London is often more hustle and bustle than ‘happily ever after’, but there are still a few corners of the city that feel straight out of a Disney film. From hidden Covent Garden courtyards with Coco-style colour to romantic Hampstead Heath terraces with Tangled vibes, these storybook spots are practically made for sunny summer wandering. There are secret gardens, Gothic towers, pretty little lanes and enough storybook architecture to make your usual weekend plans in London feel a bit more enchanting.
And if you really want to commit to the theme, you can finish the day at a candlelit Disney tribute concert taking place inside an 800-year-old cathedral (No carriage home included — the Tube will do).
17 September 2026 19:00 + more dates
Strawberry Hill, Twickenham
Strawberry Hill in Twickenham is a brilliant-white Gothic Revival villa that’s over 270 years old. Driven by a desire to create his own “little Gothic castle”, writer Horace Walpole bought a modest house on the site in 1749 and gradually transformed it into the fairytale-like villa seen today, completing the project in 1776.
The Disney flair comes from its white turrets, battlements, pointed arches and dramatic Gothic interiors — the kind of place Belle might explore in the Beast’s castle, or Aurora might wander through before pricking her finger on a spinning wheel.
📍Address: 268 Waldegrave Road, Twickenham, TW1 4ST, United Kingdom
Pergola & Hill Garden, Hamstead Heath
The Hampstead Pergola at Hamstead Heath was created as part of the private gardens of “The Hill,” the estate bought by William Hesketh Lever—later Lord Leverhulme—in 1904. Later additions were made over time, and by 1925, the gardens evolved into a grand Edwardian garden.
Today, you’ll find a long colonnaded pergola of Portland-stone Doric columns adorned in vines and roses. The overgrown, secret-garden vibe brings Sleeping Beauty to mind, while the lush greenery has the feel of Rapunzel’s hidden tower deep in the woods.
📍Address: Inverforth Cl, London NW3 7EX, United Kingdom
Neal’s Yard, Covent Garden
Tucked away in Seven Dials, Covent Garden, Neal’s Yard is a brightly coloured courtyard that’s still easy to miss. This place adds a big splash of colour to London’s usual industrial vibe—a vibrant oasis complete with independent shops and a feel-good, slightly chaotic charm.
Its saturated colours, plants spilling from windows and close-set courtyard buildings feel like a mini London take on the Madrigal family’s vibrant village in Encanto.
📍Address: Neal’s Yard, Seven Dials, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9DP
Kyoto Garden, Holland Park
Tucked inside Holland Park, Kyoto Garden is a peaceful little escape with a mini waterfall, koi pond, stone lanterns and Japanese maples. Donated by Kyoto’s Chamber of Commerce in 1991 and created for the Japan Festival in London, it feels like a scene from Mulan — all tranquil water, dramatic planting and storybook calm in the middle of the city. And if you’re lucky, you might spot a peacock or two wandering around the site.
📍Address: Holland Park, Holland Park Ave, London W11 4UA, United Kingdom
