Looking for the best parks in South London? These are the spots you shouldn’t miss.
Parks are the glue holding a city like this together, they’re the places we picnic, festival, and spend lazy afternoons doing nothing much at all in the sun.
South London is genuinely home turf for us, the area we grew up in and know like the back of our hand. So when it came to picking the best parks here, we were rigorous, and more than a little ruthless.
Just because something is a green space doesn’t make it a park, and we’re not going to regurgitate the same five spots literally everyone’s heard of.
These 23 spots range from vast open commons to pretty floral gardens, there’s even a cemetery turned nature reserve in there too. We’ve split the guide between South East and South West London to help you find ones nearby.
Best parks in South East London
Crystal Palace Park
Crystal Palace
Let’s start with a biggie. Crystal Palace Park is one of the best-known parks in South London, and for good reason. Created as a Victorian pleasure ground to house the long-destroyed Crystal Palace, it’s still a hub of local life.
This isn’t just your average park, mooch around and you’ll find the former site of the Crystal Palace, Italian terraces, a maze, skate park, athletics track and, of course, those famous dinosaurs, full-size Victorian models positioned in lifelike poses around one of the park’s lakes.
Worth knowing: the park’s dinosaurs have just come through a major restoration, declared complete on 16 July 2026. They’ve been repaired and repainted in their original Victorian colours for the first time, and formally removed from Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register after being added to it in 2020 over structural cracking. The wider regeneration project also delivered a new visitor centre, a restored Italian Terraces, and a new dinosaur-themed playground, all now open. If you haven’t visited in the last year or two, this is genuinely worth a fresh trip.
Address: Thicket Rd, London SE19 2GA
Greenwich Park
Greenwich
Views from Greenwich Park
With gorgeous views over to Canary Wharf and home to its own herd of free-roaming deer, it’s no wonder Greenwich Park is a South London favourite.
It’s one of London’s Royal Parks, and the oldest enclosed one in the UK, providing a backdrop for the flirtations between Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII, centuries before either of their reputations were quite what they are today.
Today it has tree-lined pathways that draw crowds during blossom season and a scented herb garden worth a detour in summer.
Address: Greenwich, London SE10 8QY
Dulwich Park
Dulwich
It’s hard to believe the leafy, well-landscaped grounds of Dulwich Park used to be farmland, but before the park’s creation in 1890, that’s exactly what this whole area was.
Today it’s one of the prettiest parks in the south, manicured without being too formal, with a dry garden and a winter garden both worth seeking out.
Want to do more than just wander? There’s a boating lake with pedalos and rowing boats, and the tennis courts are free to use.
Address: College Rd, Dulwich, London SE21
One Tree Hill
Honor Oak Park
Views from One Tree Hill
Not a park in the traditional sense, but a woodland nature reserve tucked into Honor Oak Park, One Tree Hill is one of South London’s genuinely under-visited spots.
The name’s misleading, there are plenty of trees, but one in particular, the Oak of Honour, is said to have sheltered Elizabeth I on a journey through what was then the Great North Wood. Since 2007, the whole hill has been a designated Local Nature Reserve.
Its high, hilly position also happens to deliver some of the best views of central London anywhere in South London.
Address: 69 Honor Oak Rise, London SE23 3RA
Nunhead Cemetery
Nunhead
Another left-field entry, Nunhead Cemetery is one of our favourite spots, a place where history and nature merge into one of the most unusual outdoor spaces in South London.
It’s a genuinely rare sight, a spot where woodland has reclaimed a huge part of a working cemetery. A large section is now officially a nature reserve, expect ivy creeping over headstones, dappled light through dense canopy, and small paths meandering through it all.
Address: Linden Grove, London SE15 3LP
Lloyd Park
Croydon
Lloyd Park is one of the most bucolic parks in South East London, and somehow one of the least known too.
Maybe it’s the Croydon location, perched right on the edge of South London before it tips into full suburbia. Whatever the reason, that location translates into 114 acres of rolling parkland, meadow and woodland, formerly part of the Coombe Estate grounds, part landscaped, part genuinely wild.
Even on the busiest days, you’re guaranteed to find space to yourself.
Address: Coombe Road, Croydon, CR0 5BT
Brockwell Park
Herne Hill
Brockwell Park isn’t especially well known outside its immediate surrounds, a shame, since this is a genuine beauty and one of the more unconventional parks in South London.
It was created largely through the efforts of MP Thomas Bristowe, who sadly died moments after the park’s opening ceremony in 1892. His efforts paid off handsomely, the park now sits at the heart of local life.
There’s no shortage of things to do, a walled formal garden, BMX track, tennis courts and a much-loved London lido. Green-fingered visitors can also try their hand in the community greenhouse.
Address: Brockwell Park Gardens, London SE24 9BJ
Peckham Rye
Combining Peckham Rye Park and Peckham Rye Common, a visit here puts 113 acres of grassland, ornamental gardens, lakes and woodland at your fingertips.
Facilities-wise, expect several children’s adventure playgrounds, a bowling green, skate park and community gardens, plus the gorgeous Sexby Garden, filled with roses and shrubs.
Address: 34 Straker’s Rd, London SE15 3UA
Beckenham Place Park
Beckenham
London’s newest major green space was transformed from a golf course into a park a few years back, complete with a 283-metre-long swimming lake that quickly became the talk of the town.
Beckenham Place Park has settled in as one of South London’s go-to open-air spaces, thanks to a genuine mix of woodlands, meadows and gardens. It’s a beautiful spot with a properly rural feel, hard to believe you’re less than nine miles from central London. Regular festivals and events run through the summer months too.
Address: Beckenham Hill Rd, Beckenham BR3 5BS
Burgess Park
Camberwell
Burgess Park is one of the younger parks in South London, created piecemeal between the 1950s and 1980s. It’s got a genuinely interesting story behind it, whole areas, including residential buildings, churches and even canals, were removed to make way for it.
The result is one of London’s biggest parks, combining open grass with ornamental gardens, allotments and a dedicated barbecue area.
Address: Albany Rd, London SE5 0AL
Southwark Park
Rotherhithe
Set in Rotherhithe, Southwark Park is a Green Flag award-winning park dating back to 1869, restored in the early noughties, and still one of the more little-visited parks in South East London.
Beyond the grassy areas and lakes, the park is also home to Southwark Park Galleries, now the umbrella name for both the Lake Gallery and the Grade II listed Dilston Gallery, a former church that’s become one of the more distinctive exhibition spaces in London. Both are genuinely active, running a full season of contemporary art commissions and community workshops throughout the year.
Address: Gomm Rd, London SE16 2TX
Kelsey Park
Beckenham
It’s no surprise that leafy Beckenham has more than its fair share of parks, this is proper suburbia after all.
The former landscaped gardens of the Kelsey Manor Estate retain much of their original glory, with extensive ornamental gardens and a series of large lakes providing the backdrop to your summer plans.
Address: Manor Way, Beckenham BR3 3LS
Horniman Museum Gardens
Forest Hill
Not strictly a park, but the gardens of Forest Hill’s much-loved Horniman Museum are a lovely spot to spend an afternoon in the sun.
Well maintained throughout, with sunken and display gardens dating back to the 1930s and an unusual grasslands garden among the highlights, plus a genuinely impressive view over to central London.
Address: 100 London Rd, Forest Hill, London SE23 3PQ
Sydenham Hill Woods
Sydenham
Standing in the middle of Sydenham Hill Woods, it’s easy to believe this was once part of the Great North Wood, which stretched all the way from Deptford to South Norwood.
It forms part of the largest remaining tract of that great wood, and remains one of the nicest woodlands in London. What it lacks in open space it makes up for in proper woodland walkways, Cox’s Walk, an 18th-century oak-lined path crossing the wood, is the most famous.
Address: Crescent Wood Road, Sydenham Hill, SE26 6LS
Telegraph Hill Park
Lewisham
We love a park with a good view, and they don’t come much better than Telegraph Hill Park’s. From the peak you can see across a stretch of London that takes in the City’s skyscrapers and even Westminster, with Big Ben reduced to a tiny tower in the distance.
The park itself isn’t large, but it’s genuinely lovely, with tennis and basketball courts, an ornamental garden and a small pond. A refreshment kiosk usually runs through the summer months too, worth checking it’s open before you rely on it.
Address: 12 Montague Ave, London SE4 1YP
Hilly Fields
Brockley
Perched 175 feet above sea level in Ladywell, Hilly Fields is home to London’s only stone circle, twelve granite boulders, some 400 million years old, transported from Scotland and installed in 2000 to mark the Millennium.
The park itself is considerably older. It was saved from development in the 1890s largely through the efforts of Octavia Hill, later a co-founder of the National Trust, and opened to the public in 1896. Today it packs in tennis courts, a cricket pitch, a bowling club, a monthly farmers’ market and a genuinely excellent skyline view from the top of the hill, alongside the stone circle itself.
Address: Hilly Fields, Brockley, London SE4 1LB
Best parks in South West London
Battersea Park
Battersea
We have the Victorians to thank for a lot of London’s parks, and Battersea Park is a prime example.
The park opened in 1858 to give working-class residents of the surrounding area somewhere green to escape to, the same still holds today, even if those residents have grown considerably more well-heeled over time.
The 200 acres somehow squeeze in a range of gardens, playgrounds and a boating lake. There’s a Go Ape facility if you’re feeling brave, or for something more sedate, take a turn around the water gardens, visit the Peace Pagoda, or cycle the designated paths.
Address: Battersea, London SW11 4NJ
Tooting Commons
Tooting
No typo, there really are two adjacent commons in Tooting, Tooting Bec Common and Tooting Graveney Common, separated by Dr Johnson Avenue.
Two commons means a genuine amount of space to enjoy the outdoors. They provide a natural habitat for a range of wildlife, mallard ducks, mute swans and dragonflies among them, while the lake supports its own population of birds and fish.
The Lido is the largest freshwater swimming pool by surface area in the UK, and has been used by locals since it opened in 1906. Anyone can pay to swim through the summer months, but it’s exclusive to South London Swimming Club members in winter.
Address: Tooting Bec Road SW17 8JU
Clapham Common
Clapham
Probably the best-known common in South London, the triangular green heart of Clapham is a genuine oasis of quiet in a busy area.
It’s been uncultivated since the Domesday Book, today people sunbathe and children play where horses once raced and sheep once grazed. The common regularly hosts outdoor cinemas, music festivals and fairs, and remains one of South West London’s nicest outdoor spots regardless of what’s on that particular weekend.
Address: Windmill Drive, Clapham, SW4 9DE
Wandsworth Common
Wandsworth
There’s no shortage of commons in South West London, Wandsworth Common sits not far from its Clapham and Tooting counterparts.
It brings plenty to the table regardless, three cricket pitches and a bowling green among them, a hint at the posher edges of the surrounding area where former Prime Minister David Lloyd George once lived.
There’s also a great fitness trail and the Lady Allen Adventure Playground, designed as an accessible, genuinely fun space for disabled children.
Address: Trinity Rd, London SW18 3RT
Wimbledon Common
Wimbledon
Technically three commons, Wimbledon Common, Putney Heath and Putney Lower Common, most people just call the whole sweep Wimbledon Common.
London’s largest common is the perfect place for a proper wander (yes, the Wombles are set here), a far cry from its earlier reputation as something of a duelling hotspot. Next door, the floral gardens of Cannizaro Park in Wimbledon are well worth popping into too.
Address: Windmill Rd, Wimbledon, London SW19 5NR
Streatham Common and Rookery
Streatham
Just around the corner from the much larger Tooting Commons, Streatham Common combines a wide stretch of grass with sloped woodland, on the outskirts of Streatham.
The main part of the common is fairly standard fare, but walk across the road from the upper eastern stretch and you’ll find The Rookery, the former grounds of a manor house transformed into an oasis of floral landscaping, including a White Garden and a walled kitchen garden, on the site of what was once a fashionable 18th-century spa.
Address: Streatham High Road, London
Richmond Park
Probably the best known of all South London’s parks, Richmond Park is a genuine hit, largely thanks to its size, it’s enormous, and the herds of wild deer that roam freely across the grounds.
They’re there because the park used to be royal hunting ground, back in the 15th century. The royals have also left their mark in the form of King Henry’s Mound, a hill with an extraordinary past and one of the finest views of London going.
Address: Richmond Park, Richmond, London
The London x London Take: if you only have time for two, make them One Tree Hill and Hilly Fields, both deliver genuinely excellent skyline views without the crowds you’ll find at Greenwich or Richmond. Crystal Palace Park is also worth a fresh look right now if it’s been a while, the dinosaurs have just come out of restoration looking better than they have in decades.
Practical tips
- Depending on the weather, take wellington boots or at least sturdy shoes. These parks can get wet and muddy, your Soho-ready shoes won’t thank you.
- Check each park’s own website for opening times. Some are open 24/7, others shut their gates at night.
- If you visit a park with wild deer, don’t feed them. Human food doesn’t suit them, and getting close enough to try can put you at real risk, these are wild animals, and not small ones.
