There are several attractions to see in London, from the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace to the many plays and musicals that premier at theatres on the West End. On top of those somewhat obvious attractions, you need to make sure you set aside time to enjoy the Autumn foliage this season in these stunning spots in the city. These places are truly nature’s most self-promoting spaces.
- Hyde Park
Hyde Park is the obvious go-to when it comes to enjoying the natural flow of the seasons in London, and is set up conveniently close to a large number of offers & packages for London hotels that all centre around this enormous royal park. Keen to score a deal? Check out our special promotions here.
Once you’ve sorted your accommodation, you can take a stroll through Kensington Gardens, past the Peter Pan Statue, along the Serpentine, weave your way from monument to memorial and you will find along the way the most beautiful collection of colourful leaves and plants all dressed up in their finest reds and oranges for the season.
- Kew Gardens
Kew Gardens is home to one of the most impressive tree collections – or arboretum, in botany-speak – and so is an excellent spot to see the Autumn foliage in bloom. Even if you haven’t visited Kew before and so don’t have a frame of reference as to what the trees looked like before, you don’t need a transformation Tuesday picture to know something really special has occurred.
- Richmond Park
Richmond Park, not far from Kew Gardens, is London’s largest Royal Park and home to some of the best Autumn colours in the city. The Isabella Plantation within the park is a botanical garden with the park’s biggest, most impressive trees in it – it is, after all, a 40-acre woodland, so this comes as no great shock. An excellent way to take it all in is by circling – there is a route that circumnavigates the entire park, so you can see it all and still be back to your hotel in time for Indian Afternoon Tea at Park Grand London Kensington.
- Regent’s Canal
If you decide you have seen all the colours there are to see in Regent’s Park – though that would be a mighty feat given the size of it – then hop onto the footpath at Regent’s Canal and don’t stop walking until you pass by King’s Cross and you hit Victoria Park in East London. Along the way, you will see trees and leaves galore passing you by and flitting into the water from overhead, making you feel like you are walking a tree-lined runway.
- Victoria Park
East London’s Victoria Park is a gem of the area and filled with beautiful, towering trees and shrubbery to enjoy. It is the largest park in Tower Hamlets, a 218-acre green space that is a breath of fresh air (sometimes literally) for people in the area. You will see the colours looking particularly perfect in the Old English Garden in Victoria Park, a little courtyard of life and greenery (or reds and yellows, in Autumn).
- Hampstead Heath
The spectacular views of parliament from the highest point in Hampstead Heath are nothing in comparison to the views from the ground and up when the leaves start to turn in the woodland areas. You will be almost entirely covered by a canopy of leaves, as well as tread over a carpet of them, as you meander through this remarkable open space in North London.
- Regent’s Park
Just 30 minutes by public transportation from Park Grand London Kensington, you will find Regent’s Park, which though smaller than the previously mentioned locations, is still a large home to some of London’s best natural life. It is home to not only the Regent’s Canal, the London Zoo, and a number of London’s most beautiful trees, all shining their buttery yellows and stark reds in the brisk sunshine. The outer circle circumnavigates the whole park, which you can cycle or walk along, ducking in whenever you see a blast of colour that just can’t go unInstagrammed.
- Finsbury Park
The public park of Finsbury Park is a combination of open space, formal gardens, avenues of mature trees and an arboretum. So, as can be guessed, it is a prime spot to do some Autumn-colour-spotting. The Mackenzie Flower Garden in Finsbury Park is surrounded by an eclectic collection of trees, meaning the shades and hues of the colours are contrasting but matching in the most startling Autumnal way. There is a Giant Redwood tree in Finsbury Park, which is well-worth hunting down because they are known for going shockingly red and creating a carpet of the same hue all around them as they are so wide in breadth.
- Highgate Wood
Highgate Wood is a leafy 69-acre expanse in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the city. From under the shade of the trees, you would never know you were in the real, metropolitan world rather than a slightly red-tinted oasis. It is considered an ancient woodland and is predominantly populated with oak, hornbeam and holly wood trees, all known for the brilliant oranges associated with this season of pumpkins, leaves and brisk breezes.
- Parkland’s Walk
Though a tiny narrow strip through the suburbs of North West London, the Parkland’s Walk is significant because it connects Finsbury Park and Highgate Wood. The pathway used to be the railway track between Finsbury Park and Alexandra Palace, but since its disuse, it has become an overgrown nature preserve of 2.5 miles which Londoners love to walk. Though once the height of city-purpose, the only remaining traces of the tracks are the occasional platforms or signposts.
Being in London does not mean you are confined to cityscapes and skyscrapers, though those certainly form part of the multifaceted experience. From The Park Grand Kensington Hotel, you also have the opportunity to explore several gardens, parks and woodlands where you can enjoy the stunning Autumn foliage and see the changing seasons through the eyes of nature. It is a great way to admire the natural beauty as well as get some fresh, clean air in your lungs.
