London’s Top 10 Parks for Families

During the summer holidays it can be tough to keep thinking of things to do. Luckily there are hundreds of parks across London that are free, offer space for children to play and often have a great café too.

Parks are so important as spaces to play, relax, catch up and just breathe. Many have Friends Groups looking after them and offer a range of special summer activities. Check what your local park has to offer on the GoParks website.

Here are 10 of London’s best parks for families:

Brockwell Park in South London’s offers a highly recommended playground, plus a paddling pool, a ride-on miniature railway and a BMX track for older children. There is also the Lido – with family tickets. It’s got food venues and accessible loos with baby changing facilities too.
Website: Friends of Brockwell Park
Address: Norwood Road, Herne Hill, London SE24 9BJ

Broomfield Park in Palmers Green, North London, is well known for its wetlands but especially because of its great adventure playground. It has recently refurbished toilets, and a lovely community café.
Address: Alderman’s Hill, London N13 4HE

Holland Park in West London, boasts a very popular adventure playground for children from 5 to 14. There’s also a wheelchair accessible roundabout, and a separate play area for toddlers and younger kids not far away.Its café has a Gelato hatch, perfect for summer.
Website: Holland Park Adventure Playground
Address: Holland Park, London W8 6LU

Victoria Park in Tower Hamlets, East London, has a playground for younger kids and one for slightly older kids. There are wooden towers, the longest slide in London and sandpits. A blogger’s top tip: take your children’s bucket and spade to play as it’s like a ‘proper beach’. The splash pool is open until the last weekend of the school summer holidays. It’s also got accessible public toilets and cafes.
Website: Victoria Park Friends
Address: Grove Road London, E3 5TB

Coram’s Fields in Central London is a lovely space, only open to families. There are several play areas and interactive options across its seven acres and a city farm. Its paddling pool is open in Spring and Summer and there’s a nice café.
Website: Coram’s Fields
Address: 93 Guilford Street, London, WC1N 1DN

Lloyd Park in Walthamstow is much-loved by children. It’s got a natural play area with climbing logs, a play area and sandpit, and a skate park and a scooter park for all ages and abilities and a café and an accessible loo.
Website: Friends of Lloyd Park
Address: Forest Road, Walthamstow, London E17 4PP

Battersea Park in Wandsworth has four areas for those from age 4 to 14. These include gentle fun for toddlers such as a static train and small slides and slide units, exercise stations and trapeze bars for older kids. There’s also the boating lake and mini golf. You’d have to pay for the Battersea Park Go Ape course and the Battersea Park Children’s Zoo.
Address: Albert Bridge Road SW11 4NJ

Diana Memorial playground in Kensington Gardens includes a pirate ship, sensory trail, sand pit and seesaw for the under 3s. The Diana Memorial Fountain is in nearby Hyde Park. Look out for a brand-new wheelchair-accessible Galleon and multi-level Tree House encampment in Spring next year.
Website: Royal Parks
Address: Broad Walk, W2 2UH

Tumbling Bay playground in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is a beautiful green space created on the 2012 Olympics site with play areas, fountains and a climbing wall. The ‘bay’ section is “very, very like a beach” and even has rock pools. There’s a cafe nearby with toilets too.
Website: Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
Address: Olympic Park Ave, London E20 1DY

Highgate Woods playground in North London offers woodland to explore as well as separate areas for younger and older children. The smaller ones got two sandpits, and the older children got slides, monkey bars, a climbing frame and a zip line.
Website: Highgate Wood
Address: Muswell Hill Rd, London N10 3JN