Spots

320 hectares of wild north London — swim the ponds in summer, climb Parliament Hill for the skyline.

Royal park with the Observatory at the top — best skyline view east of central.

Queen Mary's rose garden in June. Primrose Hill at sunset, year-round.

Serpentine swim in summer, Speaker's Corner on Sunday, Winter Wonderland in December.

Deer roam free — 2,500 acres, the largest royal park. Climb King Henry's Mound for St Paul's protected view.

East London's lung. Pavilion Cafe, weekend market, dogs everywhere.

Peace Pagoda by the river, kids' zoo, Power Station newly reopened next door.

Kyoto Garden, peacocks, ruins of Holland House. Quietest royal-borough green space.

Tiny City pocket park with the Watts Memorial — ceramic tiles commemorating ordinary heroes.

A park which is run as children's play area. Facilities include a pet's corner, lawns, sports pitches and a nursery. No adults are allowed to enter the park unless they are accompanying children. All visitors are welcome to join the local kids.

Peaceful gardens and interesting monuments including the daughter of Richard Cromwell, son of Oliver Cromwell.

A 2-acre nature reserve amid the industrial wasteland just north of King's Cross Station. This lovely little park gives visitors interested in nature the opportunity to learn about the work of the London Wildlife Trust who administer this and 26 other reserves in London. This is

with 2 herds (Red and Fallow)

A hidden-away green space and wildlife haven in the middle of urban Greenwich. Comes alive in the summer with brightly coloured insects and birds.

A secret jewel of a park. Beautifully landscaped grounds, hills, mature trees, lakes, a walled garden, visitor's centre, café, tennis courts, and children's playgrounds. Bequeathed to the public as a "garden for the gardenless" by Sir Sidney Waterlow in 1889. A visit here combine

A more formal tended area of the heath at its north-western extremity. Has as a small aviary and zoo that kids always enjoy.

A quite beautiful hidden garden on West Heath, which is little known even to many Londoners. It was originally part of the gardens of 19th-century Inverforth House built by Viscount Leverhulme (the then owner of Lever Brothers, now Unilever). The gardens are now common land and p

A large hilly green park; 10 min walk from the centre of Brixton. Has the following facilities: Brockwell Lido, children's play area, paddling pool, café, flower gardens, sports facilities, toilets and several ponds. Brockwell Park also has a BMX track.

Small London park with some lovely tended gardens.

In an old church, which also has the tomb of Captain Bligh of The Bounty mutiny fame. The museum charts the history of garden design and gardening.

The first museum in the world dedicated to the history of gardening, based in the deconsecrated Church of St Mary-at-Lambeth. The exhibits cover everything from royal gardens to allotments.

This park used to be the grounds of Lambeth Palace but has been a public park since 1901. In addition to the green space it provides, it contains a range of sports facilities (booking required, except for the cricket nets) and a playground.

Garden founded by apothecaries in the 17th century to the medicinal properties of plants. It was only opened to the public in the 1980s, when it became a charity. The heat-sink caused by its thick walls, combined with the general waste heat of London itself, keeps the garden much

The roses are mixed with herbaceous plants and bedding flowers so there's always some horticultural interest no matter the time of year, though the roses' peak is in June. Two interesting fountains depict Diana the huntress and a boy seemingly wrestling a dolphin.

The western half of the twin parks and the half that is often forgotten in public consciousness. It tends to be more formal than its neighbouring park.

Small green area, with benches, by the Thames. Created in the crater of a World War II bomb site, it contains an ancient cherry tree to commemorate the visit of Gunji Koizumi, the man who introduced judo to the country. Named after Margaret Roper née More, to whom the area was a

In contrast to the other Royal Parks in the area, Green Park can seem a little plain. It has no lakes or buildings and few monuments. It is still a pleasant green, lightly wooded, area in the centre of London, neighbouring two other parks and Buckingham Palace.

The oldest of the Royal Parks of London.