Beautiful playground in London. We came on a weekend on Father's day, so it was a madhouse. I would…read morelove to come check this playground out again when it's not on a holiday weekend. My kids loved the sandpit, mini wooden houses, and pirate ship. Would recommend!

Staying near this playground was the best decision we made in our trip to London! Our 5 year old…read moreloved it and wanted to go every day. He loved the pirate ship, and the many nooks to hide and explore. We loved that the gate is attended and kids can't leave without a parent, so we were very comfortable letting our kid go wherever he wanted out of eyeshot within the playground. There are clean bathrooms and a snack bar. If you have a kid in the 3-8 range this is the best place to bring them in Kensington Gardens.

I've been fortunate enough to stroll through this beautifully maintained landscape on multiple…read moreoccasions. There are lots of paths and historical monuments and statues to check out (including the Prince Albert memorial). The Peter Pan statue, Italian Gardens, and Princess Di playground are just some of many attractions worth seeing here. Lovely place to unwind from a day of touristy activities, the hustle and bustle of London, or for taking a lunch work break. The Round Pond is worth seeing as well.

Kensington Gardens is one of London's eight Royal Parks, covering 265 acres just to the west of…read moreHyde Park. We visited a week or so ago after a lunch in Kensington. We walked over to see the exterior of Kensington Palace. Then we took a picture of the Queen Victoria Statue, explored the Diana Princess of Wales Sunken Garden, wandered around the Round Pond, visited the Serpentine South Gallery, and then walked past the Albert Memorial on our way out of the park. And that was just scratching the surface of what the park has to offer! The Sunken Garden was the highlight for me. It was much less crowded than the rest of the park, and it's a beautiful tribute to Diana from her sons. It was also the lushest part of the park we saw - the park was a little brown and beige after the heat of summer when we visited the first week of September. It was a great place to stretch our legs after a wonderful but heavy lunch!

went to the park last week with our children and saw the new slide area which is absolutely…read moreterrible. To be able to get up to the slide, you have to crawl through small holes which are very dangerous if you step backwards and forget that it's there.. I'm surprised it's been allowed. Also considering it's near Great Ormond Street Hospital, you would think it was more of an SEN friendly park. Such a shame.

I spent a beautiful Monday at this park with my 2 year old, and I can say -- it was a solid choice!…read more *Only adults with children are allowed in. Seems like a funny rule, but then you realize that if not for it -- this place would be overrun with booze and picnics. So, thanks park people! *It's a privately run park. It's a large expansive square that is entirely closed on each side (comforting for those with toddlers that like to escape). There are multiple play areas for different ages that are fun and have quite a bit to do. My son found his way to the one water portion of the park and sat in it for approximately 3 hours. It was a bit unkept unfortunately, but I blame that more on annoying parents that think leaving their busted pails and spades and water bottles is "helpful." It's not helpful, pick up your shit. The water was kind of gross as it was standing for quite a long time, so while I wasn't thrilled with it for the gross factor, he loved it and they splashed around for hours in the sand and water, so -- there you have it. There's a small cafe within as well -- best for ice cream. I went for a bottle of water and they were "out of water today." I've probably never heard this before. Weird. So, ice cream it is. Overall it could use a bit of a facelift but its a great green space in the city to take the kids!

Woah! This park has it all! Also known as St Mark's Park…read more(after the street on which is located) Kensington memorial is brilliant and the perfect place for kids and adult to go crazy. This park has been recently refurbished and I am very happy because its like 10 mins away from mine. It is wheelchair accessible, has a adventure playground with colourful apparatus+ sand box, a larger play area for older children with space rockets climbing frames etc and a large water park that is an absolute blessing on these hot, hot day! And the best part?! It is all free!! There is also a small shop(open during the summer months) that sells hot/cold snacks and chairs and tables you can eat at. Lots of toilets, grass, shade etc. It also includes tennis courts, football, junior cricket classes and One O'clock club which is managed by Family and Children's Services. The park was opened in 1926 in memoriam to those who fell in the Great War.

From where we stayed in Notting Hill, we were a very short walk to Holland Park…read more We entered through Holland Walk and headed to the Dutch Garden first, where thousands of tulips were starting to bloom. It was a bit early in the season so the garden was not nearly as beautiful as it might have been just a week later. This year, the color theme was primarily purple and yellow and those were the tulips not fully bloomed. A garden plot with vibrant red tulips that were in full bloom was very pretty! After, we walked onto the Kyoto Garden, which was much more congested because it is a picturesque spot. There is a walking path around a pond with a key photo spot being the waterfall. The tourists queue up in one line clockwise to take photos at the waterfall. Oddly, there are some walkers that are clearly frustrated by the presence of visitors and insist on walking counter-clockwise through the visitors. We exited on Abbotsbury Road, on the opposite side of the park. It was a nice 1-2 hour excursion, a nice walk and recommend it!

When we visited London a few weeks ago, my husband and I spent a day exploring Kensington. I'm glad…read morethat that included a visit to Holland Park, a gorgeous little park in the area. The park contains a cafe, formal gardens, a playground, murals, a giant chess set, and more. We took a stroll through the park, visiting the Dutch Garden and Kyoto Garden. Kyoto Garden was the highlight of our time in the park - the tiered waterfall, koi fish, and peacocks made for some beautiful photographs. It was such a relaxing way to spend some time and stretch our legs between house tours in the neighborhood!

Went here for an ice cream festival and I'm not a child, nor did I have one with me, but can I just…read moresay that this playground is awesome? I don't understand why there aren't any reviews for it yet. I need to babysit somebody's kids so I have an excuse to go here!

If an adult playpark could exist this is the closest it'll get. From decent adult sized wooden…read morehouses (abit like treehouses) and a massive (dunno what it's called) but swinging thing (no way that's suitable for kids!!!! That thing nearly threw me across the park) to a circular hammock swing thing (honestly, I don't know what these things are called!!!). Basically just imagine a make shift playpark thrown together using tons of scrap wood and a brilliantly creative mind and there we have it! The wooden playground that kids and grown ups love it so, the happy world of Hari... lumpy hill adventure playground! #LiveLifeLikeLDN

Considering how long I've lived in the area and how often I've walked or cycled past, it is a…read moremiracle that I waited until today to have a swim in Serpentine Lido - on the hottest day of the year!! We arrived before noon and didn't have to queue - different story when I left around 2.30pm ... Compared to other lidos, this one's not spectacular, but I just love the fact that you have the opportunity to dip into the lake in the middle of Hyde Park. And I've never swum with geese and swans before. The water was a good temperature and still relatively clean (it can get covered in algae) - but nowhere near clear, but it's probably a good thing that you can't see the ground. I was glad my friend is a regular and expertly walked up the stairs past the changing rooms - best come with your swimsuit under your clothes, they are a bit yuckie and overcrowded (single cabins only, no communal nudity - we are in the Royal Borough after all). You end up on a terrace with a small kiosk and then have the choice to turn right into a lovely area with paddling pool which is inhabited mainly by families with young children. Or turn left and cross a bridge to the main water. The area closer to the lake is a bit meh and we were already too late to find a flat bit, let alone a sun lounger (mind you, I didn't hear any German accents, so all fair play). My first experience of sunbathing on a steep slope, even later arrivals had to make do with the tarmaced "beach". The (cold!) showers spray a gentle trickle of water, but I love the fact that everything here is just a little bit rubbish and hope it will never change. Perfect for a couple of hours, then make room for the next person.

I was planning on spending a day here since July but then the Olympics started and my kid got the…read morechickenpox blah blah blah so basically, yesterday was the first , danger free and sunny day we could all spend outside. Yay! So! not surprisingly, the place was packed! There was a long queue for the tickets but they moved quite fast (no more than 10-15 minutes). The prices are reasonable: £4 per adult, £1 for kids between 3-5 and free for kids under 3. You have a (fairly safe) fenced children's playground area + a paddle pool for the kids with water up to their knees (obviously, if we are talking about a 5year old). There's a long stretch of grass/field kinda thing that makes it easy for the parents to keep an eye on their kids and relax at the same time (is that actually possible??!) There's an ice cream/drinks/ sammiches shop (£1.50 bottle of water) but you can bring your own stuff and have a picnic. If you cross the bridge, you'll find yourself in the "adult" swimming area. The water is incredibly cold, fuzzy...duck infested and perfect for beginners or experienced swimmers. `HAhahaha. Or just for those who want to cool down and relax in the water - like myself. Equipped with 2 great pools, lots of grass, lifeguards, showers, lockers and plenty of room to sunbath, no wonder the Serpentine Lido is one of the longest running lidos in London.

Hyde Park is a lush park that we strolled through on our way to Buckingham palace. My American…read morecousin and I remarked how green the trees and grass were. Such a culture shock to us since we are from Phoenix, Arizona (the desert). I'd definitely return and hope for better weather next time, though the trees did shield some rain.

On our last full day in London, we spent the day at Hyde Park, one of London's most famous public…read moreparks. We purchased sandwiches at Harrods Food Hall, and ate our lunch in the park (we also purchased some beer and wine at a cafe in the park). It was a beautiful spring day, not too hot, not too cold -- just perfect. While we didn't see the entire park (at 350 acres, that would be impossible), we had a great day -- Hyde Park was one of the highlights of my time in London. We spent the majority of our time in Hyde Park watching the birds at the waterfront. I'm not a bird expert, but I saw at least nine different kinds of birds: swans, geese, Canadian Geese, ducks, seagulls, herons, pigeons, starlings, and crows. And further in the park, we saw parakeets. The diversity was amazing! If you're in London, Hyde Park is a MUST MUST MUST SEE! It also makes for an inexpensive day. Other things to note: you must pay to use the toilet, but it's only 20p. However, you can't pay by cash, only by credit card (which was fine by me, as I hate cash), and unlike Amsterdam, which charged €1, the washroom was CLEAN (there was an attendant). While I'm not a fan of paying to use the washroom, at least it was cheap (unlike Amsterdam), clean (unlike in my city or Amsterdam), and hassle free (unlike Amsterdam). [Yelp collections: Europe 2024; London, England; Parks and Gardens]

This place is amazing. Truly amazing…read more While visiting South Kensington for a family vacation, our football-obsessed son was craving a spot to stretch his legs and kick a soccer ball around. It's surprisingly difficult to find a place to do that. There's plenty of neighborhood green areas in Kensington but those don't allow ball play. There's also large lawn areas but those don't have goals. After a ton of random searching, I came across this spot and thought I'd chance it. This place checks all the boxes. Astro turf. Free Not crowded Food/coffee nearby (via the local church) 100% win

Tucked away just off the King's Road next to the church where Charles Dickens said his "I do"s, is…read moreSt. Luke's Gardens. Popular with locals at lunchtime, yoga practitioners throughout the day, mums & nannies taking little ones for walks, and plenty of friendly pigeons, it's a lovely little spot. I've wandered here a few times over the past few years, but recently found solace under a tree on a dry bench as a flash rain shower soaked everything and everyone around me. I got about 3 drops on me - which was pretty cool. It's nice to know there's a little haven amongst the local hustle and bustle to escape to. I'm a big fan of church yards in general and while I do find it weird that the old gravestones have mostly been removed and lined up around the fence wall by the church, it's still a beautiful & relaxing spot to enjoy.