Gain a more in depth knowledge of the capital with a guided walk or cycling tour during London Open Gardens. Tickets for the tours, let by expert guides, are on sale now. Please note that you must buy a London Open Gardens weekend ticket before booking walks and tours.
If you have already purchased your ticket, revisit the booking page from the link in your booking email. Then choose the ‘See what extras you can add to your order’ links to add walks and tours tickets.
All tours, guided walks and cycle tours must be booked in advance – there are limited places which can fill up quickly.
Guided walks
Walks on 8 June
- 10am and 12pm: London – 2000 years
A unique journey 2000 years back in time to when London was founded - 10am: City of London: Replanting for Climate Resilience
Join the City of London’s Environmental Resilience team to learn how they will be supporting the adaptation of historic sites to face the challenges of climate change - 10.30am: Lincoln’s Greens
Through Lincoln’s Inn gardens and into Lincoln’s Inn Fields - 10.30am: Gardens of Belgravia
Pass the townhouses of the rich and famous, and beautiful garden squares - 10.30am: From Pergolas to Pineapples
A gentle tour to explore some of the City of London’s hidden green gems and find out a little about their history - 11am: Saints and Sinners – the History of Smithfield
Explore the rich history surrounding the Smithfield area, from the lows of Newgate prison to the highs of St Bartholomews and Charterhouse - 11am and 2.30pm: Pleasure, Paradise and Pocket Parks
A gentle stroll through the back streets of Lambeth delving into the history of the area and the characters that have helped to shape it - 11.30am and 1.30pm: Gardens in the Ruins
A short walk around gardens created from the bombsites of the Second World War - 1pm: City Gardens Family Trail
Look out for clues to important events in the story of the City; designed especially for families with children under 12 years old - 2pm: Thameside Gardens 1: South Bank
Visit London’s ‘wild side’, traditionally the capital’s industrial, entertainment and low-life centre, which rapidly changing character in the 20th century - 2pm: On The Beat with Bloomsbury’s Best
A light-hearted meander through some of the best open spaces in Bloomsbury where – fifty years ago – your guide was a Bobby on the Beat - 2.30pm: Belgravia: Squares, Stucco and Scandal
Visit stunning squares and cobbled mews and learn about the people who lived, loved and died here, sometimes in dramatic circumstances!
Walks on 9 June
- 10am: Secrets of the City gardens
Explore the City of London through its gardens, and the green spaces in and around the Barbican in particular - 10.30am: Quirks and wonders of Bloomsbury
The iconic gardens and architectural wonders of Bloomsbury - 11am: Southwark, its gardens and ‘hoppy’ past
Explore varied green spaces, retrace their sometimes unusual pasts, and weave in Dickens, Chaucer, Shakespeare, Keats along the way - 11.30am and 1.30pm: Gardens in the Ruins
A short walk around gardens created from the bombsites of the Second World War - 1pm: Inns and Out
Visit Temple gardens, secret courtyards, a Shepherd and Sheep, and a church which inspired a wedding cake - 1pm: Hammersmith Thameside Stroll
Discover the history of the Thames at Hammersmith, through rural beginnings, 18th century well-to-do residents and 19th century industry, to the present day - 2pm: Temple Gardens at their height
A wander around the glorious gardens of Middle and Inner Temple - 2pm: On the Beat in Kings Cross
A light-hearted meander through the Dickensian back streets and alleyways south of Euston Road, where – fifty years ago – your guide was a Bobby on the Beat - 2pm: Thameside Gardens 2: North Bank
Explore the Thames as the main artery of pre-industrial London, on its North Bank lined by the palaces, houses and gardens of royalty and aristocracy - 3pm: Old and New Biodiversity in the City of London
A walk through some of the 200 open spaces in the Square Mile, looking at how new and old biodiversity interacts in City Gardens - Time TBC: Fanny Wilkinson’s Green Lungs for London
Celebrate the life and work of Fanny Wilkinson, the first professional female landscape gardener
Cycle tours
The following cycle tours are available to book (age 11 and over only):
- Saturday 10am: Cycle Tour of West End and City Gardens
- Sunday 10am: City and Southwark Gardens Cycle Tour
- Sunday 10.15am: ‘From the grand to the local’ – a circular tour from Russell Square
