London parks
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London can really boast about its variety of parks. London parks are 
spectacular and truly amazing. You can never imagine city such as London to have so much green and open space. In every part of London you can find at least one park. It doesn't matter if it's just a small pool with surrounding trees or a park like the magnificent and slightly wild in appearance Richmond Park. Considering sheer numbers of London parks we will concentrate on most popular ones.
Hyde Park - This is the most prominent and famous London park. Surrounded from north with Queensway and Bayswater (plenty of youth hotels and hostels including Whiteleys shopping centre), with Mayfair (American Embassy, Bond Street, the Intercontinental hotel) from east, Kensington on west (nice small shops on Kensington Church Street) and Knightsbridge on south (Exhibition Road, Royal Albert Hall, Harrods shop, Belgrave Square with Embassies), this park has the best London location from where you can reach main shopping areas. Being 360 acres in size it can take some time to cross it over. In summer time there is an option of renting a small boat and gently paddling in the lake, having refreshing drink or maybe fishing in certain allocated places. You will need a licence for fishing so please purchase one before you come here. If you are into roller-skating this is the place for you. At the Speakers Corner you are free to scream at the whole wide world or have a normal debate with strangers about topics that interest you. Kensington Palace can be found in Kensington Gardens, part of Hyde Park. If you would like to pay tribute to late Princess Diana go there. After her death thousands upon thousand's of people came just to lay the flowers and leave cards. Hotels near Hyde Park
The second London park that visitors regularly see is Green Park. This is the place where on Saturdays and Sundays you can hardly move due to huge number of people standing outside 
Buckingham Palace gates. Maybe while you are at the gates you will have a chance to see people attempting to access the Palace driving car trough the gates or just landing with parachute like it happened before. The Buckingham Palace was built in 1703 and bought by King George III sixty years later on. It became a permanent residence of Kings and Queens after King George IV commissioned remodeling in 1824. It was "updated" twice more for needs of the court and their families. If you can see the Royal flag flying over the east front, you know that Her Majesty the Queen is inside. The interior of the Palace is open to the visiting public during August and September. Hotels near Green Park
Adjacent to the Green Park is St. James's Park. 
You can really enjoy these parks on Sundays when they are closed to traffic. Inside the park you can see St. James's Palace that was originally built on the site of a lepers` hospital. Just before his execution Charles I decided to spend his last night there. It is the home of Duke and Duchess of Kent as well as offices for various other royals. You are not allowed to go inside, apart from Chapel Royal that is open for services only. Short walk from the Palace you will emerge on to Parliament Square and see splendour of the Big Ben, Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. Hotels near St. James`s Park
Taking a tube to Baker Street, Regent`s Park or Portland Street you will emerge in front of Regents`s Park. Situated in northwest London, this park can offer you variety of fun and leisure. Inside the park is boating lake where you can yet rent a boat and take pictures of birds nesting on an island found in the middle of lake. If you are avid lover of beautifully cultivated flowers you will have memorable experience. With plenty of chairs and benches around, you could just sit and watch the time pass you by. Hotels near Regent`s Park
There is small restaurant inside the park but we have to say that cup of coffee or tea is expensive. Our suggestion is to bring a picnic basket with you. On the north side of the park is London Zoo. Following recent renovations and installation of new cages you can see endangered species and help the animals by adopting them. It will give you sense of achievement and will really help preserve the Zoo that is always in need of financial support. You can play a game of tennis or if you have come in larger numbers there are plenty of football fields where you can test your skill. The park is also the home of Regents College with many foreign students who have come here for further education. Inside Regents Park is the biggest Mosque in London and during Muslim holidays can become crowded and busy with traffic.
Close to Regents park there is a small park called Primrose Hill Park. During the summer months and whenever we have nice sunny day, many people go there to sunbathe or read the newspaper and gently doze off. It offers a nice view of central London if you can manage to climb to the top. The park with an even better view of London is Alexandra Park. To reach it please take a train to Alexandra Palace station or tube to Wood Green (situated approximately 20 minutes away from the park). The view is absolutely stunning and you can even go inside the Alexandra Palace complex where ice-skating during hot and humid days can cool you down.
Between Alexandra Park and Regents Park is Hampstead Heath. With a choice of going by tube to Hampstead or taking a train to Hampstead Heath you can have really enjoyable day walking and sightseeing. The park is fairly large and you can even swim in some of the ponds. The ponds inside the park are surrounded with bushes and trees and if you like fishing there is a chance to do so. People with younger children can pay a small amount to professional anglers who will take a charge of your young ones. Hotels near Hampstead Heath
The last three London parks we are going to mention are slightly further away from central London but you will see why we are encouraging you to visit them.
The first one is Kew Gardens. It can be reached by train and District Line of the tube. Train stations are: Kew Gardens and Richmond. You can take local buses if you are based locally or minicab and black cab for journey from other parts of town. Kew Gardens is a legend amongst the parks. To see botanical wonders from around the globe you have to come here. They store thousands of seeds in vaults to make sure that we do not lose another plant species. The glass houses full of palms, exotic flowers and shrubs will take your breath away. The Japanese Gateway, Temperate House, Bamboo garden, Temple of Bellona and Rose Garden, to name but a few, will astonish you. It is hard to describe the pleasure and delight you will experience. You really have to go there and see it with your own eyes. Open from: daily 9:30am-7:30pm or dusk. Tel: 0208 332 5655.
Not far away from Kew Gardens you can find Syon Park. There are fairs organised by local people few times a year. This park has a small Butterfly House. Inside the building you are welcomed by the scent and humidity of a tropical forest. The house was made for younger visitors but anyone can enjoy it. Hundreds of butterflies fly all around you and you can sneak an look at a day in the life of an ant colony. You will see how well organised these little creatures are and how they rummage through the forest. You can buy a very cheap Stick-bug at the end of your tour.
The last park is our favourite Richmond Park. It is HUGE. With a kind of wild exterior this park has certain look that will calm you and maybe extinguish the way we live urban life. Take our advice and go early in the morning with a picnic basket in one hand and blanket in the other. You have a good chance of seeing deer grazing and walking around the park. They often roam around in the summer months. Relationship between locals and deer has been long time established and they are very tame. By the way, they are Royal property so if you are driving through the park be careful and look out for them crossing the road.
