London is one of the most beautiful places in the world to watch the seasons go by and autumn especially gives a whole new glow to the city. After living there for two and a half glorious years, autumn (or fall as the North Americans would say) became my favourite season as I ventured through the golden streets and parks. Let me share with you my favourite parks and Instagram-worthy spots including a map of the best autumn photo locations in London.
Read until the end to find the interactive map full of locations for your autumn adventures. I’ve even included the best times to visit! Although you can never really tell what the weather gods will have planned so take my calculations with a grain of salt (for example the 2021 season was a week or two behind 2020 and in 2022 it was earlier).
The Best Parks in London for Autumn Colours
One of the best things about London is the amount of parks and green spaces they have. During the autumn months, those green spaces turn a rainbow of ambers, oranges and yellows. Here are the best one’s to visit:
St James Park
Wedged between Buckingham Palace and Westminster, this Royal Park consists of a large central pond with willows overhanging and ducks and swans throughout. This view from the lake bridge out over to the Horse Guards Parade and London Eye is especially beautiful.
Hyde Park & Kensington Gardens
The largest park in the city of London will be an array of golden hues come October. Hyde Park then turns into Kensington Gardens which hosts Kensington Palace and beautiful walkways and a pond full of swans. How royal!
Kyoto Gardens at Holland Park
A tranquil part of Japan has flown it’s way across the globe to land in London, koi fish and all. The waterfall makes for a stunning feature and surrounded by the alternating colours of autumn on either side, it’s one of my favourite places to visit in the city this time of year.
Best time to visit
Mid-late October is generally the best time to visit for the peak colours, but of course this varies year to year.
Kew Gardens
These gardens are famous for a reason and in autumn you can expect nothing less than a beautiful and colourful display. Unlike most parks in the city, the Kew Gardens do charge an entry fee, but for good reason as it hosts the world’s largest and most diverse botanical and mycological collections. Definitely worthy of a full day out.
Regents Park
As you can see in the first photo above, I was a little late in 2020 to see the trees all ablaze in bright yellow. This particular spot is called The Board Walk and I would suggest going in mid October for peak leafage… is that a word? No wait, it’s foliage… close enough.
Best time to visit
Generally going mid October is your best bet.
Richmond Park
Right by Kew Gardens you will find Londons largest park, although I think forrest would be a better description. It is another Royal Park, created in the 17th century by Charles I as a deer park and many deer still call it home today. If you can plan it right, this park has some beautiful misty mornings so add that to the autumn colours and some elegant deer and you may just have an award winning photography moment.
Battersea Park
Walk the Thames under a canopy of golden leaves and enjoy the colourful pathways around Battersea Park. There’s a gorgeous boating lake where you can rent paddle boats or just feed the ducks. There is also a great spot for lunch called the Pear Tree Cafe, which turns into a social hot spot on weekend. Here you can also find a lot of sculptures, different gardens and a peace pagoda.
Best time to visit
With an array of different tree species, the changing colours differ across the park. October is generally the best time to see peak colours but a lot of areas still have golden trees that last well into November.
The Hill Garden and Pergola
Now this particular garden was sadly one spot I was dying to visit in the autumn but didn’t get the chance to. The photos from other content creators in the city looked absolutely beautiful so I would highly recommend (there are a lot of beautiful places in Hampstead Heath to make the journey worthwhile).
All of London’s Parks!
Of course, London is full of beautiful parks and any you visit will provide some gorgeous colours for you, but the ones mentioned above are just my personal favourites and the most popular.
Next I have listed some photographer hot spots across the city, whether they be shop front displays, iconic landmarks with a twist or hanging multi-coloured vines from houses.
These are my favourite autumnal photo spots across London. Find every single spot mentioned here and many more in the interactive map at the end.
The Most Insta-worthy Locations in London for Autumn Colours
If you’re a local Londoner, some of these locations may be of no surprise to you, but I did come across a few unique locations that I had never seen on Instagram before. There are even more beautiful locations listed in the map below but these are the ones you just can’t miss!
Kynance Mews
A very popular Instagram spot, but for good reason! Vibrant red vines hang over the archway into this residential street known as a Mews. The first house on the left after the arch also has a different species of hanging vines down their house walls.
Best time to visit
Early to mid October is the best time to see the vines that cover the arch in peak redness, whereas the leaves hanging over the house tend to peak more in mid to late October. Visiting mid October may give you the best chance to see both!
2024 UPDATE: the leaves hanging over the main arch are sadly gone. You can still see the leaf wall on the house though.
Cascading Leaf Wall
I found this location when I was on my way to Kynance Mews as it’s just around the corner. It was hidden in a walkway and I have posted the exact location below in the map.
It looked like a waterfall of pretty coloured leaves and there was a perfect gap to slot myself in!
Best time to visit
I saw this in late October and the colours were perfect!
1 Stanley Crescent
Residents at this address must get annoyed by the amount of people that visit this location every March and October. Beautiful cherry blossom trees line the front of these stunning white buildings creating such a gorgeous scene (albeit quite different) every spring and autumn. Pinks in the spring and oranges in the autumn, we love a versatile location!
Best time to visit
Definitely try to get to this location in mid October too.
London Eye
Seeing the London Eye from across the Thames is always a pleasure, but frame that iconic landmark with some golden trees and a British trademark (the red telephone booth) and you have yourself a trifecta. It would look even more golden when the sun is out reflecting on the leaves. But I feel like this photo is definitely more ‘London’ with the rain.
Best time to visit
These trees change a little later in October or early November. They don’t get as golden as some other trees can, but nothing a little editing can’t fix to bring out the brightness!
St Dunstan in the East
An old church that was bombed and destroyed in WWII that has now transformed into a public garden, with colourful vines overtaking the ruin walls. The vines turn a lovely yellow then orange in October. Find a platform to the north of the gardens with access to these old windows.
Best time to visit
Generally mid-late October is the best time to see the vines when golden. But visiting this spot any time of year is beautiful.
Horse Guards Parade
Right by St James Park you will find the Horse Guards Parade and a long leaf covered wall off to the side. The edge of the wall makes a great spot for a photo with the distant London Eye in the background.
Best time to visit
One of the walls facing in towards this big courtyard turns red around mid to late October but the long wall that faces the park doesn’t completely change until early to mid November.
Italian Wall
Red and green leaves covering a building with a lamp post and mopeds parked out the front… I had to name it the Italian Wall for the vespas alone. I found this hidden gem when I was on a bus and I made a last minute decision to get off at the stop across the road. This photo was taken in mid-November 2020 so the colours reached peak a lot later than most other places.
Best time to visit
Seems to peak later in the season, but this will depend. Leaves should start turning golden in mid-October but worth visiting through to the end of November too.
73 Fitzjohns Avenue, Hampstead
When I own a home, I want to drape it in these beautiful vines so every autumn I can admire something similar to this. Made even more special with the classic Aston Martin out the front. Head to this spot around mid October for prime colours (I went late October and a lot of the leaves had fallen). Remember this is somebodies private property so admire from afar and be respectful.
Best time to visit
I think early-mid October would be best but again, it depends on the season.
Little Venice
I highly recommend spending an afternoon walking these beautiful canals with the golden trees surrounding. Such a beautiful part of the city in the summer as well but autumn gives that special warm glow to these picturesque waterways.
Best time to visit
With a variety of trees changing at different times, most of October and early November should be colourful. This photo was taken mid November and most of the trees were already bare but there was still quite a bit of colour on some trees.
Map of all of the best locations in London to see autumn colours
Now that I’ve shared my favourite spots, here is the interactive map with 31 locations included and all of the spots I could think of. Feel free to drop a comment if I’ve left out any of your faves.
ADDITIONAL LOCATION NOT INCLUDED IN THE MAP: Big Ben is finally restored so another great place to check out would be along the bank of the Thames opposite Westminster. You could get some great shots there with golden leaves framing or in the foreground of the iconic buildings.
I hope I was able to give you some autumn inspiration with this post and would love to see your photos if you do visit any of the places you discovered today. Make sure to tag me on Instagram or check out my blog for more helpful travel tips!
