Things to do in Hyde Park

Hyde Park’s watery centrepiece is a joy to stroll around in all seasons. Pause on the Serpentine Bridge, which connects Hyde Park to Kensington Gardens, for that essential autumn selfie and grab a striped deckchair on the bank for prime picnic-and-people-watching opportunities in the summer months.

London’s long, languid summer also sees the Serpentine Lido open to the public. You can swim here on weekends from May, and every day between June and September. It’s surely the quickest way to cool off on a hot August day – although it’s also worth noting that ice creams are available at the Lido Café. For those who wish to enjoy the lake without getting quite that wet, there are colorful rowboats and pedalos available for hire between April and September.

More things to do in London when the sun’s shining.

There’s a long tradition of public speaking in this neck of the woods: condemned prisoners would be permitted a final few words before being hung at the nearby Tyburn Gallows, where thousands met their maker through the late Middle Ages and beyond. You’ll find nothing quite so grisly here now, where Speakers’ Corner has been operating as an often-rowdy (but rarely deadly) soapbox since the mid-1800s.

Orators including Marx, Lenin, George Orwell and Emmeline Pankhurst have espoused their views to the masses on this very spot down the years, and you can still catch lively speeches and debate here regularly. Sundays tend to be the best time to catch speakers with strong and often controversial views being heckled by the crowd. It is, in effect, free theatre, and therefore a fine way to while away an hour or two in Hyde Park.

There’s something to see year-round in the enchanting Hyde Park Rose Garden, which you’ll find tucked away in the park’s southeast corner. We’re talking monumental 19th-century fountains, a soaring metal pergola and pretty herbaceous borders. But it's during June and July, when nearly 1,000 varieties – from pale pink to dark magenta – burst into full blazing bloom, that you’ll really want to stop and smell the roses. Indeed, so intoxicating is this show-stopping summer symphony of scent and colour – which can often be whiffed before it’s even seen – that it’s all-but impossible not to. 

Discover more of the best gardens in London here.

Ok ok, so technically they’re just the other side of West Carriage Drive, the road that cuts north-to-south through the park and traditionally marks the boundary with Kensington Gardens. Either way, if you’re in Hyde Park and have a penchant for bleeding-edge art, you’ll want to make a beeline for this fine pair of contemporary galleries which, between them, have exhibited works by Andy Warhol, Damien Hirst, Anish Kapoor, Jeff Koons and many more. 

There’s a temporary pavilion constructed on the south lawn by a different international design team or architect every summer – great flights of fancy that are never short of eye-popping – and the permanent Arch sculpture by Henry Moore sits just west of the North Gallery on the banks of the Serpentine.

Find out what’s on at the Serpentine Galleries here.

The British Summer Time festival lands in June and July, turning Hyde Park into one great big open-air concert for around three weeks every summer. And, of course, a park as regal as this one attracts international rock and pop royalty, with some of the biggest acts on the planet taking to the stage each year. Heard of Bruce Springsteen? The Rolling Stones? Lana Del Rey? Taylor Swift? Lionel Ritchie? Thought so.

Inevitably, tickets for the more popular acts tend to go fast. Very fast. Our advice? Get yourself on the mailing list for early-bird access.

Plagued with problems and pilloried by critics when it first opened in 2004, this lasting public memorial to Diana, Princess of Wales has since become part of the Hyde Park furniture. It’s just south of the Serpentine, so easy enough to fit in on a perambulation of the lake’s shores, and a pleasant spot for picnics outside of tourist season.

Visitors also like to pay their respects at nearby Kensington Palace, Diana’s former home, where a statue of the people’s princess surrounded by young children forms a focal point in Di's beloved sunken garden. You can visit Kensington Palace and Gardens with The London Pass® which can save you up to 47% on entry to multiple London attractions, including the View from The Shard, the Tower of London and St Paul’s Cathedral.

Rotten Row is the long, leafy avenue that runs all the way from West Carriage Drive to Hyde Park Corner. It’s lovely for a stroll or cycle, and perambulations in the early morning mist or on lamplit evenings will have you coming over all Bridgerton in no time. You can also book horse-riding sessions at Hyde Park Stables, allowing you to ride your trusty steed along the dedicated paths that run parallel to Rotten Row proper. Giddy up!

London’s largest winter festival rolls into town every November and remains there, occupying huge swathes of Hyde Park’s southeast corner, into January. Here’s where to unleash your inner child with magical carnival rides and traditional fairground games, and to indulge your grown-up self with mulled wine, roast chestnuts and mince pies. There’s plenty to get you into the festive spirit here, with German markets, ice-skating, live music, an ice bar, and even a chance to meet the big man himself. Santa, that is.

Looking for more things to do in Hyde Park and around London? The London Pass® includes nearly 100 top attractions, tours and activities, and can save you up to 47% on your London sightseeing. Click to find out more and bag your pass.

Read our guide for more things to do near Hyde Park here.