Is Kensington Gardens Free? 2026 Opening Times and Walks
Yes. Kensington Gardens is free to enter, with no ticket, and opens at 06:00 every day. It closes at dusk: 18:30 until 24 October 2026, then 17:00, then 16:30 from 2 November. From Holiday Inn Kensington Forum, the Albert Memorial is a 19-minute walk up Queen's Gate.
Last verified: 8 October 2026.
This guide is written from the Holiday Inn London – Kensington Forum at 97 Cromwell Road. Opening times, prices and rules come from The Royal Parks, Historic Royal Palaces and Serpentine, checked on the date above. Walking times from the hotel door were measured on a routing tool on the same day. If you'd rather sleep near the park than visit it, see staying at the Forum for Hyde Park.
Is Kensington Gardens free?
Yes. The park is free and open to everyone, and so are most of the things in it. The Royal Parks charity runs its eight parks to keep them "free, beautiful and accessible for everyone". A few things inside or next to the park cost money:
| Free | Costs money |
|---|---|
| The park, every path and lawn | Kensington Palace state rooms (adults £24.70 until 8 November, £19.00 from 11 November) |
| Kensington Palace gardens and the Sunken Garden | Deckchairs, March–October (£4.50 for up to an hour, £14.00 all day) |
| Both Serpentine galleries and the Serpentine Pavilion | Public toilets: 20p, contactless only |
| Diana Memorial Playground | Car parking on West Carriage Drive (£2.80 an hour Monday–Saturday) |
| Albert Memorial, Peter Pan statue, Italian Gardens, Round Pond | Guided walks such as Hidden Stories of Kensington Gardens (£15) |
What time does Kensington Gardens close?
Kensington Gardens opens at 06:00 and closes at dusk, so the closing time moves through the year. It's 18:30 from 5 to 24 October 2026, 17:00 from 25 October (when the clocks go back) to 1 November, and 16:30 from 2 November to the end of the year. This is The Royal Parks' published 2026 table, set by date range rather than by month:
| Dates (2026) | Closes |
|---|---|
| 1–18 January | 16:30 |
| 19 January – 1 February | 17:00 |
| 2–22 February | 17:30 |
| 23 February – 8 March | 18:00 |
| 9–28 March | 18:30 |
| 29 March – 12 April | 20:00 |
| 13 April – 3 May | 20:30 |
| 4–17 May | 21:00 |
| 18 May – 7 June | 21:30 |
| 8–28 June | 21:45 |
| 29 June – 2 August | 21:30 |
| 3–16 August | 21:00 |
| 17–30 August | 20:30 |
| 31 August – 13 September | 20:00 |
| 14–27 September | 19:30 |
| 28 September – 4 October | 19:00 |
| 5–24 October | 18:30 |
| 25 October – 1 November | 17:00 |
| 2 November – 31 December | 16:30 |
Source: The Royal Parks 2026 opening times for Kensington Gardens (PDF). The park opens at 06:00 throughout. Visit London's page still says "6am to late evening all year round", which is wrong from November to February.
Kensington Gardens closes at dusk; Hyde Park stays open until midnight
Kensington Gardens does NOT stay open into the evening the way Hyde Park does. Hyde Park's gates open at 05:00 and close at midnight every day of the year; Kensington Gardens, on the other side of West Carriage Drive, locks at dusk. On a November evening that means 16:30.
That matters for the walk back. Once the gardens close, return from the park side by the street: Kensington Gore, south down Queen's Gate, then right along Cromwell Road to the hotel. It's the route we use for the Royal Albert Hall, about 15 minutes on pavement, and it never depends on a park gate. For Winter Wonderland, which stays open until 22:00 in Hyde Park, our Winter Wonderland guide has the evening route.
How far is Kensington Gardens from Holiday Inn Kensington Forum?
The Albert Memorial is 1,436 metres, about 19 minutes, from the hotel door. We measured each walk below on OpenStreetMap's walking router on 8 October 2026:
| From 97 Cromwell Road to | Distance | Walk |
|---|---|---|
| Albert Memorial | 1,436 m | About 19 min |
| Kensington Palace | 1,457 m | About 20 min |
| Serpentine Galleries | 1,784 m | About 24 min |
| Diana Memorial Playground | 1,829 m | About 24 min |
| Elfin Oak | 1,775 m | About 24 min |
| Peter Pan statue | 2,152 m | About 29 min |
The simplest way in:
- Leave 97 Cromwell Road and walk east along Cromwell Road, crossing Gloucester Road.
- Turn left (north) into Queen's Gate. It runs straight up to the park.
- Enter at Queen's Gate, the park gate at the top of the street. Turn right inside the gate for the Albert Memorial, opposite the Royal Albert Hall.
The other gates on the south side, from west to east, are King's Arms, Victoria Road, Palace, Hyde Park Gate, Queen's, Albert Memorial and Alexandra Gate. Hyde Park Gate has steps; Palace Gate, about 150 metres west, is the nearest step-free entrance.
What to see in Kensington Gardens for free
Albert Memorial
George Gilbert Scott's memorial to Prince Albert was unveiled in 1872. Albert died of typhoid in 1861, aged 42, and the frieze around the base carries 187 carved figures. You can see it all from the path at no charge. To get behind the railings, Royal Parks' Hidden Stories of Kensington Gardens walk does so on Friday 23 October and Friday 20 November 2026, 11:00–12:30, for £15. It's for adults 18+ and meets at the Italian Gardens Pump House.
Kensington Palace gardens and the Sunken Garden
You don't need a palace ticket for the gardens or the Sunken Garden. The Sunken Garden was replanted in white flowers in 2017 in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales, and is now home to her statue. Entry is through the Sunken Garden Gate; Historic Royal Palaces lists the upper grounds as open daily 10:00–18:00, last entry 17:45. The Orangery is open daily 10:00–18:00 and doesn't need a palace ticket either.
Round Pond
The Round Pond sits in front of the palace at the centre of the park, with avenues of trees spreading from it. It was laid out in the 1720s and has been used for sailing model boats since the 1800s.
Peter Pan statue
The bronze Peter Pan by Sir George Frampton was paid for by J. M. Barrie himself and unveiled on 30 April 1912. It stands on the west side of the Long Water, where Peter lands his bird's-nest boat in The Little White Bird. It's the furthest highlight from the hotel, about 29 minutes on foot.
Italian Gardens
At the head of the Long Water, near Lancaster Gate, the Italian Gardens were Prince Albert's idea, brought from Osborne House in 1860 and designed by James Pennethorne. They are Grade II listed and were restored in 2011.
Serpentine galleries and the 2026 Pavilion
Both Serpentine galleries are free and open Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00–18:00, so both are closed on Mondays. Serpentine suggests booking a free ticket on its visit page. The Serpentine Pavilion 2026, "a serpentine" by Mexico City studio LANZA atelier, is free and open daily 10:00–18:00 until Sunday 25 October 2026, when it closes for good. Current shows: Amar Kanwar at Serpentine North until 31 January 2027, and Justin Caguiat: Change Ringing at Serpentine South from 8 October 2026 to 10 January 2027.
Elfin Oak
By the Broad Walk Café, next to the playground, the Elfin Oak is an old tree stump carved and painted with fairies and animals by Ivor Innes in 1930. A restoration of its 97 figures finished in June 2026.
Diana Memorial Playground: hours and rules
The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Playground is free, and it reopened on 5 August 2026 after a £3 million renewal with a new 17 m × 12 m galleon on a sandy beach, according to The Royal Parks. It opens at 10:00, with last entry 15 minutes before closing:
| Season | Closes |
|---|---|
| May – August | 19:45 |
| April and September | 18:45 |
| March and early October | 17:45 |
| February and late October | 16:45 |
| November – January | 15:45 |
Only adults with children up to age 12 can go in, and children can't enter or leave without an adult. Adults without children may visit only between 09:30 and 10:00. Bikes, scooters, ball games, glass, alcohol and smoking are banned, and only registered assistance dogs are allowed. Expect a queue on busy days. With small children, a family room sleeps four, and breakfast for the family is included in that rate.
Kensington Palace: what's free and what's ticketed
The palace gardens are free; the palace interior is not. Until 8 November 2026 an adult ticket is £24.70 and a child (5–15) £12.40, including The Last Princesses of Punjab exhibition. From 11 November prices drop to £19.00 and £9.50, according to Historic Royal Palaces. Under-5s go free. The Queen's State Apartments are closed until spring 2027. Our Kensington Palace guide covers what you can see inside and who lives there.
Practical: toilets, cafés, cycling and dogs
- Toilets: at Marlborough Gate (by the Italian Gardens) and Mount Gate (near Serpentine South), both with accessible toilets, during park opening hours. They cost 20p, contactless only.
- Cafés: six Royal Parks cafés and kiosks, all card only. The Broad Walk Café opens at 09:00 and closes 30 minutes before the park. The Albert Memorial kiosk is seasonal and shut from October. At Serpentine North, the restaurant is now Friends Of Ours.
- Cycling: only on marked routes such as the Broad Walk. Pedestrians always have priority.
- Dogs: welcome and generally allowed off the lead under control. Not allowed in the Round Pond, the Long Water, the Peter Pan statue area or the playgrounds.
- No barbecues and no feeding the birds, per The Royal Parks.
- Sunday 11 October 2026: the Royal Parks Half Marathon runs through Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park, with some roads and cycle routes closed.
Staying near Kensington Gardens
The gardens open at 06:00, and breakfast at the hotel runs 06:30–10:30 on weekdays and 07:00–11:00 at weekends, so an early walk to the Albert Memorial and back (19 minutes each way) still gets you back for breakfast. In autumn and winter, the deadline is dusk, not the evening. Plan the park for the morning or early afternoon, and keep evenings for the Royal Albert Hall or Winter Wonderland. The hotel stores luggage free on your last day, and Gloucester Road station is 270 metres from the lobby if you're heading on elsewhere. For a quieter park with a Japanese garden, Holland Park and the Kyoto Garden is about 32 minutes' walk west of the hotel.
FAQs
Is Kensington Gardens free?
Yes. Kensington Gardens is free to enter, with no ticket. The palace gardens, the Sunken Garden, the Serpentine galleries and the Diana Memorial Playground are free too; the Kensington Palace state rooms are ticketed.
What time does Kensington Gardens close?
At dusk. In 2026 it closes at 18:30 from 5 to 24 October, 17:00 from 25 October to 1 November, and 16:30 from 2 November to 31 December. The latest closing is 21:45 in June.
What time does Kensington Gardens open?
06:00, every day of the year.
Is it free to walk through Kensington Gardens?
Yes. Every path is free during opening hours. After dusk the gates are locked, so walk round by Kensington Gore and Queen's Gate instead.
Are Kensington Palace Gardens open to the public?
Yes. The palace gardens and the Sunken Garden need no ticket. Enter through the Sunken Garden Gate; the upper grounds are listed as open 10:00–18:00, last entry 17:45.
Is the Diana Memorial Playground free?
Yes. It reopened on 5 August 2026 and opens at 10:00. It closes at 15:45 from November to January. Adults must be with a child aged 12 or under, except between 09:30 and 10:00.
Where is the Peter Pan statue?
On the west side of the Long Water in Kensington Gardens, where Peter lands his boat in J. M. Barrie's story. It's about 29 minutes on foot from Holiday Inn Kensington Forum.
How far is Kensington Gardens from Holiday Inn Kensington Forum?
About 19 minutes on foot to the Albert Memorial: east along Cromwell Road, then north up Queen's Gate to the park gate of the same name.
Sources & further reading
- The Royal Parks — Kensington Gardens FAQs, 2026 opening times (PDF), map and gates, monuments, Italian Gardens, Diana Memorial Playground, food and drink, deckchairs, dogs, Hidden Stories walking tour, Royal Parks Half Marathon
- The Royal Parks — Hyde Park FAQs (midnight closing)
- Historic Royal Palaces — Kensington Palace tickets and prices, visitor information, gardens and eating
- Serpentine — visit information, Serpentine Pavilion 2026, current exhibitions
Images: Albert Memorial (25 November 2022) by Diego Delso (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia Commons; Italian Gardens (3 January 2022) by Roy Katzenberg (CC BY 2.0) via Wikimedia Commons. Resized for the web. Walking-time chart: Holiday Inn Kensington Forum.
Compiled by the Holiday Inn Kensington Forum Travel Team. Last verified 8 October 2026.