Hyde Park

Hyde Park is one of the world's greatest and phenomenal royal parks in Central London, the historical capital city of the United Kingdom. Situated in the heart of the city, the park offers a plethora of activities on your Europe trip starting from boating, swimming, horse riding, tennis, skating, jogging, walking and many more. 

Adorned with innumerable varieties of trees and flowers and a beautiful glittering lake, Hyde Park has been attracting thousands of visitors from all over the world. You can witness many amazing buildings, monuments, memorials, fountains, statues and a bird sanctuary inside the park. The park is also the residence for a diverse variety of birds and insects, and hence a paradise for wildlife photographers and bird watchers.

Several world-renowned conferences, events, and seminars, music concerts, charity shows are organized in the park. The funds raised from many of those events are dedicated to the maintenance and preservation of the park. Café joints, bars, restaurants, beverage shops inside the park serve delicious refreshments and dishes to the visitors. 

Every year during the Christmas and New Year, the entire park is transformed into a magical land with the illuminated decorations and glittering lights coupled with several exciting attractions and eateries. Circus shows, skiing, and skating competitions and many musical events form a part of the winter magic in Hyde Park.

• Pay your homage to the first memorial that honors the Holocaust victims, which was inaugurated as a symbol of respect for the victims of London bombings (2005) by the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall in 2009.
• Explore several other memorials like the Cavalry Memorial, Norwegian War Memorial, Animals in War Memorial, and the famous Queen Caroline Memorial.
• Take a dip at the famous Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain, along with other fountains such as Joy of Life Fountain, Boy and Dolphin Fountain, the Huntress Fountain, and the Freeman Family Drinking Fountain.
• Click photos and walk around the famous and significant statues like the Greek Trojan-war hero, Achilles and the Pan bronze statue that depicts a family and their dog in a running position.
• Visit the stunning Rose Garden, which combines rose and herbaceous planting to produce vibrant seasonal flower beds with distinct scents.
• Engage in one of the many sports and recreational activities available in Hyde Park, ranging from horseback riding to tennis and swimming.

The best time to visit Hyde Park in London is during the summer season, from March to May, considering the pleasant atmosphere and bright shiny skyk. The timing of visiting Hyde Park is from 5 am to 11:59 pm everyday and all year around. The autumn season, however, is also a beautiful time to explore Hyde Park as the city of London goes through a colourful transformation during the Autumn season, from September to November.

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History of Hyde Park

In 1536, the land where Hyde Park exists right now was acquired by King Henry VIII from the monks of Westminster Abbey. He then converted it into a private hunting ground for the royal families. The park was opened to the public in 1637 by King Charles I when he constructed a circular track called Ring for the royal horse carriages to travel comfortably. 

Hyde Park was significant during 1665, the year of the Great Plague, in hosting camps for the citizens of London. It served as a shelter for protection against the epidemic. The park underwent several renovations and improvements at the end of the 17th century during the reign of William III. He established the first artificially lit highway along the park wherein 300 oil lamps were placed for the benefit of the royal families and the tourists. Further in 1730, Queen Caroline constructed the Lake Serpentine spreading across an area of 11.34 hectares.

The park is symbolic of hosting many celebrations of national and historical importance. The prominent ones among them are the fireworks held in 1814 to commemorate the victory in the Napolean war and the Great Exhibition in 1851. Further, in 1977 a Silver Jubilee exhibition was organized to celebrate the 25 years rule of Queen Elizabeth II. Hyde Park is noteworthy in anchoring some memorable musical events and concerts since 1968. The first rock concert was performed by the world-famous singer Pink Floyd.

Since then concerts of The Rolling Stones, Queen, Elvis Costello, and Pavarotti had been held in the park. In 2008 the famous concert to observe the 90th birthday of Nelson Mandela was organized in the park.

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Places to Eat in Hyde Park

1. Serpentine Bar and Kitchen- The restaurant is located inside the building of Patrick Gwynne, present at the eastern side of Lake Serpentine. It serves special English meals and snacks like sandwiches, salads, cakes and wide varieties of hot and cold beverages. There are several refreshment joints inside the park at different locations serving coffee, snacks, ice-cream, and sandwiches to the visitors

2. Will to Win Sports Centre Café- The café is located inside Hyde Park Sports Centre offering numerous varieties of hot and cold delicacies like pasta, sandwiches, stews, salads, ice-creams. It also serves beverages like tea, coffee, and cold drinks.

3. The Lodge Café- The café offers freshly prepared English continental foods like pastries, bacon, fried eggs, omelets, granola, sandwiches, salads, wraps, soups, lasagnas.

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Places to Stay near Hyde Park

1. Corus Hotel Hyde Park- It is a 4-star hotel overlooking Hyde Park, with 389 rooms suitable both for business and leisure. It offers all the basic amenities like free wi-fi, AC, TV, room service and many more.

2. Hard Rock Hotel- The hotel is located very near to Hyde Park at a distance of 0.8 km. The staff can speak English, Spanish and Polish languages. It has both family rooms and suites for the guests. 

3. Royal Lancaster- A 5-star hotel with the staff speaking almost 16 languages. It is situated near Hyde Park, famous for hosting award-winning restaurants. The rooms have options for a city view as well as the park view.

4. Great Cumberland Place- It is a 4-star hotel offering room both for business and leisure. The rooms are air-conditioned and comfortable. It has a children's activity area too.

5. Millennium Hotel- It is a stylish and contemporary hotel with highly decorated rooms. The staff is proficient in speaking 6 different languages. 

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Tip To Visit Hyde Park

1. Limited parking facilities are available near the park, hence it is advisable to avail public transport like buses and tubes to reach the park

2. You must not miss riding the Solar Shuttle inside the park. It is powered by solar energy and can carry 40 passengers

3. The best time to visit the park is between June and September when the weather is warm

4. Wear comfortable shoes as you must enjoy a pleasant walk along the park 

5. Carry hats and sunglasses as protection from the heat

6. Apply sunscreen lotion as a safeguard from the sun's rays

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Many public and private services are available in London to reach Hyde Park. The park is well connected with London's city center by buses and tubes. Car parking facilities are also available if you want to ride your vehicle.

1. By Underground Tube

There are many underground tube stations near the park:

- Knightsbridge station and Hyde Park Corner in the Piccadilly Line

- Marble Arch station and Lancaster Gate in the Central Line

- Hyde Park is located at a walking distance of 10 minutes from the tube stations.

2. By Underground Rail Lines

Three underground mainline stations near the park are:

- Paddington railway station

- Victoria railway station 

- Marylebone railway station

3. By Bus

Various south-bound, north-bound, east-bound, and west-bound buses ply between different parts of London and Hyde Park. The bus numbers to take note of are:

- North-bound bus numbers are C2, 6, 7, 10, 16, 19, 23, 36, 52, 73, 82, 98, 113, 274, 390 and 414

- South-bound bus numbers are 2, 36, 137, 148, 159 and 436

- West-bound bus numbers are 9, 10, 14, 19, 22, 52, 74, 94, 148 and 414

- East-bound bus numbers are 8,15, 23, 30, 38 and 274

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