Holland Park closes at dusk, and some of its gates close up to twenty minutes before that.
The park opens at 7.30am and closes at dusk. Closing times are displayed at all entrances. Some gates may close up to 20 minutes ahead of the advertised closing time.
So the posted time is not the time your gate shuts. In a 54 acre park with entrances on four different streets, that matters: walk to the far side at the advertised closing time and you may find it locked.
Dogs are banned from the Kyoto Garden
The thing the park is famous for, and the rule that goes with it.
Dogs are not permitted in the Japanese Garden. Elsewhere, dogs must be kept on leads in the woodlands and the formal gardens.
The Kyoto Garden was donated by the Chamber of Commerce of Kyoto in 1991, and it is the reason most visitors come.
The rest of the rules
No barbecues.
No cycling in the park at all. Not on paths, not anywhere.
Events and professional photography need permission.
Personal trainers must not use park furniture to exercise on.
That last one is unusually specific and tells you what the borough has been dealing with. The no-cycling rule is the one most likely to catch you out, because many London parks allow it on designated routes and this one does not.
Two of the entrances are not accessible, and one is a trap
The clearest access information of any London park page, and worth setting out properly.
Level access is at North Abbotsbury Road, Ilchester Place, Duchess of Bedford Walk and High Street Kensington.
The Holland Park Road entrance and the Abbotsbury Road South entrance are on a steep incline and may not be suitable for disabled people.
Now the detail that would otherwise cost you a wasted journey. Disabled parking is in the car park just off Abbotsbury Road, but that entrance is not suitable for disabled people without a vehicle, because it is on a steep incline.
So the accessible parking and the accessible walking entrances are in different places. If you are driving, Abbotsbury Road. If you are not, one of the four level gates.
Disabled toilets are at the Stable Yard, which has Changing Places facilities, and at the adventure playground.
Golf and cricket nets, in Kensington
The sports list is broader than a central London park has any right to be.
Tennis, football, golf practice nets, cricket practice nets and netball.
Golf and cricket practice nets inside the Royal Borough is the surprise. Bookings are on 020 7602 2226.
There is also an outdoor gym, a café, an Ecology Centre which is the base for the borough’s Ecology Service, public toilets, and a car park that is pay by phone.
Two playgrounds: one for under fives and one for ages five to 14.
The under-fives playground shuts on 12 October
The under 5s play area is closed for refurbishment from 12 October 2026 until the end of November 2026.
Six weeks. The playground for ages five to 14 is unaffected, so this only hits families with the youngest children, and it starts within the week.
There is a youth hostel in a Jacobean mansion
The park is the grounds of Cope Castle, built in the early seventeenth century by Sir Walter Cope, who became Chancellor of the Exchequer under James I. It was renamed Holland House after the Earl of Holland’s wife, Lady Rich, inherited it.
Holland House was badly damaged in the Second World War. One wing survived and is now used as a youth hostel.
So you can stay the night in the remaining wing of a Jacobean mansion inside a Kensington park, which is one of the stranger accommodation facts in London.
A section of the front terrace also survived and is used for the park’s summertime open-air performances.
The park covers 54 acres and is the Royal Borough’s largest.
Where it is
Ilchester Place, London W8 6LU. What3words: looked.oppose.anyone.
High Street Kensington and Notting Hill Gate are the two Underground stations, and High Street Kensington is also one of the four level entrances.
How to plan it
Leave early. Gates can shut 20 minutes before the posted closing time.
With a dog: not in the Kyoto Garden, and on a lead in the woodland and formal gardens.
On a bike: you cannot ride in the park.
Needing level access: North Abbotsbury Road, Ilchester Place, Duchess of Bedford Walk or High Street Kensington.
Driving with a blue badge: the Abbotsbury Road car park, but not that entrance on foot.
With a toddler: the under-fives playground is shut from 12 October to the end of November.
Playing sport: book on 020 7602 2226.
Holland Park
- Address
- Ilchester Place, London W8 6LU. What3words looked.oppose.anyone
- Nearest
- High Street Kensington and Notting Hill Gate
- Hours
- Opens 7.30am and closes at dusk, with closing times displayed at all entrances. Some gates close up to 20 minutes before the advertised time
- Booking
- None needed. Sports facilities bookable on 020 7602 2226
- Price
- Free. Car park is pay by phone
- Standing
- The Royal Borough’s largest park at 54 acres, containing the Kyoto Garden and the surviving wing of Holland House
How to get in
Some gates close up to 20 minutes before the posted closing time, which matters across 54 acres. Dogs are barred from the Japanese Garden and cycling is banned throughout. Level access is at four named entrances while Holland Park Road and Abbotsbury Road South are steep, and the disabled car park entrance is unsuitable on foot. The under 5s play area is closed from 12 October to the end of November 2026.
Where to go next
The Kyoto Garden sits inside the park and is the reason most people come, and the Design Museum is directly behind it.
The parks page compares the rest, and Greenwich Park is the other one with a strict dusk close.
Questions we get asked
What time does Holland Park close?
It opens at 7.30am and closes at dusk, with the closing time displayed at all entrances. Some gates close up to 20 minutes ahead of the advertised time, so do not rely on the posted hour if you are walking to a far gate.
Can you take dogs into Holland Park?
Yes, but not into the Japanese Kyoto Garden, where dogs are not permitted at all. Elsewhere dogs must be kept on leads in the woodlands and the formal gardens.
Can you cycle in Holland Park?
No. Cycling is not permitted in the park at all. Barbecues are also banned, events and professional photography need permission, and personal trainers may not use park furniture to exercise on.
Which Holland Park entrance is accessible?
Level access is at North Abbotsbury Road, Ilchester Place, Duchess of Bedford Walk and High Street Kensington. The Holland Park Road and Abbotsbury Road South entrances are on a steep incline. Disabled parking is off Abbotsbury Road, but that entrance is unsuitable for disabled visitors arriving on foot because of the incline.
What sports can you play in Holland Park?
Tennis, football, netball, and golf and cricket practice nets, which is an unusual range for central London. There is also an outdoor gym. Bookings are on 020 7602 2226.
Is the Holland Park playground open?
The playground for ages five to 14 is open. The under 5s play area is closed for refurbishment from 12 October 2026 until the end of November 2026.
Is there a hostel in Holland Park?
Yes. Holland House, the Jacobean mansion whose grounds became the park, was badly damaged in the Second World War, and the one surviving wing is now used as a youth hostel. A section of the front terrace also survived and hosts summertime open-air performances.
Written by Robert J Wills, no. 302 in the guide.
Last checked 6 October 2026 against the venues' own published information. Nobody pays to appear here and we take no bookings.
