Victoria Embankment Gardens

• Relax in impressive surroundings with a visit to the Victoria Embankment Gardens in central London.
• Discover the impressive history of the park’s features, including a 3,000-year-old Egyptian sculpture and a Stuart-era watergate.
• Enjoy the peaceful setting of the park, which is just a few minutes’ walk from some of London’s top attractions.
• Explore some of the other great parks and open spaces in the capital.

Just a few minutes’ walk from the bustle of Trafalgar Square and Charing Cross, Victoria Embankment Gardens is a lovely place to relax in central London. With historic features and well-kept gardens, the open space is perfect for getting away from the busy streets of London for a while.

The Gardens were created in 1886 by Sir Joseph Bazalgette, the man who’s probably most well-known for developing the London sewage system. The area covered by Victoria Embankment Gardens features lovely flower beds and trees, a bandshell, and various statues of important figures from London’s past.

In the summertime, the Victoria Embankment Gardens bandstand plays host to local musicians, who put on free concerts for the community.

The most historic item at the park is Cleopatra’s Needle, which is over three thousand years old. This incredible artefact was made in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis around the year 1450 BC, and was transported to London in 1877.

It has ornate ancient Egyptian carvings on its side. The needle is similar to the ones that can be found in New York’s Central Park and Place de la Concorde, the largest square in Paris.

Another important historical artefact that can be found in the Victoria Gardens is the York watergate, which was made in 1626 for the Duke of Buckingham.

The gate, which was a place for the Duke to moor his boat when he arrived in London, still stands in its original position, but the river has been diverted and it is now on dry land.

The park is popular with the office workers of central London, as it is one of the only riverside parks in the area and a lovely place to eat lunch or take a break from all the hustle and bustle. In the park, you’ll find statues of many important and interesting people.

These statues include Robert Burns, a Scottish poet, Wilfrid Lawson, a radical politician, and Arthur Sullivan, an English composer.

With its incredible location, Victoria Embankment Gardens is the perfect stop-off during a visit to the capital. The Gardens are in the City of Westminster, just a short walk from the home of British politics, the Houses of Parliament.

The park is also very close to Covent Garden, which has a world-renowned market, and Trafalgar Square, which has attractions such as the National Gallery.

Victoria Embankment Gardens isn’t the only great open space to relax and have fun in London. If you’re looking for somewhere to take in the beauty of nature, then Kew Gardens and its incredible parkland could be a fantastic idea.

Or, if you’re looking for a taste of royalty, then make plans for a visit to Kensington Palace Gardens, the home of Prince William and Princess Kate.

What to know before you go

• The opening hours at Victoria Embankment Gardens vary throughout the year. The park always opens at 7.30am, but can close as late as 9.30pm in summer and as early as 4.30pm in winter.
• There is a café in Victoria Embankment Gardens, which is open in the warmer part of the year and serves snacks, light bites, and things to drink.
• With its central location on the north bank of the River Thames, there are plenty of great places to get something to eat and drink near Victoria Embankment Gardens. The area around the Gardens, which includes Charing Cross and Trafalgar Square, is home to some of the capital’s most celebrated restaurants, as well as more family-friendly places to eat. Across the river, the South Bank is home to an interesting and ever-changing collection of restaurants, bars, and food trucks, which sell cuisine from all over the world, including chains like Giraffe and Wagamama.
• There are public toilets near Embankment Tube station, outside Victoria Embankment Gardens. These toilets are accessible for people with disabilities and also have baby-changing facilities.
• The park is fully accessible for wheelchair users and parents with buggies. The paths in the park are tarmacked and smooth, with wide areas to travel through.

Getting there

• Victoria Embankment Gardens is just off Villiers Street.
• The nearest car parks to Victoria Embankment Gardens include Q-Park Covent Garden and Q-Park Trafalgar Square. Both are around a 10-minute walk from the park. 
• Victoria Embankment Gardens is very easily accessible by public transport. Embankment Tube station has exits right next to the park and is on the Bakerloo, Circle, District, and Northern lines. There’s also Charing Cross Tube station a three-minute walk away, which has Bakerloo and Northern line service, along with National Rail trains. 
• There are also a number of bus routes that have stops near the Gardens. These buses include the 6, 9, 11, 87, 91, 168, and 176.