Horniman Gardens image

Horniman Gardens

Tourist attraction Park

👍 Great London park with plenty to see for the family. Great views over to Central London. Live animal area, butterflies, cafe with lots of paths for walks and picnics. And apparently good place for a wedding! People often mention museum, gardens, great, small, London, park, animal, visit, garden, views,


Address

100 London Rd, London SE23 3PQ, United Kingdom

Website

www.horniman.ac.uk

Contact

+44 20 8699 1872

Rating on Google Maps

4.70 (1.8K reviews)

Open on Google Maps

Working Hours

  • Sunday: 8 AM to 6:30 PM
  • Monday: 7:15 AM to 6:30 PM
  • Tuesday: 7:15 AM to 6:30 PM
  • Wednesday: 7:15 AM to 6:30 PM
  • Thursday: 7:15 AM to 6:30 PM
  • Friday: 7:15 AM to 6:30 PM
  • Saturday: 7:15 AM to 6:30 PM

Featured Reviews


Frequently mentioned in reviews: museum (19) gardens (12) great (11) small (11) London (10) park (10) animal (9) visit (9) garden (9) views (8)
Reviews are sorted by relevance, prioritizing the most helpful and insightful feedback at the top for easier reference.
  • 4/5 Alan J. 1 year ago on Google
    Great London park with plenty to see for the family. Great views over to Central London. Live animal area, butterflies, cafe with lots of paths for walks and picnics. And apparently good place for a wedding!
    5 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Miguel “MP MANGUE” Emana M. 1 year ago on Google
    This is going to be one of my favorite places in London because of the amount of activities that take place. The part about the animals is amazing and I haven't been able to visit the museum because I want to go with my nephew. And all these activities are free, has it all. I love it.
    3 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Luiza A. 2 years ago on Google
    Horniman is so important for a number of local residents. I have been going there since 1998. There is the lovely Victorian Museum, Butterfly House, the animal enclosure and a Coffee shop. Ideal place to meet family and friends. I nearly forgot to mention the lovely Farmers Market every Sunday from 10 am to 2 pm. I consider Horniman Gardens the precious gem of Forest Hill. Unmissable!
    3 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Steven s. 10 months ago on Google
    Beautiful setting in an extensive set of grounds located next to the museum. This is a wonderful part of South East London. A credit to the area, a green space that you can come and chill at. There is a pop-up crazy golf experience that is great fun, which I suggest you check out if you get the chance.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 4ofus 4. 2 years ago on Google
    Short walk, but beautiful gardens with a relaxing walk. The nature trail is nice, but damp.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Lao K. 1 year ago on Google
    We actually came for the museum but stayed for the Gardens 😀 I was also surprised to see they had a farm but unfortunately it was closed that day; a reason to return I guess. Another reason to return were the beautiful views! I also found it was very popular with families so all in all a very wholesome atmosphere.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Clare I. 10 months ago on Google
    Lovely gardens at the museum!!! I was very impressed as I had never heard of it before I thought it would be boring but it was lovely!!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Eric H. 2 years ago on Google
    Very interesting small museum. Entry is Free but you need to pre-book at the moment and some of the attractions have a small entry fee. (easy on line booking).An ideal introduction for young children to nature and history etc.. Aquarium is colourful with some beautiful fish etc.. All the various themed rooms are very interesting. The shop caters mostly for children's gifts etc.. the café which is currently accessible from outside has a varied menu suitable for drinks, snacks and light lunches. Outside are a woodland walk, animal enclosures with sheep, goat's alpacas etc. and a butterfly house but we didn't visit these on this trip. The views from the bandstand area show a panorama of the London skyline with some of the main famous buildings being clearly visible. This is a small refreshments kiosk at this spot which would also be great for a picnic. Whilst parking may be difficult as there is no car park **, public transport is plentiful. We got there by train to Forest Hill Station then a leisurely 10 minute stroll.Some buses do stop outside the museum. **I did notice a car park for Blue Badge holders**. All in all we enjoyed a couple of hours there.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Jules A. 7 months ago on Google
    Beautiful gardens they are open earlier than the museum which is a bonus. They are elegantly done. Rich colours and manicured lawns for people of all ages to enjoy. Its free and so very well looked after. Plenty of benches to relax on to see the world go by. I came here for the museum and I got to enjoy a food market that served roasted pork, rum Baba, burgers and hotdogs. They also had some low alcohol beers and ales which was a plus to enjoy. Sunday is the day to go and I'm glad I went. Wonderful experience. I highly recommend here if you live locally a real gem. Also on a clear day you get amazing views
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Ja M. 5 months ago on Google
    Great Museum, beautiful garden and a spacious park. A but far from north London but a nice weekend trip.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Natasha G. 2 years ago on Google
    Amazing garden space, so beautiful and clean. It is a huge area with lots of benches and green areas to rest and enjoy the view of the city in the distance. There is a toilet, a restaurant and even a water fountain! I cannot believe I haven't discovered this gem sooner.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Tim H. 4 months ago on Google
    Beautiful gardens at the back of museum. Plenty to do for kids and adults. Nice market on Sundays. Great views in to London. A small farm too. Or just walk around and enjoy nature.

  • 5/5 Sarah C. 9 months ago on Google
    Visited while supporting a school trip. The children enjoyed learning about how plants grow and what we use plants to make. The grounds are beautiful along with the butterfly house. Would definitely visit again.

  • 5/5 Sarah C. 4 months ago on Google
    Nice little park with a small animal area - rabbits, sheep, alpaca. Clean toilets. Had a great Sunday food and craft Market (shuts 3pm). Bought some lovely cheese there.

  • 4/5 Reinaldo F. 8 months ago on Google
    I like it there, but it could be better. The gardening was sort of messy. They could focus on having the maintenance on work days only so small kids can enjoy the park without dangerous tools around them.

  • 5/5 Hayley F (. 1 year ago on Google
    A cool and quirky museum that is of the beaten track from science/British/national history.They have many items on display from around the world.A hands on music room for the children in the music gallery.Many animal artifacts.Beautiful little aquarium and butterfly house both of which you can pay extra for at very small cost. Lots of outdoor space to explore Gift shop inside and occasional small businesses market stalls in the grounds too. No need to book in advance for entry

  • 5/5 ian p. 10 months ago on Google
    Perfect for the family and young children. Picnic potential abounds. Museum wonderful and full of quality. The small butterfly garden is captivating.

  • 5/5 Rachel P. 7 months ago on Google
    Beautiful park and gardens, nice play area fo children outside, market on a Sunday and lots of events organised throughout the year. The museum is so interesting, with animal exhibits (and the famous walrus), cultural history exhibits and a fabulous music section. There are paid for experiences, some longstanding, others that are temporary. The aquarium is good, and we recently enjoyed a visit to the Butterfly House.

  • 5/5 Stefania D. 4 months ago on Google
    Lovely museum with a decent sized aquarium, butterfly house, small farm, lovely grounds/park type area, and various temporary and permanent exhibitions. The gift shop is nice too and has great options. It's family friendly and the children aged between two and seven enjoy it thoroughly each time we visit. I'd highly recommend buying the yearly pass, especially if you live relatively close/within easy access. Thank you to the team at Hornimans, keep up the great work!

  • 4/5 BluEye 11 months ago on Google
    A trip for the whole day, you can see a lot, whether it's for families or a friendly trip, the photographer won't be bored either, I highly recommend

  • 5/5 Jahnay H. 2 years ago on Google
    I love it and it was a very pretty garden. Enjoy my pics

  • 5/5 Shen S. 1 year ago on Google
    Lovely well kept clean gardens with instruments to play, a nature reserve and lovely animal walk to see a few lovely furry creatures

  • 5/5 Jenny S. 1 year ago on Google
    Amazing museum with a lot of a variety of animals to see! Lovely garden and amazing view of the city! :)

  • 5/5 Alex C. 1 year ago on Google
    A delightful garden with ex excellent variety, hidden quiet spaces, plenty of seating and a surprising and spectacular view over London.

  • 5/5 Karen R. 1 year ago on Google
    Great open space with different gardens, the sound garden was very popular. An animal walk, and great views of London. The museum is free and has a good variety of exhibits. Toilets were decent. Would visit again

  • 5/5 Paul T. 1 year ago on Google
    Lovely gardens, and the museum and butterfly houses were both excellent too.

  • 5/5 Luiza R. 1 year ago on Google
    Lovely place to visit. We went to their butterfly house and it was like stepping in a different world. Worth the visit

  • 5/5 Ekaterina C. 2 years ago on Google
    Absolutely amazing place! On a relatively small space a lot of fascinating exhibits. Beautiful gardens. Free entry. Loved it, highly recommend.

  • 5/5 Nahida N. 2 years ago on Google
    Beautiful day at Dulwich Park and Horniman Museum so many interesting things and wonderful artefacts. Last time I came there was in 1991and again yesterday so much improvement and the gardens so pretty and the weather tropically like had a great day! Thank you 😊

  • 5/5 Dani R. 2 years ago on Google
    Really cool garden, with a great educational experience. There’s an area where plants are separated by their colors, as well as their uses. It was great to learn a bit more about what sorts of medicinal properties some plants had and their uses for pharmaceuticals.

  • 5/5 Sun D. 2 years ago on Google
    One of the best views in London, cafes, organic market, gardens, walks and out door musical instruments. Has character and charm. Caters extremely well for children with petting zoo and outdoor musical instruments as well as activities indoors.

  • 5/5 Mongo S. 2 years ago on Google
    Fun day out. Well maintained museum and the staff are great. Very friendly and helpful....five star service xxxxx

  • 5/5 Diana Alexandra S. 2 years ago on Google
    The Butterfly House was unexpectedly beautiful. It is very warm inside and you will find many colourful butterflies. Just be careful not to step over them, as they are landing on the ground near your feet.

  • 5/5 Stephen I. 2 years ago on Google
    This is a delightful park with wonderful views North towards the Shard and beyond. On the day of my visit, there were several of pre-Christmas stalls with delightful food and goodies. This park is on a hill; that is part of its charm. If you like parks, it would be hard not to love this one.

  • 5/5 Russ C. 2 years ago on Google
    Great, (not so little) little museum and grounds. Some interesting curation too. Definitely recommended. Nice café too.

  • 5/5 Sourik L. 2 years ago on Google
    Lovely place to spend the day with family. Children will love the open ground to run around, the animal experience, butterfly garden, mini golf course and museum. Lot of ice-cream and coffee shops around.

  • 4/5 Mark S. 2 years ago on Google
    Nice museum, took 2 young teenagers, who enjoyed it for an hour or so. Then there is the gardens, set on a hill with a great view back to the city. Pleasant way to spend a couple of hours. Easy to get to from Forest Hill Station.


Call +44 20 8699 1872 Open on Google Maps

Amenities


  • Pets
    • ✓️ Dogs allowed
  • Accessibility
    • ✓️ Wheelchair accessible entrance
    • ✓️ Wheelchair accessible parking lot

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