Royal Palaces and Royal Parks, London
Royal Palaces and Royal Parks, London
MyCityMyTown London Series
The 3rd instalment is Here! To my fellow Adventurers who have been with me since January 2019, you are no stranger to this Series and thank you for your patience. For the Adventurers who are here for the first time, Hello and Welcome to my page. My 3rd instalment on MyCityMyTown-Appreciating London Series is on Royal Palaces and Royal Parks.
Appreciating London Series is a series of articles designed to offer suggestions and travel tips with the aim to inspire midlife travellers to visit London. This Series of articles will be on my personal experiences and memories of each of the places I had visited with my kids and now, revisiting.
Collection of yesteryears
Taking a close look at my journey in life at the end of 2018 was an opportunity to take a trip down memory lane, to re-trace my footsteps and to reflect upon the best of “yesterday,” in this beautiful City which is My Town. I am thankful for much. You can read the full article by clicking MyCityMyTown London Series here. You can also find out What made the #1 and #2 on the Series and Why by clicking #1 and #2 .
As for my 3rd instalment on the Series, I decided to retrace my footsteps on the Royal Palaces and the Royal Parks. The Royal Palaces and the Royal Parks hold special places for me as I used to frequent these with my kids and there are many beautiful treasured memories. These days, as I walk through Kensington Gardens and the Statute of Peter Pan, I remember the fun, the laughter and their theatrics…and realise how time has flown by 😊
Appreciating MyCityMyTown London
Besides the memories with my kids, another reason for Appreciating London is because I love summer in London – the Not too hot summer when the temperature is around 24 or 25 degrees max. As a Londoner, I am very fortunate to have so much to see, witness, experience and lots of green spaces to getaway to if and when I wished. Almost everything happens here, right here in London! Moreover, London has, for the most times, pretty cool weather, except for a few weeks or so when the temperature soars and the heatwave sets-in. I don’t like it when it is too hot but I know many of you can’t have enough of it 🙂
Plan ahead
As the summer weather sets in , Retracing my Footsteps in London has led me to discover many new things that I had not previously. I am seeing My City both as a Londoner and as a tourist. This has gently reminded me of many experiences throughout the years and the many visits where my kids and I would just hop onto the train for a half-hour ride to the heart of the City. These were mostly unplanned or involved overnight planning of a visit to a Royal Palace or a Castle, a picnic in the park, and games or read a book until sundown etc.
Looking back, these were unplanned visits. Although there is fun in doing things impromptu, I believe there must be a general plan of what one intends to do, and you can save money as a result. Therefore, this time I have incorporated planning into my visits, because Planning is Important. I have written a blog on the 5 Reasons Why Travel Planning Is Important which you may want to read and share your thoughts with me in comments below. What planning has helped me do this time was to think about researching for deals that would suit my plans – more on this below.
I hope you will enjoy reading about the Royal Palaces and the Royal Parks as much as I enjoy writing about them.
Royal Palaces and Royal Parks in MyCityMyTown London Series
On the Royal Palaces, the following are the ones which are included in this Series. I will write on each of the palaces as I visit them.
If you are planning a visit to London or you are a Londoner looking for something to do, and wish to visit any of the Royal Palaces, here are my pick of the top 8 palaces and castles to visit in London or within a short trip of London, in no particular order:
1 | Buckingham Palace | Royal Palaces and Royal Parks in London
Buckingham Palace is the most favourite among visitors to London. Buckingham Palace Tours starts mid July 2021 and runs throughout August till the end of September (subject to Covid-19 visiting rules).
1.1 | Royal Mews
Besides Buckingham Palace, you could still visit the Royal Mews. The Royal Mews is one of the finest working stables in existence and is responsible for all road travel arrangements for The Queen and the Royal Family. You will also see the spectacular new Diamond Jubilee State Coach, some of the Queen’s horses and meet the famous Windsor Greys or Cleveland Bays.
1.2 | Changing of the Guard Ceremony
You can still watch the Changing of the Guard Ceremony outside Buckingham Palace as this is a FREE event. This is a popular event, so ensure you are there early to secure a a good viewing point. The ceremony takes places from 10:45 a.m. and lasts for 45 minutes.
The Changing of the Guards Ceremony is where the Buckingham Palace Old Guard arrives and forms up in the forecourt of the Palace from 10:30 a.m. onwards and they are joined by the Old Guard from St James’ Palace at 10:45 a.m. The New Guard then arrives from the Wellington Barracks to take over the responsibilities from the Old Guard. This formal ceremony is accompanied by music. There will be no ceremonies in poor weather conditions or when there are other ceremonial events taking place. You can check the Changing of the Guard Ceremony schedule with the Household Division here
2. Windsor Castle | Royal Palaces and Royal Parks
A trip to the UK or London is never complete without a trip to Windsor, the home of the historic Windsor Castle.
Windsor is a historic market town in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, Southeast England. It has a lively atmosphere with great shopping and restaurants. It sits on River Thames, just west of London, and is under an hour’s journey from London
I have visited Windsor Castle a number of times over the years and the highlights in my article of this iconic and historical castle will help you plan your itinerary. I have also included travel tips and practical information to aid your planning. Read more on How to make the Best of Windsor Castle in I day here.
3. Kensington Palace London
These days, Kensington Palace London is the royal residence for the young royals, who are the direct descendants of Queen Victoria. The Palace is the official London residence for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. It was the former home of late Princess Diana. The Palace has a long history of being a residence for the British Royal Family since the 17th century when King William III and Queen Mary II took residence just before Christmas of 1689.
What drew me to the Palace this time was the Exhibition held in honour of 200th year of Queen Victoria’s birth, and learnt much about the Real Victoria.
Kensington Palace is one of the Royal Palaces I enjoyed visiting and the architecture in some of these rooms were mind-blowing. Read the full article on KENSINGTON PALACE: WHY YOU SHOULD VISIT THIS 18TH CENTURY HISTORICAL GEM
Other Palaces on the list are:
5. Kew Palace
6. Clarence House
7. Banqueting House
8. Hampton Court Palace
Best-deals: All the Royal Palaces and Castles offer individual or combined tickets. As you know, it is cheaper to buy combined tickets. Also, it is cheaper to skip the line and buy the tickets online. As for me, I discovered that the Historic Royal Palaces offer of an Annual Membership to be beneficial. You can read about Why the Historic Royal Palaces Annual Membership is good for me here
Alongside the Royal Palaces in the City of London, there are also several parks and large green spaces where one can escape to from the norm of sightseeing and crowded streets. Below, you will find a list of Royal Parks which I hope you will enjoy.
The Royal Parks | Royal Palaces and Royal Parks London Series
Charles Dickens, a 19th century English writer once said::
“The parks be the lungs of London”
and when you visit any one of the royal parks in London, you will be inclined to agree with him.
There are 8 Royal Parks, together they offer 5000 acres of green spaces which provides a natural habitat for many wildlife. The Parks are open to everyone throughout the year, where you can have a gentle stroll, exercise, have a bike-ride, have a picnic or just grab a seat at a bench and watch the world go by…
The 8 parks are:
1. Regent’s Park and Primrose Hill, London
Regent’s Park and Primrose Hill is a large green space that offers a sanctuary for people who are constantly on the go with City’s hum-drum. Regent’s Park is different, from the other Parks in London because of its tranquil settings, beautiful landscape and the opportunity to catch either the sunset or the sunrise at Primrose Hill.
There are flowers of all colours, roses especially, 12,000 of them, all named and planted in neat rows (more on this below). This is a place where you can spend hours admiring the sea of colours and enjoy the amazing fragrances. A total paradise.
For me, every visit to Regent’s Park had been a journey of new experiences and discovery, even more so on my recent visit.
You can read more on The Regents Park and Primrose Hill here.
2. Kensington Palace Gardens, London
Kensington Palace Gardens is made up of beautiful landscaped grounds. Trees here are planted in straight lines, there are some unique looking ones near the round pond and colourful flowering shrubs which makes a visit here more than inviting.
The Sunken Garden is my favourite part of the Palace grounds. I am sure it is the case for many visitors to this idyllic location.
It was planted in 1908 and resembles classical gardens of the 18th century in the UK. A secluded oasis of peaceful haven with ornamental flower beds, an ornamental pond with fountains and a variety of vibrant, exotic and colourful plants like roses, geraniums, cannas and begonias.
For the full article on Kensington Palace Gardens, read KENSINGTON PALACE GARDENS – AN IDYLLIC GETAWAY FROM CHAOS OF THE CITY here.
3 | Greenwich Park, London
Greenwich London is a nice little town just a stone’s throw away from London, in the south-east which sits on the banks of River Thames, accessible with a 20-minute journey from London (Bank Station). It is a popular destination for tourists because of its maritime and astronomy history.
The area, Royal Greenwich Park is host to the Royal Museum Greenwich (RMG) which is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site and consists of four top attractions.
All of these attractions are within walking distance of each other and would typically fill a full-day itinerary.
This quaint little town is definitely a Must-Do for families with kids, grand-kids, solo travellers and couples – not only for the over 50’s but at any age! You will experience history, lots of free exhibits and guided tours. You will also save money Read the full article on 45 Experiences and More in 1 Day at Greenwich.
Other Parks in London
4. Hyde Park
5. St James’ Park
6. Hyde Park
7. Richmond Park
8. Bushy Park
Information on the rest of the the Royal Parks are available here.
Happy exploring and discovering London!
