According to Wikipedia The Greater London Urban Area is the second largest in the EU with a population of over 8 million, while London's metropolitan area is the largest in the EU with an estimated total population of between 12 million and 14 million.
For a city of this size, London has a surprisingly large amount of green areas. Most of them belong to many parks.
The largest group of London parks is The Royal Parks, this year celebrating 160 years of existence.
There are 8 parks included in this largest group, together covering almost 2,000 hectares of ground. The Royal Parks of London are lands originally owned by the UK monarchy. They used them for recreation (mostly hunting) of the royal family. There are public rights of way across the land but public access still depends on the grace and favour of the Crown. A typical British concept, if you ask me.
These 8 parks form the Royal Parks of London:
- Bushy Park,
- Green Park,
- Greenwich Park,
- Hyde Park,
- Kensington Gardens,
- Regent's Park,
- Richmond Park,
- St. James's Park.
Each one of the listed parks has something special to offer. Let me mention just a few highlights:
- Hyde Park seems to be the most popular due to its location and many events taking place there,
- Green Park can also get pretty crowded due to the vicinity of Buckingham Palace,
- the north side of Regent's Park is where the London Zoo is located,
- Richmond Park is so huge there are deer roaming around free.
Apart from those mentioned above there are also many other parks and green spaces located in the London area. Many are well worth visiting, so I suggest you do your research while planning your trip to London.
During a recent visit to London I had time to visit a few of the mentioned parks. Additional information regarding the most prominent and famous of London parks - London Hyde Park and its surroundings will be introduced in one of my upcoming posts.