You might not expect to find such expansive green spaces in the middle of such a lively and cosmopolitan city. But London certainly is an extraordinary city if you love the outdoors. Parks and gardens abound, serving as a serene oasis where garden-lovers can get away from it all. And in one particularly green swath of London, you can experience a range of history, natural beauty and a variety of landscape architecture.

Start in Westminster at St. James's Park. In the thirteenth century, this park was actually a leper colony-only the name St. James survived into the modern day. With a lake harboring ducks, geese and pelicans, St James's is surrounded by Westminster, St. James Palace, and Buckingham Palace. You can walk from St. James's Park straight into Hyde Park. Henry VIII acquired Hyde Park from the monks of Westminster Abbey in 1536. Hyde Park used to part of royal hunting forest. It is divided in two by the Serpentine Lake. Enter Kensington Gardens via Hyde Park. Covering 275 acres, Kensington Gardens is planted with formal avenues of magnificent trees and ornamental flower beds. It is a perfect setting for Kensington Palace, Peter Pan statue, the Serpentine Gallery, the peaceful Italian Gardens and the Albert Memorial (both commissioned by Queen Victoria). From Kensington, take Marleybone Road to Regent's Park. Designed by renowned architect John Nash, this park includes stunning rose gardens with more than 30,000 roses.