London at Christmas

Do take a look at Christmas in Kew.

https://www.kew.org/kew-gardens/whats-on/christmas

There is also the Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park.

https://hydeparkwinterwonderland.com

I've not been to either but have had my eye on them for years and get mailings for both for the eventual time I actually visit at Christmas, lol!!

The Premier Inn at County Hall is very handy for buses and a very short walk to the Tube and overground trains at Waterloo (think Windsor).
There are usually Christmas stalls, buskers etc all along the South Bank and you are not far from Borough Market, even though this is a bit of a scrum.
Loads of places to eat near the Festival Hall.
Jermyn Steet. Piccadilly and Regent Street probably have the nicest lights and best decorated shops. Fortnum and Mason have beautiful windows.
St Pauls Cathedral and Westminster Abbey will have carol services.
|There is usually a winter wonderland in Hyde Park with entertainment, fairground rides etc
Somerset House and the Natural History Museum (I think) have ice skating rinks.
When I lived in London I used to love Christmas there.

I can't believe I am giving recommendations for Christmas when I haven't had my summer holiday!

London at Christmas is lovely and hectic.

I’ve not stayed at the County Hall Premier Inn but if available I’d say yes. Why? Can’t beat the location!

Great that you are walkers. Stroll along the Thames path. I’ve always found it a great way to experience London. Also consider ambling about such neighborhoods as Shoreditch, Highgate, Camden Town, Brixton, Richmond and Hackney.

Remember there’s no public transport on Christmas Day so be certain the PI is serving food and you have a day out planned accordingly….

The Christmas Lights at Oxford, Regent and Bond streets are nice. There are others worth a look. Southbank, Battersea Power Station, Carnaby Street.

I liked the ones I saw last year at the London School
of Economics and along High Holborn.

Definitely book tickets for the Christmas Lights at Kew Gardens.

As far as other things to do in December:
Evensong at St Paul’s or St Brides
The view from Sky Garden or 22 Horizon
Seeing a panto
Check to see where there are Santa Runs
Check out Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park. Go at night.
Check out the projections on the Battersea Power Station and the Christmas Market. This was last year:
https://batterseapowerstation.co.uk/news/wallace-and-gromit-bring-christmas-cheer-to-battersea-power-station/

EDIT: IF anyone wants to see a Panto while visiting London in early December:
https://wiltons.org.uk/whats-on/potted-panto-2/

I second Pam's suggestions of Hype park Christmas Winter Wondrland market/village and Kew Gardens. Also glad to hear you got tickets to the Royal Albert Hall carols. I have not been to Windsor at Christmas but that is a good idea, Look up National Trust properties and their activities. They may have something that will appeal to you. There are Christmas lights bus and walking tours. There is an outdoor Christmas market set up on the South Bank of the Thames, not far from the London Eye. Somerset House has a big outdoor ice skating rink set up. Easy daytrips you might enjoy are to Cambridge, Ely, or Canterbury.

We spent a week in London last December and were absolutely wowed by all the lights. We stayed at Thistle Piccadilly Hotel at Leicester Square and found it to be comfortable, safe, reasonably priced (for London), and right in the middle of all the Christmas lights and West End theaters while also being near convenient Tube stations. I've also stayed at the Premier Inn at Leicester Square as well and found it convenient as well. You may want to look at getting tickets to tour the Parliament building (very interesting) and spend lots of time walking around the different neighborhoods enjoying the lights and the market stalls. Be prepared for crowds - it was very crowded during that time but festive as well, especially since it gets dark pretty early and all the streets are lit up with Christmas lights strung over the streets. Also while it was cold and sometimes a bit drizzly, it was not super cold -- more like in the 40s and therefore easy to handle if you have gloves, hat, scarf and warm coat. You could also look at getting tickets in advance to some shows - I try to book directly with the theater to be sure I'm getting genuine tickets. Always a fun way to spend an evening or two in London!

When you say “at Christmas”, do you mean literally, as in 25th December? Because if so I’d go self-catering.

If not, yeah, why not stay in a different location? County Hall is a great area.

Will be there 12/8 through 12/18……great help so far!

Jane,

Claudia and Pat have been my inspiration for years and their advice has been so helpful. I am going back for the 3rd year in a row and I absolutely am going to Kew Christmas, the light show is spectacular. The second thing I am absolutely going to do is see a Pantomime at the Paladium (which as one of the best in London). It is a form of theatre that incorporates song, dance, buffoonery, slap-stick, cross-dressing, and audience participation.

I am going with my niece this year, so we will also be doing a Christmas tea. We may take Brigit’s Afternoon Tea Bus, they have two special teas that combine really good food with the ability to see the major Christmas lights display by bus. We will also go to WinterWonderland, but only because she wants to. It is not my favorite, a bit too much of a carnival, crowded, and a very commercial Christmas market, but for a 20 something, she will love it.

For Windsor. Super easy to get to either by train (GSW or Elizabeth line). Windsor is beautifully decorated at Christmas. Just make sure that the date you want to attend St. George’s is open as it sometimes closes for events over Christmas holidays.

Agreeing with others here that the lights at Kew are great- just ensure you book way ahead (as in right now- some slots may have booked already- last year we booked in March). There are also lights at RHS Wisley in Surrey but I haven't been yet- looks nice and will probably be less crowded than Kew. A few years ago we also went to the lights at the London Wetland Centre which was fun and you can see some wildlife as well.

I would caution going to Winter Wonderland or the Southbank xmas markets if you are not a big fan of crowds. Both get extremely crowded which is why we stopped going. It can also be a bit frustrating if you are just trying to walk down the Southbank along the Thames when the markets are set up. A lot of the big shops, like Fortnum and Mason's, also get insanely crowded- I popped into Fortnum's last December to pick up a few gifts and it was a complete madhouse. Maybe think about going right when they open.

A lot of National Trust properties do nice xmas decorations/lighting. I remember Knole (in Kent- short train ride from Charing Cross) being quite nice.

Be prepared for bad weather and the sun starting to set not long after 3pm- this is definitely the time of year for indoor activities! I find the panto suggestions quite... interesting. I'll just say... it certainly is an extremely British xmas tradition. You might enjoy it!

Following along as we are also planning a trip to London for Christmas!

Tagging along for info. Nov. 22-Dec 8

Anyone there during this time?

I was in London the first week of December last year and had a great time!

Here is a link to my trip report: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/trip-report-london-at-christmastime

Even though I was there a week there are many things to do that I didn't get to.... I, regretfully, missed any of the special church services. I heard the Carol services and Evensong are particularly lovely at both the big name churches and the smaller local ones. I loved the London Walk that I did and they have a couple other holiday themed walks. (These were not posted on their website until probably November.) I heard the holiday market on the South Bank was a lot of fun. I had a great afternoon tea at my hotel but there was nothing particularly festive about it. If you want a special holiday tea at places like Brown's Hotel or Fortnum and Mason, make sure you make reservations! In addition to a day trip to Windsor, you might think about another day to Bath or Greenwich.

One of the sources I used for things to do is the Visit London website. Check it out, particularly as it gets closer to the season.

Prepare for crowds and spectacular decorations and lights and it will be a great trip! I hope this helps you.

We plan to visit London this December, so I’m interested in everyone else’s posts and suggestions. I plan to see a Panto. In addition to the expected Cinderella and Jack In the Beanstalk themes, there also appear to be Dick Whittington’s Cat performances, which would be novel to a first-time-attendee American.

Rick has several pages devoted to Christmas in his London book.

I had good luck popping into churches while strolling along and hearing chorus rehearsals. Quite common that time of year. Make sure you see the outside of F&M which gets all dolled up. You can try and see the Christmas tree in the lobby of the Ritz but they may or may not let you in. The Christmas store in the basement of Selfridges is quite huge (you can find a Youtube video from Hannah Ricketts).

Went to London last December with my Wife and did the usual tourist stuff but one thing that sticks in our minds is eating Churros and chocolate at the Christmas market in Leicester Square one cold evening.