London Itinerary 2: Kensington Gardens, Museums and Knightsbridge

This route starts at Lancaster Gate, crosses Kensington Gardens and takes you past the Royal Albert Hall to the museums of South Kensington. From there, walk on to Harrods in Knightsbridge and, if you still have energy, Sloane Square. For a day at this pace, we would choose one museum to explore properly and keep the others as optional stops.

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Walking route through Kensington Gardens, South Kensington and Knightsbridge

Estimated time and Distance

The mapped route is approximately 5.5 miles if you follow it through to Chelsea. Shorten it by finishing at Knightsbridge after Harrods.

Allow most of a day for the full walk, especially if you enter a museum. Kensington Gardens, the Natural History Museum and Harrods can each take more time than you expect. Choose a shorter park section or one museum if you are travelling with children or want a slower pace.

Attractions

Along this route, there are several attractions as well as museums.

• Kensington Palace
• Royal Albert Hall
• Natural History Museum
• Science Museum 
• Victoria and Albert Museum
• Harrods

General admission to the three South Kensington museums is free; some exhibitions and activities need a ticket. Check the Natural History Museum, Science Museum and V&A before setting out. Confirm any sightseeing-pass inclusion directly with the pass provider.

From Hyde Park to Knightsbridge and Chelsea in detail

1. We start our walking route at Lancaster Gate (Underground Station: Lancaster Gate). From here, we enter Kensington Gardens and make our way towards the Statue of Peter Pan.
2. We continue our route towards Kensington Palace.
3. We continue our route towards the Serpentine Gallery and eventually reach the Albert Memorial.
4. Opposite the Albert Memorial, we’ll see the famous Royal Albert Hall.
5. From here, it’s only a short walk to some of London’s most important museums: The Natural History Museum, the Science Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum are all here. General admission to all three museums is free, although some exhibitions are ticketed. We would pick one for a proper visit rather than rush through all three.
6. Afterwards, we will continue our route towards the area of Knightsbridge and walk past (or go in!) the famous department store Harrods.
7. From Harrods, we can continue our walk towards Knightsbridge. Still, if you have time and your feet are not too tired by this point, I’d recommend that you walk to Sloane Square and Duke of York Square and explore this lovely area of Chelsea full of shops, boutiques, cafes and restaurants, and the Saatchi Gallery. Check its current exhibitions and admission before visiting. Another option would be to continue walking towards Hyde Park corner.

From Hyde Park to Knightsbridge and Chelsea Map

Alberto & Amy

Hi, we are Alberto and Amy, the London locals behind PlanTrip London. We’ve lived in London since 2010 and have spent every year since exploring the city, from its famous landmarks to the markets, pubs, parks and hidden corners most visitors never find. Over the years we became the go-to trip planners for friends and family visiting London, so we created this site to share the same first-hand, tried-and-tested advice with you. Every itinerary, tip and recommendation here comes from our own experience with our two children, so you can plan a London trip that’s easier, better value and far more memorable.