7 Best Places to Visit in Outer London

Outer London is a collection of towns and villages that sit just outside the center of London. They’re a great place to visit if you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life, while still being close enough to take advantage of all that London has to offer. There are plenty of fun things to do in outer London, from visiting museums and gardens to taking a walk through some beautiful parks. Here are my top picks for things see when you’re visiting outer London:

The 7 Best Places to Visit in Outer London

The London Wetland Centre

The London Wetland Centre is a nature reserve in South West London. It is home to more than 100 species of bird, as well as plants, mammals and amphibians. The centre also has a large lake featuring water birds such as geese and swans. There are also marshes and woodland areas to explore amongst the grounds of this beautiful nature reserve.

The London Wetland Centre is open year round with free admission on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 10am – 1pm (except January).  They have different events throughout the year including bird watching tours that you can book in advance via their website or call them directly on 020 8978 6000 to find out more information about visiting this stunning outdoor attraction in Outer London!

Read more: Best Places to Visit in UK by Train

Winchester House

Winchester House is a large mansion in the City of Westminster, London. It is a Grade I listed building and has been home to three Prime Ministers.

The house was built by Sir Thomas Tresham for his wife, although the architect is unknown. It was completed in 1594, although some work continued into 1595. The house remained in their family until 1664 when it passed to their daughter Elizabeth and her husband William Kirkby; he died only two years later and left it to his mother Margaret Wriothesley who lived there until her death in 1677. In 1678 Winchester House became property of Charles Paulet (1638–1700), 2nd Duke of Bolton who also owned St James’s Palace from 1686 until his death four years later.

In 1708 Edward Harley bought both properties along with several other estates – together they formed what would become known as Harley Street – while continuing his political career as Member of Parliament for Dunwich.

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Kew Gardens

Kew Gardens is the most visited paid entry botanical garden in the world. It’s also a UNESCO world heritage site and a great place to go for a walk, picnic or bike ride.

If you’re traveling by train and don’t want to take your bike on public transport, it’s worth knowing that Kew Gardens has its own railway station which can be reached by taking the train from London Waterloo or Richmond stations on the same line.

See also: Best Places to Visit on Lake Erie Ontario

Hampton Court Palace

Hampton Court Palace is a royal palace in London, England. Originally a large medieval manor house and hunting lodge, it became royal when it was acquired by King Henry VIII. It is now the largest inhabited palace in the world.

The first Tudor king of England chose Hampton Court as his main residence, and over time he made extensive changes to the building’s interior and exterior with such projects as the construction of St Catherine’s Chapel (1532), which contains some stunning Tudor Gothic architecture.

Hampton Court Palace has been used as a location for several films, including Shakespeare In Love (1998) starring Gwyneth Paltrow; The Other Boleyn Girl (2008) starring Natalie Portman; Anna Karenina (2012) starring Keira Knightley; The Young Victoria (2009) featuring Emily Blunt; The King’s Speech (2010) starring Colin Firth; Macbeth (2015), and many more!

Royal Society of Arts

The Royal Society of Arts was founded by a group of politicians, artists, and writers in 1843. Its aim is to promote the arts and sciences in general, but especially those related to design. The society has since expanded its focus on design to include any kind of creative endeavour—which makes sense considering how much London values creativity.

The Royal Society of Arts has an impressive collection of artwork that includes paintings by such famous artists as Charles Dickens and William Hogarth; it also houses some rather unique items like a bust made from butterflies’ wings or thousands of tiny clay figures representing famous people from all eras throughout history (you can see some examples here). If you’re interested in learning more about these works or just want to get away from all the hustle and bustle for a bit, this museum is worth checking out!

Richmond Park

Richmond Park, located in Surrey, is one of the largest parks in London with an area of 2,360 acres (971 hectares). It was originally a royal hunting ground and was later converted into an extensive deer park. Nowadays it’s a popular place to walk, cycle or horse ride through. Its varied terrain includes woodland, wetlands and heathland which provide plenty of habitat for wildlife including red deer and roe deer as well as many different species of bird including pheasant and partridge.

The park is open all year round; there are car parks on its western edge close to Richmond town centre but these fill up quickly on warm weekends so try to arrive early if you can. You can also access the park via train from either Central or Waterloo stations – take the District Line southbound towards Kew Gardens & call at Richmond Station which serves both routes (otherwise you’ll need to get off at Putney Bridge instead).

London Wetland Centre

• Location: London Wetland Centre, Barnes Common, London SE13 7DJ
• What’s on offer: The centre is home to over 170 species of birds and animals, including the rare white-fronted goose. It also has gardens, a butterfly house, an adventure playground for children and a cafe.
• How to get there: By car or public transport – use TFL’s Journey Planner for details on how to get there with bus routes nearby. If you are taking public transport from Central London then you can catch the number 75 bus which stops outside the centre (get off at stop 11). This route runs every half hour during the week and hourly on Saturdays until 5pm but doesn’t run on Sundays or bank holidays so check before you travel if you want to visit on these days. If travelling by bike then head down Park Lane towards Wimbledon Park Road where it becomes Longwater Lane; continue along this road until first turning right into Bishops Walk North (just past Hampton Court Palace); follow this road until reaching Gordon House Road; turn left onto Gordon House Road where there will be free parking available after 8am Monday – Friday only!

Interesting and special

The best places to visit in outer London are interesting and special. Some are free, some are unique to outer London, and all of them are fun for all ages.

• The British Library is the largest library in the world. It’s home to over 15 million books, 13 million journals, 1.5 million sound recordings and much more besides. Admission is free but you must book online in advance as it gets very busy there on weekends!
• Kew Gardens has been open since 1840 and is one of London’s great treasures: it has thousands of species of tropical plants housed in stunning glasshouses (or ‘houses’) with Renaissance architecture that reflects 18th century enlightenment values like prosperity through science and trade via botany expeditions around the world (Kew means ‘I know’).
• Hampton Court Palace was built by Cardinal Wolsey between 1515-25 then Henry VIII took possession after he fell out with him; today it’s home to one of Europe’s finest kitchens where visitors can watch their food being prepared behind glass panels – a rare treat indeed!

Conclusion

London is a city that never sleeps, but if you’re looking to get out of the hustle and bustle of central London, there are plenty of places to visit in Outer London. From coastal towns such as Brighton and Whitstable to historic villages like Epping Forest or Hampton Court Palace, there are many different options available for those who want to go on holiday without travelling too far from home. Here are some of our favourite places to visit in Outer London:

Brighton

Located just over an hour away from central London by train, Brighton is well worth visiting if you want some seaside fun! It’s a popular destination for tourists during summer months as it often has good weather year round due to its location near the English Channel coast line which helps keep temperatures up during winter months. The city has a vibrant nightlife scene too with lots happening every weekend so don’t miss out on checking out some cool clubs like Concorde 2 or Audio before heading back home again! If you need somewhere quiet though then head over west towards parkland area beside sea where people relax at picnic tables while listening live music performance in evening hours throughout summer months.