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Ninety seconds on Regent's Park
In late October 2026 the pedestrian gates open at 5am and close at 5:30pm, while the vehicle gates run from 7am to midnight. Entry is free. The Open Air Theatre and the zoo keep separate hours from the park itself.
Queen Mary's Gardens, in the middle of the park, are at their peak in June and July. The collection is the largest in London, and a new variety is planted in the beds from time to time.
Yes. Primrose Hill passed to the Crown in 1841 and was later linked to the park beneath it. It sits at the northern end, and London protects the view from its summit by law as one of six named viewpoints.
Euston and Marylebone are the closest mainline stations, and from either one the walk to the park takes under 15 minutes. The better station depends on where the visit starts, the rose gardens in the middle or the hill at the north end.
Yes. Pedalos can be hired at the Boating Lake, which makes an easy add-on to the rose gardens on a summer visit. Dogs must be kept on a lead in the area around the lake.
Summer brings performances at Britain's oldest permanent professional open-air stage, inside the park. The zoo stands on the northern boundary, run by ZSL as the oldest scientific zoo anywhere. Both keep their own hours and tickets, separate from the free park.
Plan a summer day here: you get London's largest collection of roses, pedalos on the boating lake, an outdoor theatre and, at the north end, a protected skyline view from Primrose Hill.
Queen Mary's Gardens hold the biggest rose collection in the city, planted across 85 beds. In June and July they are in full bloom, and the scent is part of the visit.
The Open Air Theatre is the oldest professional, permanent outdoor theatre in Britain. ZSL London Zoo sits just north of the park and is the world's oldest scientific zoo, with 755 species.
There are four playgrounds in the park. The one at Gloucester Gate has a 50m zipwire.
Henry VIII took the 554 acres of Marylebone Park as a royal hunting ground. Primrose Hill, at the northern edge, became Crown land in 1841, and its top is one of six protected viewpoints in London.
Queen Mary's Gardens make the first stretch, a walk through the rose beds. Then hire a pedalo at the boating lake for a turn on the water before lunch on the grass.
Head north past the zoo and finish on top of Primrose Hill for the skyline. If the Open Air Theatre has an evening performance, end there instead; a clear evening suits either ending.
Pair it with Camden Market for food after the hill, or with Hampstead Heath for a longer day of open ground.
Keep dogs on a lead in Queen Mary's Gardens and around the lake; elsewhere they can usually run free.
Cycling is allowed only on signed routes, and pedestrians always have priority. The public toilets charge and take cards or phones only, no cash.
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