCycle 3 minCar or taxi 7 min
- Leicester Square0.6 miWalk 12 minCycle 4 minCar or taxi 7 min
- London Eye0.6 miWalk 13 minCycle 4 minCar or taxi 8 min
- Covent Garden0.8 miWalk 17 minCycle 5 minCar or taxi 9 min
- The British Museum1.2 miWalk 24 minCycle 8 minCar or taxi 12 min
- Harrods1.2 miWalk 25 minCycle 8 minCar or taxi 12 min
- The Shard2.1 miWalk 42 minCycle 13 minCar or taxi 18 min
- Tower of London2.6 miCycle 16 minCar or taxi 22 min
Main rail terminals
- Charing Cross0.5 miWalk 10 minCycle 3 minCar or taxi 7 min
- Victoria0.6 miWalk 11 minCycle 4 minCar or taxi 7 min
- Waterloo0.9 miWalk 18 minCycle 6 minCar or taxi 10 min
- Euston1.8 miWalk 36 minCycle 11 minCar or taxi 16 min
- Paddington2.0 miWalk 40 minCycle 13 minCar or taxi 18 min
- King’s Cross St Pancras2.0 miWalk 40 minCycle 13 minCar or taxi 18 min
- St Pancras International (Eurostar)2.1 miWalk 41 minCycle 13 minCar or taxi 18 min
- London Bridge2.1 miWalk 43 minCycle 14 minCar or taxi 19 min
- Liverpool Street2.5 miCycle 16 minCar or taxi 21 min