London in December

Honestly, we didn’t see any Christmas Markets but we were there12/22 to12/28. We walked through Fortnum and Mason with it’s beautiful decorations. We attended Christmas Eve Services at Westminster Abbey; you sign up online on Oct or Nov. Took us four tries to get tickets. A beautiful service of the Carols and Lessons, Boys’ Choir. We all wore our down coats the whole time, cold, damp. Get dinner reservations as many restaurants close for the holidays. The Ivy was open Christmas Eve. Nothing was open except at hotels on Christmas Day.

Don't remember any Xmas markets in London.

Manchester has a big Xmas market.

Have been in London in December twice. While Christmas markets did not seem to be common there, no city dresses up its shops and streets for Christmas like London does. It was stunning both times. The Fortnum and Mason windows are not to be missed.

Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park has amusement rides, food booths and vendors selling hand made Christmas decorations and unique gifts.

Leicester Square has a Christmas Market.

Southbank has a Christmas Market.

In the past few years has been Christmas By the River near the Tower Bridge.

Or just go to Spitafields.

Check to see if there might be another Artisans Christmas open house on Eel Pie Islands. Go ice skating at one of the city's outdoor ice skating rinks. Somerset House, Winter Wonderland or the newer Skylight Ice Rink

Christmas in London wonderful. Regent and Oxford streets Christmas lights, the Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square, pantos. Department stores as Liberty, Forum & Mason and Selfridges all decked out. Christmas in Kew Gardens. Christmas at Hampton Court

Christmas Eve church services.

And something relatively new but very popular:
https://www.eorailway.co.uk/events/santa-specials/

Just remember if you are there on Christmas day public transport will not exist. There will cabbies but at a premium price. If not staying with friends be sure to reserve for Christmas Dinner.

Depending on which London neighborhood I'm staying at Christmas its my favorite day to walk through either Richmond or Hyde Park.

The fancy luxury boutiques (Hermes, Prada, Stella McCartney, etc) on New and Old Bond Street are worth a visit. Very pretty window decorations and holiday lights. Not far from Fortnum and Mason.

Not a Christmas MArket, but there is always the winter lights trail at Kew Gardens.

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

The Hyde Park Winter Wonderland and Southbank are the only Christmas markets I am aware of. The Winter Wonderland has always been too busy to fight my way through the crowds, but I have walked through the Southbank market a few times (it’s not generally an artisan market, but stuff made in China, so I haven’t bought anything here). Birmingham has a bigger Christmas market.

Compared to other cities, I am always disappointed by the decorations in London, although there are some nice pockets, such as Burlington Arcade, Carnaby Street and Selfridges and Fortnum and Mason’s windows. Regent St decorations were at their lowest ebb a few years ago when sponsored by Disney films. Dreadful!

My husband and I loved walking through Hyde Park during December when we were there. Another thing we did was to hop on a bus and go up top (closed in winter of course) and just rode around the city to see decorations. It snowed the year we were there, so it added to the traditional Christmas feeling.