Serpentine Lido
The Serpentine Lido is a buoyed, lifeguarded swimming area in Hyde Park's lake, open to the public at weekends from mid-May and daily through summer. The lake has no natural inflow and is topped up from boreholes, and the Serpentine Swimming Club has swum here since 1864, Christmas Day included. Book ahead on hot days and check for blue-green algae notices before you travel.
Photo: The wub · CC BY-SA 4.0
Latest reading · SwimScore 73/100 (Good swim) for a typical swimmer: air 18°C, wind 13 km/h, UV 0. Updated .
Know before you go
- Best conditions
- Warm summer days, booked in advance; walk-up entry is easier at quieter times.
- Getting in
- Public swimming in a marked area of the lake; booking online is recommended, though at quieter times you can pay at the gate. 2026 prices: adult full day £8.40, adult session £6.50, with child, family and concession rates. Under-16s must be supervised by a competent-swimmer adult at set ratios, and swimwear rules apply (no cotton, denim or loose T-shirts).
- Parking & transport
- Two Royal Parks car parks off West Carriage Drive, charged 8.30am to 6.30pm (Blue Badge holders free for four hours). Nearest Tube stations: Knightsbridge, Hyde Park Corner, Lancaster Gate and Marble Arch.
- Lifeguards
- Lifeguarded; nobody may enter the lido water unless a lifeguard is on duty, and swimmers must stay inside the buoy line.
- Water quality
- Designated bathing water (The Serpentine - Hyde Park): Environment Agency classification Good in 2025, up from Sufficient in 2024. The Royal Parks monitors the lake for blue-green algae and suspends public lido swimming when alert levels are reached.
- Season
- Weekends from mid-May, then daily from June to mid-September, 10am to 6pm; the last public day in 2026 is Sunday 27 September.
- Who swims here
- The Serpentine Swimming Club, founded in 1864 and the oldest swimming club in Britain, swims in the lake every morning before 9.30am, races on Saturday mornings all year without wetsuits and holds the Christmas Day Peter Pan Cup.
- Watch for
- Blue-green algae blooms, which can close the public lido
- Cold water shock, even in warm weather
- Deep water beyond the shallows: weak swimmers must stay in shallow areas and diving is not allowed
- Facilities
- Toilets and changing facilities · Lido Café Bar · Lockers (£2) · Sunbeds for hire
Sources: royalparks.org.uk, royalparks.org.uk, serpentineswimmingclub.com, serpentineswimmingclub.com, assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
Hand-checked spots nearby
Community Reports
How was your swim?
How accurate were the predicted conditions?
What were actual conditions like?
What SwimScore would you give it?
Details
- Location
- Westminster, England, United Kingdom
- Type
- pool
- Coordinates
- 51.5048, -0.1684