They say that London is the city of sights and parks.

For its size London is the greenest city in the world, wherever you are in the capital, there's always a park or garden nearby.

Whether you're looking for some wild space where you can go horse riding, or you just want a deck chair for sunbathing, London is sure to have the 'kind of green' that you need.

Between visits to busy shopping streets and museums, give yourself a break and try rowing a boat in Hyde Park; explore the plants in Kew Gardens or bring the kids to see the pets in Coram Fields.

To get a fresh perspective of this big and bustling city, there's nothing better than admiring the view from one of London's beautiful parks or gardens.

Visitors to London are amazed by the number and variety of London's parks. There are, for example, ten Royal Parks.  Within these parks, visitors can enjoy such pleasures as grassy slopes to lie on, boating on lakes, children's playgrounds, palaces, horseback riding, and brass band concerts.

Then there are the parks formerly controlled by the Greater London Council. These parks - Hampstead Heath or Battersea Park to name but two - are just as famous and popular as the Royal Parks.
There are also the parks controlled by the City of London, for example, Epping Forest.
The remainder of London's parkland is under thee control of the thirty-two London Boroughs. In all, there are close to 350 different parks.

 The pleasure of a park is the park itself. It would be impossible to describe all London's parks,

Londoners love their parks and are proud of them. London is very rich in parks and gardens. You can spend the whole day in the country - without leaving London. Many people enjoy picnics in the parks.

   London's parks are full of trees, grass flowers and water. You can walk among old trees, relax and admire flowers and plants or take part in the many activities such as tennis, swimming and horse-riding.

   The Royal Parks are the property of the Royal family. The Royal Parks have a long and interesting past. For almost 700 years these spaces have been enjoyed, first by monarchs and their courts, and more recently by everyone. : St James's Park, Green Park, Kensington Gardens, Regent's Park, Greenwich Park, Hampton Court Home Park, Primrose Hill, Bushy Park.

In central London they include Hyde Park, Green Park, St James's Park, Regent's Park and Kensington Gardens.

1.          Hyde Park is the biggest London’s park, it’s area is about  25 square kilometers. Hyde Park is famous for its outdoor entertainments and its Speaker's Corner. On Sunday morning anyone can make a speech about something he believes to be very important.

2.     You can also visit Regent's Park where you will find a boating lake, an open-air theatre, where in summer you can enjoy Shakespeare's plays and London Zoo. The zoo in Regent's Park is one of the most popular tourist attractions. Founded in 1828.London Zoo has changed the ways of showing animals. The animals are in large compounds which are designed to reflect natural habitats.

3.     St James's Park, the oldest London park, is very beautiful with its trees and flower beds and view of Buckingham Palace. The statue of the famous fairy-tale hero, Peter Pan, can be seen in Kensington Gardens.

4.     The Green Park is covering 21 hectares of central London.  It extends from Buckingham Palace to the present Hyde Park Corner. The Green Park has no gardens. It consists almost of simple parkland that is trees standing in grass, with paths and seats. The main plant interest is in its mature trees. Of special interest is a mature double avenue of plane trees leading north from the gate at the frontage of Buckingham Palace. There are also many other large trees (again dominated by planes). The principal monuments are two war memorials.

5.     Kensington Gardens, lies between Hyde Park on its east, and Kensington Palace to its west. It is a major park, and apart from Regent's Park, it is probably the most peaceful and restful of the central London Royal Parks. It covers 110 hectares.

Kensington Gardens lies to the west of Hyde Park. Much of it was taken from Hyde Park in the 18th century by Queen Caroline. It is still considered to be part of Hyde Park by many people. It is not used for organized sports, and it is rarely used for any major events. The park is based around Kensington Palace. Avenues lined by trees are a major feature of the park.

The Long Water is a part of the Serpentine Lake. The other lake is the Round Pond, a large lake in front of the Palace. Both of these date from Queen Caroline's time.

There are several distinct gardens. They include the Italianate Gardens, which are formal water gardens with fountains, at the northern end of the Long Water.

In addition, there are several gardens by Kensington Palace itself. These include the beautiful little Dutch Garden, which although not open to the public.

There are a number of old trees in Kensington Gardens, including some less common species.

The park is quiet and is very important for wildlife. Numerous species of birds have been lived there.  The Long Water is closed to boating. The Round Pond holds a variety of fish.

Kensington Palace itself is a private building used by some members of the Royal Family. However, parts of it may be open at times for exhibitions. Some gardens by the palace are not open to the public, but most can be viewed from outside.

The park has a large collection of monuments, including the grandiose structure of the Albert Memorial. Other more modest monuments are many; perhaps the best-known is the statue of Peter Pan.

6.     Greenwich Park is an important historic part of this city. It contains numerous recreational and ornamental items.

Greenwich Park lies on the south side of the Thames in Greenwich. It covers 74 hectares. It consists of a lower, gently sloping area close to the river. The park is separated from the Thames by the National Maritime Museum.

The lands mean that Greenwich Park is only part of a larger area of open space, much of which can be seen from the park and contribute to it. To the north, extending to the river, and part of the same landscape as the park, lie the grounds of the National Maritime Museum, with tree lined walks along lawns among its formal buildings. Further views can be seen over this land, of much of east and central London.

A large flower garden lies on the south-east of the area. This has many flowerbeds.

There is also a good tree collection in the park, with some notable ancient trees.

There are numerous attractions in and near the park.

The Royal Observatory is in the park, and it is popular with tourists.

The Greenwich Royal Observatory is at the top of the hill, overlooking Greenwich, and from here there are good views towards the city.

The observatory has a popular museum, and has an enclosed yard. 

There are a number of monuments within the park. It includes a statue of General James Wolfe. There is the Queen's Oak, the remains of a tree associated with Queen Elizabeth I.

Elsewhere in the park are a playground, a boating lake, and tennis courts.

Greenwich Park has been a Royal Park since the 15th century. The palace known as the Queen's House (now the National Maritime Museum), was created for Queen Anne (wife of James I).

James I was responsible for the wall around the park.

The Royal Observatory was also designed in this period, by Christopher Wren.