Exploring Kensington Gardens: Your Guide

Beautiful and tranquil, Kensington Gardens offers visitors a unique fusion of old meets new thanks to its vast array of interesting things to see and do.

Enclosed within 265 acres of lush and well-maintained parklands, Kensington Gardens is a great day out for families, couples or solo travellers who want to escape the hustle and bustle of the busy London streets and discover a more peaceful and laid-back side of the capital city.

Here’s our guide on exploring Kensington Gardens from our hotels near Marble Arch Tube station and a few tips on what to look out for during your visit.

Getting to Kensington Gardens

Our hotels near Marble Arch Tube station are ideally located for anyone wishing to visit Kensington Gardens. The nearest Tube station to the entrance at Lancaster Gate is just a four-minute journey away and trains run at regular intervals throughout the day.

If you fancy stretching your legs, then you can reach Kensington Gardens from our 5-star hotels in Marble Arch on foot in just over fifteen minutes. We are located just under a mile away from the entrance.

You can also hire a bike for the day to explore all that the gardens have to offer and get a little exercise to boot!

Art and architecture

Kensington Gardens is the home of the Serpentine Galleries where you’ll find a vast collection of contemporary artwork from home-grown artists along with big names in the art world from further afield.

Once you’ve browsed the exhibitions (which change on a regular basis) take a moment to admire the building that houses these wonderful works of art. It used to be a busy munitions factory and has recently received a sleek and modern extension that houses a café and meeting space for visitors to Kensington Gardens to enjoy.

Notable figures

During your visit to Kensington Gardens, take a brief stop at the ornate Albert Memorial that commemorates the death of Prince Albert who passed away from Typhoid in 1861.

Prince Albert was a great lover of the arts, and you can see him holding a copy of the catalogue of the Great Exhibition which was held in Hyde Park in 1851 and was inspired and organised by the Prince.

Something for the children

Kensington Gardens really is a family-friendly space, with plenty for the little ones to see and do.

The Diana memorial and playground is filled with the laughter of small children scrambling around the big wooden pirate ship or playing in the water of the memorial fountain.

Don’t worry if your little ones get a bit wet during your visit to the memorial playground as it’s only a short trip back to our 5 star hotels in Marble Arch to dry off. Return to take a look at the sensory trails or find the many play sculptures inspired by one of literature’s most-loved characters, Peter Pan.

Why not finish up by grabbing an ice cream and letting the children run off some energy at this wonderful playground nestled in the heart of Kensington Gardens?