This weekend, London is taking a two-day break from its aristocratic aloofness. On June 6–7, more than 120 secret gardens, oases, and rooftop havens where “ordinary mortals” normally cannot even set foot are unlocking their gates as part of London Open Gardens. Entering its 27th year, this event is set to blow through the city like a botanical Glastonbury festival.
A £26 weekend ticket transforms into the most intimate green map of the city in your hands. With this pass, you can invade everywhere from luxury residential squares—where you would normally be chased out by a porter if you tried to enter—to hidden rooftops suspended in the middle of the sky.
If you are someone who loves looking down at the horizon, one of this year’s biggest trump cards is Battersea Roof Gardens. As one of the city’s largest residential rooftops, this massive oasis lets you view the iconic four chimneys of the Battersea Power Station from an angle you have never seen before, right behind sculptural flower beds (entering a ballot by booking in advance is mandatory for this spot). Another world-class view on a rooftop awaits you at 30 Cannon Street, which will be open on Saturday.
The event’s former name was Open Garden Squares, and those famous squares behind closed doors that live up to the name are in the spotlight once again this year. For pop culture enthusiasts, Fassett Square is a must-visit stop, as it is the literal source of inspiration for Albert Square in the legendary soap opera EastEnders. Dedicating both Saturday and Sunday entirely to its visitors, Earls Court Square—whose keys were once held by artistic legends like Dame Ninette de Valois and Sir John Gielgud—stands as one of the most characterful squares where you can pack your sandwiches and sprawl out on the grass.
Those wishing to take a green walk through the dusty pages of history should turn their direction toward The Charterhouse on Sunday. Nestled right on the edge of the City of London, this walled Tudor garden with a 14th-century monastic past is a total time capsule with its century-old mulberry trees and wildflower meadows. The most fascinating part is the tremendous contrast created by the fierce, brutalist towers of the Barbican rising just behind this history-scented garden. If you want to take in some river air, Emery Walker’s House, stretching between Chiswick and Hammersmith, awaits you on Sunday. In the garden of this house where the printer Walker—a close friend of William Morris—lived in the early 1900s, there are historic grapevines whose roots trace back to the vine at the famous painter Hogarth’s house, alongside a serene, calming view of the river.
For those seeking a more organic rhythm that touches the soil, Quill Street Allotments in N4, opening its gates on Saturday, is a wonderful stop. You can gather growing tips from the gardeners and head home with organic rhubarb, figs, or redcurrants. Meanwhile, hidden in the middle of the mechanical atmosphere of Elephant and Castle—which has undergone urban transformation multiple times—Iliffe Yard will offer open-air enjoyment throughout the weekend with live melodies from local musicians in its cobblestone courtyard filled with vines and potted plants.
Breathing in the scent of the soil, sitting under the shade of a century-old vine, and legally scaling those high walls London hides behind… There could be no better opportunity than this weekend to infiltrate the city’s most secret, most intimate geography.
Event Details:
- Event: London Open Gardens 2026
- Dates: June 6 – 7, 2026 (This weekend!)
- Tickets: Weekend pass £26, Under 18s £11, Under 12s free.
- Key Locations: Battersea Roof Gardens, Fassett Square, Earls Court Square, The Charterhouse, Emery Walker’s House, Quill Street Allotments, Iliffe Yard.
