Day trip to Cambridge on Christmas Eve?

It's not like Norway where service all but closes by early afternoon.

In the UK most trains and buses close down between 7 and 9 pm.

Last trains back to London will certainly be after 5pm, probably much closer to 7pm.

Timetables should be announced in early to mid November.

TfL closes at 10pm on Christmas Eve, so you will certainly get back to Pimlico from KX, Liverpool Street or any of the last Thameslink stations, off the last rail arrival.

If you are staying in Pimlico think about taking National Express to Victoria Coach Station- the last bus is at 1845, arrive London Victoria 2150 (change coaches at Stansted airport).

Last year things got confused due to strike action, so services closed very early.

My family and I traveled to London in 2016- We arrived on the 22nd- I remember London to be bustling up to the afternoon of 12/24- but everything very quiet on Christmas Day/ and the day after "Boxing Day"- then it got busy again before NY eve. We did everything within walking distance of our hotel on 12/24-12/25 - (we were across from St. James Park) because I had read the same thing. London is very festive and it was magical. I made all of my reservations for dinners ahead of time as there were limited offerings for the holiday- We also did 2 tea's- One at Fortnum and Mason (highly recommend) on NY eve and tea Christmas day at our hotel. I don't know if you are shoppers but Bond Street was pretty fun and all on sale pre-Christmas. We went to Cambridge on the 28th overnight . Long story short- it was busy with tourists Londoner's leave the city.

Thank you isn31c! That's exactly what I was looking for.

Themadre4, great to hear your experience, it makes me feel more confident about our plan!

Thanks both for your responses; it wasn't our original plan to visit over Christmas, but life events resulted in this being the time that worked and now I'm really looking forward to being there for the holidays!

Have spent a number of Christmases in London.

Its great fun. Christmas lights, theatre, pantos, choral events, Santa Runs, Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park.

Things have evolved over the year but one thing is constant; no public transport on Christmas day.

Upload this link to your phone: Provides intel about public transport. https://tfl.gov.uk/

Make note on Christmas Eve that there is a choir performance in Cambridge’s Kings Chapel. At least there has been in the past. Who knows after Covid?

As far as traveling to Cambridge on Christmas Eve day I’d be leery.

Instead I’d make reservations for dinner near your Pimlico accommodations and, if weather complies, walk there. Somewhere like the Morepeth Arms which is near the Thames. You could then walk along the Thames River path looking at London at night. The bridges lit up, etc.

Would your college aged daughters enjoy Evensong at Westminster Abbey? You’ll need tickets.

What there is on Christmas Day is National Express coaches. On a reduced schedule, but to a surprising number of places, even as far as Edinburgh.

This coming Christmas Eve is a Sunday and I would expect services to wind down earlier than above as the base line will be from Sunday service timetables. Also as it stands the industrial dispute between the rail companies and the unions has not yet been settled, so who knows what will be planned in the way of strikes if the dispute has not been resolved by then. I too would be leery about doing this trip on Christmas Eve in these circumstances.