Tucked into Golders Hill Park on the western edge of Hampstead Heath, a completely free zoo houses flamingos, fallow deer, meerkats, wallabies, and exotic birds. It is one of London's great underrated secrets.
The best time to photograph the flamingos is in the morning before visitor numbers build, when they are most active in the water. A slow walk around the enclosure perimeter offers multiple angles; the raised viewing area at the north end puts you at eye level with birds standing on the small island in the centre of the pool.
Fallow Deer
The deer paddock is large, covering roughly a quarter of the zoo's total area, and currently houses a herd of approximately 15 fallow deer. Fallow deer are not native to the British Isles but have been present since the Romans, who introduced them for hunting; in Golders Hill they are part of a long tradition of deer in London's parks, mirroring the herds at Richmond and Bushy Park.
The deer are approachable in the sense that they do not immediately flee; they are not tame, and feeding them is prohibited (though difficult to enforce, and the keepers ask politely). During the autumn rut in October and November, the male deer (bucks) grow impressive antlers and the larger males make a distinctive low bellowing call that carries across the park in the early morning. Visiting during the rut is recommended for anyone interested in wildlife behaviour.
Meerkats
The meerkat enclosure is new by the zoo's standards, installed in the early 2010s. A group of nine meerkats occupies a heated indoor area connected to an outdoor enclosure with a viewing area on three sides. Meerkats are sociable and alert; there is almost always a sentinel individual standing upright and scanning while the others forage, groom, or sleep in a pile under the heat lamp.
Children respond to meerkats in a way that makes adults slightly envious, the animals are small enough to be unthreatening, expressive enough to be engaging, and the enclosed viewing area allows close observation without glass. Morning visits (9-11am) are best for activity; the group tends to sleep through the warmest part of the afternoon.
Wallabies
The wallaby paddock is in the northeast corner of the zoo. Three Bennett's wallabies share a grass paddock with a burrow area and a covered shelter. Wallabies are marsupials from eastern Australia; they are crepuscular (most active around dawn and dusk) and often appear motionless or gently browsing in the middle of the day.
The keepers at Golders Hill take pains to point out that the wallabies are not bored or distressed by inactivity, this is normal behaviour for the species, which conserves energy during daylight hours in the Australian climate they evolved in. Watching them slowly cross the paddock at 4pm, amber light on the grass, creates a briefly surreal juxtaposition: marsupials, London, autumn.
Exotic Birds
The aviary houses a rotating selection of exotic birds, macaws, parrots, cockatiels, and various pheasant species, as well as more standard British species managed for educational purposes. The bird section is smaller than the mammal exhibits but provides a close-up encounter with species that most London visitors would otherwise only see in larger collections.
The peacocks are the exception: they roam freely through the zoo and occasionally into the main park. Peacocks at Golders Hill are long-established residents; seeing one fan its tail on the path between the café and the deer paddock is a reliable highlight for first-time visitors.
Yusuf Adeyemi brought his six-year-old daughter to Golders Hill Zoo on a Sunday in April 2025, expecting a quick diversion before lunch. They stayed for three hours. "She sat by the meerkat enclosure for forty minutes watching them dig," he said. "She didn't want to leave. I had to bribe her with a hot chocolate at the café. The zoo is completely free and better than half the paid attractions in London."
Golders Hill Park Beyond the Zoo
The zoo occupies perhaps a fifth of Golders Hill Park's total area. The rest of the park, 36 acres managed by City of London Corporation as part of the wider Hampstead Heath estate, offers a tennis court, a public paddling pool, formal rose gardens, extensive lawns, and a bandstand where live music events are held on summer weekends.
The Formal Gardens
The rose garden and formal parterres near the park's southern entrance are at their best from late May to July. Golders Hill was a private estate before it was acquired for public use in 1898, and the formal garden structure dates from that period, an Edwardian walled garden design that gives way to more naturalistic planting along the park's perimeter paths.
The Bandstand
The bandstand hosts free concerts on Sunday afternoons in summer, typically from June to August. The programme mixes brass bands, jazz ensembles, and occasional community choirs. The surrounding lawn is large enough to accommodate a picnic; families with children tend to concentrate here while adults with a reasonable distance from the music.
Children's Paddling Pool and Play Area
The paddling pool opens in late May and runs through September; it is free to use and supervised. The adjacent play area has equipment suitable for ages 2 to 12. Both are consistently busy on hot summer days, arriving before 11am gives you a less crowded experience.
The Golders Hill Park Café
The café is located at the park's south end, near the tennis courts. It operates as a standard parks café, hot drinks, sandwiches, cakes, a basic cooked breakfast, but the outdoor terrace is one of the more pleasant places to sit in this part of North London. Views across the formal gardens, no traffic noise, peacocks occasionally walking past the tables.
On warm weekends, the café generates a queue from approximately 11am. For a pre-zoo coffee, arriving at 10am is comfortable; post-zoo at 1pm means waiting. The indoor seating is limited; the outside terrace has 30+ covers.
Hours: Open daily from 9am. Kitchen closes at 4:30pm.
Getting There
By Tube: Golders Green station (Northern Line, Edgware branch) is a 10-minute walk. Exit the station, turn left onto North End Road, and the park entrance on Fitzjohn's Avenue is straight ahead.
By Bus: Routes 82, 102, and 460 stop on Golders Green Road within walking distance.
By Foot from Hampstead: From the Vale of Health on Hampstead Heath, a 25-minute walk north through the Heath brings you to the West Heath car park, from which Golders Hill Park is a further five minutes. This approach, across open heath, down through ancient woodland, is the best way to arrive and requires no planning beyond sensible footwear.
Parking: There is limited permit parking on surrounding streets. The West Heath car park (pay and display) is the most practical option for drivers.
Combining Golders Hill with a Wider Day Out
The Heath Walk and Zoo Half-Day
Start at Hampstead Underground station, walk across the Heath to Parliament Hill (views of London), continue northwest to Golders Hill Park, spend 90 minutes at the zoo, and have lunch at the café. A 4km walk with a free zoo visit and no entry fees. End with the walk back to Golders Green Tube for the Northern Line south.
Zoo and Golders Green Restaurants
The park is a 10-minute walk from Golders Green Road's restaurant strip. Combine a morning at the zoo with lunch at Solly's or Bloom's, and you have a self-contained day in NW11 that costs almost nothing. The challah from Kosher Kingdom Bakery makes an excellent park picnic element.
School Holiday Full Day
Golders Hill Zoo + paddling pool + playground + café + Heath walk is a full school holiday day that works with children from age 2 upwards, costs only the café bill, and occupies a family for six or seven hours. The park is popular with schools and families precisely because this equation holds in almost any weather.
Seasonal Guide
Spring (March-May): The rose garden begins its season; young fallow deer fawns appear in the paddock from May. The paddling pool opens in late May. The morning bird activity in the aviary is at its peak.
Summer (June-August): Peak visitor season; arrive before 10am or after 3pm on weekends to avoid the café queue. The bandstand concerts run Sunday afternoons. The flamingos are most active in the cooler morning hours.
Autumn (September-November): The deer rut in October is the zoo's most dramatic seasonal event. The formal gardens turn gold and bronze. The park is significantly less busy than in summer while still beautiful. The best season for photography of the meerkats, the soft autumn light suits the warm tones of their colouring.
Winter (December-February): The paddling pool closes. The café maintains reduced hours. The zoo stays open daily. Winter visits, especially after light snowfall, when the flamingos look astonishing against white ground, are memorable in a way that summer visits are not.
Practical Information
Entry: Free to the park and zoo. No booking required.
Opening times: 7:30am to dusk (approximately 4pm in December, 9pm in June).
Dogs: Welcome in the park; must be on leads within the zoo area and near the formal gardens. Dog waste bins are well-distributed.
Accessibility: The park's main paths are tarmac and accessible for wheelchairs and pushchairs. The zoo viewing areas are ground-level and accessible. The paddling pool has a step entry.
Photography: Freely permitted throughout the park and zoo.
Golders Hill Park Zoo is what London does quietly at its best: a genuine wildlife encounter, free, maintained at civic expense, tucked into a Victorian park that most visitors to this city never find. It takes 25 minutes by Tube from Central London and costs nothing beyond the journey. Few places in London offer this quality of experience at this price point.
