Golders Hill Park
ENTRY
Free
SETTING
Outdoors
WHERE
London
What it’s like
Free small zoo, a walled garden and a proper playground, all with no entry charge and no need to book.
This is a park that quietly does more than it needs to. There's a small free zoo tucked into it, a walled garden that's worth a wander even if your kids couldn't care less about flowers, and a stumpery, which is a nice word for a pile of old tree roots that somehow becomes a climbing frame in a child's head. The playground is the bit most kids will actually remember, but the zoo is the reason you came.
Nobody's asking for money at the gate, which is rare enough these days to mention twice. It opens early, from 7.30am, and closes late in summer (9pm at the height of it) but shuts as early as 4.30pm in the depths of winter, so check which season you're in before you plan a late afternoon visit. There's no booking link listed, so you just turn up.
The paths are step-free, which matters if you've got a buggy or a wheelchair in tow, and there are accessible toilets and a baby change on site. Parking is the catch: only eight bays, reserved for Blue Badge holders on weekdays. Everyone else is looking at Jack Straws car park, about a ten minute walk away, or the Northern line to Golders Green and a fourteen minute walk from there.
One thing worth knowing before you set off on a blustery day: the park can close at short notice if winds hit 40mph or more. Not something you'll hit often, but it's the sort of detail that's annoying to discover only when you're halfway there.
Facilities
Need to know
- Parking
- Eight bays for Blue Badge holders only, 7.30am to dusk Mon-Fri excl
- Wheelchairs
- Step-free access. Three accessible toilets (dimensions/door widths listed)
- Getting there by bus or train
- Golders Green station on Northern line, 14 minute walk
- Entry is completely free, no tickets needed
- Blue Badge parking bays only run 7.30am to dusk on weekdays, not weekends or Bank Holidays
- Closing time swings a lot by season, from 4.30pm in midwinter to 9pm in midsummer
- High winds (40mph+) can force a short-notice closure
Plan your visit
How much does it cost?
Nothing, entry is free.
Do we need to book?
No booking link is listed, so you just turn up.
What time does it open and close?
It opens at 7.30am year round, but closing time shifts with the season, from as early as 4.30pm in January to as late as 9pm in high summer.
Is there parking?
Only eight bays and they're Blue Badge only on weekdays. Everyone else uses Jack Straws car park, about a ten minute walk away.
Can we get there by tube?
Golders Green on the Northern line, then about a fourteen minute walk.
Is it buggy and wheelchair friendly?
The park has step-free access throughout and three accessible toilets.
What can the kids actually do there?
There's a small zoo, a children's playground, a walled garden and a stumpery to explore.
Is there anywhere to get food?
There's a café on site.
What happens in bad weather?
The park can close at short notice if winds are forecast at 40mph or above, so a very windy day is the one to avoid.
Is there a baby change?
There's a baby change facility on site.
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