Hyde Park and the adjoining Kensington Gardens together form a 250-hectare expanse of green in the middle of the city — the largest of the central royal parks. On a summer afternoon it fills with sunbathers, cyclists, joggers, and open-water swimmers in the Serpentine Lido.
The Serpentine lake divides the park from Kensington Gardens; you can hire rowing boats and pedalos from the boathouse on the north bank. Speakers' Corner, at the northeastern edge near Marble Arch, has been the traditional site of open-air oratory since the 19th century — on Sunday mornings anyone can turn up and speak. The Diana Memorial Fountain, at the southern edge of the Serpentine, is a more recent addition.
Nearest tubes: Hyde Park Corner, Marble Arch, Lancaster Gate, Queensway.