A Family Day Out on Hampstead Heath: London’s Wild Back Garden

Most first-time visitors to London never make it as far as Hampstead. That is a genuine shame, because a short Northern line ride from the centre gets you to 790 acres of ancient woodland, a free zoo, a Rembrandt self-portrait you can see for nothing, and swimming ponds that have been drawing Londoners for over a century.

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We spent a full day exploring the Heath and its surrounding village with our own crew, and came home convinced it is one of the best value family days out London has to offer. Between the animals, the art and the views from Parliament Hill, it comfortably rivals any paid attraction in the capital. Here is everything we found, plus the practical details for planning your own trip.

Key Takeaways

• Hampstead Heath covers 790 acres, making it one of London’s largest and wildest green spaces
• Golders Hill Park has a free zoo, butterfly house and one of North London’s best playgrounds
• Kenwood House offers free entry to a world-class art collection, including a Rembrandt self-portrait
• Three spring-fed bathing ponds let confident swimmers take a dip, weather permitting
• Hampstead tube station is the deepest on the entire Underground network, at 58.5 metres below ground

Why Hampstead Heath Works So Well for a Family Day Out

Hampstead has managed something unusual for London: a genuine village feel, complete with independent shops and Georgian streets, sitting right alongside one of the largest wild green spaces in the capital. That combination is what makes it such a good match for a family day out, since there is always somewhere warm and dry nearby if the weather turns.

It is also a place families are increasingly choosing to call home rather than just visit. The Hampstead estate & letting agents we spoke to described it as one of the few areas where families can find genuine green space, well regarded schools and a short journey into central London all in the same postcode.

Everything below is reachable on foot or by a short bus ride from Hampstead tube station, so a full day out does not require a car.

Golders Hill Park: A Free Zoo and North London’s Best Playground

Our first stop was Golders Hill Park, a 36 acre landscaped corner of the Heath near Golders Green. It packs in a genuinely impressive amount for its size: a free zoo with deer, wallabies, lemurs and flamingos, a butterfly house, formal gardens and a playground that locals rate as one of the best in North London.

• The zoo and butterfly house are completely free, with no need to book
• A summer paddling pool sits right next to the playground
• The café serves proper food rather than just snacks, useful for a longer stop
• The park closes at dusk, unlike the open Heath, so check timings before a late visit

Kenwood House: A Rembrandt for Free

A walk across the Heath brings you to Kenwood House, a Neoclassical villa set in 112 acres of parkland designed by Humphry Repton. Entry to the house and its collection, including Rembrandt’s Self-Portrait with Two Circles and works by Vermeer and Gainsborough, is completely free, which is not the case at most English Heritage properties.

The grounds alone are worth the walk, with ornamental ponds, ancient woodland and sculptures by Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore scattered through the parkland. The Brew House café has a garden terrace that gets busy at weekend brunch, so an early arrival helps if you want a table.

Children’s activities run through the year in the Housekeeper’s Room, and while the art collection itself is aimed more at adults, the sheer scale of the grounds means younger visitors rarely run out of space to explore while the rest of the family takes in the paintings.

Kenwood is one of the few English Heritage properties where everyone enters free, thanks to the Iveagh Bequest that gave the house and its art collection to the nation.

Parliament Hill, the Ponds and Getting Wet

For views, nothing on the Heath beats Parliament Hill, rising 98 metres above sea level with a panorama across the London skyline that takes in St Paul’s Cathedral, the Shard and the Palace of Westminster on a clear day. It is also home to the Heath’s largest adventure playground, complete with a paddling pool that becomes essential on a hot day.

Nearby, three spring-fed bathing ponds, one for men, one for women, and one mixed, let confident swimmers aged eight and up take a dip with an adult, and the men’s and women’s ponds are open for swimming year round for those brave enough to try it in winter.

The ponds are fed by the headwater springs of the River Fleet, one of London’s lost rivers now buried beneath the city streets, which makes the swim feel like a small piece of hidden London history as much as a way to cool off.

Figure 1: Hampstead Heath compared with its two best-known neighbouring green spaces.

Getting There: Transport Links

Hampstead sits on the Northern line, and getting there comes with a genuinely fun fact for older children: Hampstead station has the deepest platforms on the entire London Underground network, 58.5 metres below ground, with the deepest lift shaft to match. It is worth timing the lift ride if your children enjoy that kind of thing.

• Hampstead station (Northern line) sits at the top of the village, close to the Heath’s western edge
• Hampstead Heath station (London Overground) is a 10 to 15 minute walk east, useful if arriving from Euston or Stratford
• Golders Green station (Northern line) is the closest stop for Golders Hill Park
• Buses 210, 268 and H3 connect Hampstead village directly to Kenwood House

If Hampstead becomes a regular fixture in your family calendar, it might be worth reading our thoughts on why work-life balance is drawing London families further out, since the trade-offs between green space and commute time apply just as much within London as they do beyond it.

Practical Tips for Visiting with Kids

• Wear proper shoes; the Heath’s paths can be muddy even in dry weather
• Pack a picnic for Kenwood’s grounds or the Parliament Hill lawns rather than relying on café seating
• Bring swimwear and a towel if you want to try the bathing ponds, plus cash for the small entry fee
• Golders Hill Park closes at dusk, but the wider Heath stays open, so plan your route accordingly
• A change of clothes is essential if the paddling pools or ponds are on the agenda

If you are visiting in summer, arriving early is worth the effort. Both the Parliament Hill and Golders Hill Park playgrounds get genuinely busy on hot days, and the paddling pools in particular fill up fast once the morning crowd arrives.

For more inspiration on days out around London, our days out archive has over a hundred places we have visited as a family, many of which pair nicely with a Hampstead trip if you are staying in the city for a few days.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Hampstead Heath free to visit?

Yes. The Heath itself, Golders Hill Park’s zoo, and Kenwood House are all free to enter. The only cost is a small entry fee for the bathing ponds.

How big is Hampstead Heath?

Hampstead Heath covers 790 acres, making it one of the largest expanses of ancient parkland in London, considerably bigger than many of the capital’s more famous green spaces.

Can children swim in the Hampstead Heath ponds?

Yes, confident swimmers aged eight and over can use the ponds with an adult. Under 15s must be accompanied at all times.

Is Hampstead Heath buggy-friendly?

Mostly. Parliament Hill Fields and Golders Hill Park have flat, well-maintained paths and step-free access, though parts of the wider Heath can be uneven or muddy.

London’s Wild Back Garden

Hampstead Heath rarely makes it onto a first-time visitor’s itinerary, and that is exactly what makes it worth the detour. It gave our family a full day of animals, art and adventure playgrounds without a single ticket booth in sight, all a short Northern line journey from central London.

If you are planning a London trip with children and want somewhere that feels genuinely wild rather than another manicured city park, put Hampstead Heath on your list.

References

City of London Corporation, Golders Hill Park Zoo, 2026 — https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/green-spaces/hampstead-heath/where-to-go-at-hampstead-heath/golders-hill-park-zoo

English Heritage, Kenwood, 2026 — https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/kenwood/

City of London Corporation, Parliament Hill Viewpoint, 2026 — https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/green-spaces/hampstead-heath/where-to-go-at-hampstead-heath/parliament-hill-viewpoint

Plaza Estates, Hampstead Estate & Letting Agents — https://plazaestates.co.uk/estate-agents/hampstead/

Fact Check: All facts, acreage figures and transport details in this article were verified against official sources, including the City of London Corporation and English Heritage, as of the article’s publication date. Sources are listed in the References section above.