Parks near Canary Wharf

Despite London having a staggering amount of greenery — a 2011 UK National Ecosystem Assessment claimed 47% of the capital was made up of green space — any city can feel like a concrete jungle sometimes.

If you’re looking for a bit of fresh air — this guide is for you! Here’s a compilation of walks, outside space and parks near Canary Wharf.

Best parks near Canary Wharf

Here are 6 great parks near Canary Wharf, ordered from nearest to furthest away from the financial centre.

The design of the Canary Wharf Groups cavernous Jubilee line station actually provides the largest green space on the private estate!

With architects Foster and Partners providing the majority of the station underground, the roof of the station is left for a park spanning just over 3 acres.

With over 250 mature trees and a cascading water feature running through the middle, Jubilee park provides a sheltered green space between the high-rise buildings of Canary Wharf — an especially popular park for the thousands of local workers during breaks.

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The newest addition to public parks near Canary Wharf is found in the adjacent residential district, Wood Wharf. Harbord Square park is the largest public green space in Wood Wharf, and also provides a small children’s play area and sandpit.

Popular with yoga lovers and dog walkers alike, its location in the heart of Wood Wharf is only a 5-minute walk east from the centre of Canary Wharf.

Owned and developed by the Canary Wharf Group — it’s easy to find with the location signposted on all of the financial estate’s maps. If you are in a rush, there is also an e-scooter zone immediately outside, where you can pick-up or drop-off the electric scooters that are dotted across the estate.

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Located 10-15 minutes walk to the southwest of the financial centre, the waterside gardens provide a popular location for exercise with a large outdoor gym and plenty of open space for jogging.

Equally, views across the Thames towards Surrey Quays — accompanied by a covered bandstand, children’s play area and plenty of benches — make this a popular place for a more relaxed visit.

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The largest urban farm in London, Mudchute park and farm is located around 15 minutes walk southeast of the Canary Wharf estate.

Great for connecting with nature, the charity-run farm welcomes petting and feeding of the surprisingly varied range of farm animals.

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Immediately south of Mudchute park and farm — 15 minutes walk from Canary Wharf or easily accessed in 5 stops via Island Gardens DLR station — Millwall park is a Green Flag awarded park with a wealth of space and outdoor activities.

Cricket, football pitches, Millwall rugby club and an outdoor gym complements the green space, alongside two children’s play areas.

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Often paired with Millwall Park, Island Gardens is a smaller and more formal riverside garden at the southern tip of the Isle of Dogs peninsula. This park encompasses 2.8 acres of green space.

This charming riverside park holds the modern day view of Greenwich featured in Canaletto’s famous 18th century painting, ‘A View of Greenwich from the River’.

Tower Hamlets — Island Gardens

Located adjacent to the Greenwich foot tunnel, the park provides seating areas, a café and kiosk alongside the famous view across the Thames to Greenwich.

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The most expansive park on this list Royal Greenwich Park provides a staggering 183 acres of green space, formal and informal gardens.

The furthest park from Canary Wharf on this list, the Greenwich foot tunnel means this park can be accessed on foot from Canary Wharf — around 2 miles or 45 minutes walk from the financial centre. However, the quickest way to access the park is via the DLR. Journeys from Canary Wharf DLR station to the Cutty Sark for Maritime station.

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Other outside space near Canary Wharf

Aside from traditional parks, there are plenty of smaller gardens and riverside walks near to Canary Wharf to get some fresh air.

Continuing the theme from Jubilee Place and fitting green space into transport hubs, the development that houses Canary Wharf’s future Elizabeth Line station — Crossrail Place — contains one of London’s largest roof gardens.

The botanical gardens showcase the docklands history through the planting of previously imported global crops, and are lit up at night.

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With the Canary Wharf Group’s expansion into a new residential area, known as Wood Wharf, the group have sought to make better use of the waterfront.

Harbour Quay Boardwalk is the first version of this vision, providing a wooden boardwalk area set to span 350 meters, in front of a public garden and outdoor gym.

Once fully developed, this area of the Canary Wharf estate will provide an additional 9 acres of parks and walks.

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The Thames path is a waterside walk spanning 79.5 miles across Central London. Section 3 of the path — map available here — depicts the section passing through Canary Wharf.

Easily accessed — simply walk west from anywhere on the estate until hitting the Thames — the waterfront path passes numerous points of interest. These include: King Edward Memorial Park, Shadwell Basin, and the cobbled streets of Wapping on this scenic route towards Tower Bridge.

The Thames path is also a great place to take in the skyline and capture some great views of Canary Wharf. The waterside route provides stunning views looking back towards the peninsula, with the reflections of waterside and ultra-tall buildings — Newfoundland and Landmark Pinnacle — stretching across the Thames.

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