Would you like to enjoy beautifully guided tour of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens?
Would you like to reveal the secrets of one of the most famous parks in the world?
Learn a lot of facts and amazing stories on our walking tour of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens.
Nowadays Hyde Park’s area covers 350 acres and is home to a number of famous landmarks and sights. Henry Vlll created Hyde Park for hunting in 1536 and it was enclosed as a deer park, remaining a private hunting ground until James I permitted limited access to gentlefolk. One of the most important events to take place in Hyde Park was the Great Exhibition of 1851, housed in the magnificent Crystal Palace. The name “Hyde” is believed to be of Saxon origin, and means a unit of land, the hide, that was appropriate for the support of a single family and dependents.
Hyde Park is the largest Royal Park in London and it is bounded on the north by Bayswater Road, to the east by Park Lane, and to the south by Knightsbridge. To the west, Hyde Park merges with Kensington Gardens and the dividing line runs between the Serpentine Bridge and Alexandra Gate to Victoria Gate via West Carriage Drive. Flowers were first planted in Hyde Park in 1860 by William Andrews Nesfield. Speaker’s Corner became very popular in the late 19th century, due to its tolerance of free speech.
Queen Caroline, who was the wife of George II, had considerable modernisation carried out and in the 1730s had The Serpentine, a lake of nearly 11.34 hectares, created. In 1977 a Silver Jubilee Exhibition was held in honour of Queen Elizabeth II’s 25 years on the throne.
Kensington Gardens are generally regarded as being the western extent of the neighbouring Hyde Park. It covers an impressive area of 265 acres and millions of people visit them each year. In 1689, the King and Queen, William and Mary, bought Nottingham House, on the western edge of Hyde Park, and renamed it Kensington Palace. They created a beautiful garden around the palace with formal flower beds and box hedges. Thereafter, Queen Anne and Queen Caroline, further contributed to the enlargement of Kensington Gardens.
Kensington Gardens was originally the western section of Hyde Park, before to be created by Henry VIII as a hunting ground. For most of the 18th century the gardens were closed to the public. They were opened gradually but only to the respectably dressed. The Gardens provide a distinctive habitat in the heart of London for a diverse variety of species of fauna and flora. You could observe many pigeons, swans, gulls, geese and squirrels.
Queen Victoria was born at Kensington Palace and lived here until 1837. In a series of renovations Queen Victoria commissioned the Italian Gardens and the Albert Memorial. Diana Princess of Wales had an apartment at the palace from 1981-1997.
Speakers’ Corner
The Lookout
The Old Police House
The Serpentine
The Long Water
The Arch by Henry Moore
Italian Gardens
Peter Pan Statue
Physical Energy Statue
Queen Caroline’s Temple
Diana Memorial Fountain
Lido Bar and Café
The Albert Memorial
The Flower Walk
Royal Albert Hall
Round Pond
Kensington palace
The Orangery
A choice between your hotel (if centrally located) and a recommended meeting point. The ideal meeting point for this private tour is in front of of Marble Arch Landmark (find it on the map). The nearest tube station is Marble Arch. Our recommendation for the starting time of the tour is between 9 AM and 1 PM. The duration of the tour is 2 hours.
| Number of people | Price per group |
| Up to 4 people | £100 |
| From 5 to 10 people | £120 |
| More than 10 people | Negotiable |
If your group is larger than 10 people, please send us an email on: info@leadingtourslondon.com for a group rate
The price includes:
Professional Tour Guiding services in English
The price does not include:
Gratuities
