Christmas trip to London and --??? Where else?

I wanted to mention that Christmas at Kew, if you can manage to get some tickets is a very memorable experience that makes for a wonderful holiday outing.
https://www.kew.org/kew-gardens/whats-on/christmas

I think Edinburgh would be good for part of the time at least. One reason being that it is almost the only place in the UK with very good public transport on Christmas Day. A comprehensive city bus service runs, and people are out and about because of it.
The city feels alive. One year I went as far as the seaside at North Berwick when I was staying at Leith.
There is even Citylink to and from Glasgow all day on Christmas Day (at premium fares and I'm not sure the free transport cards are valid for that day only). From experience Glasgow is also totally dead that day.
I'm sure the Citylink buses run to get people from Glasgow to Edinburgh, not vv!!
My thought would be to start in London then go to Edinburgh on 23 or early on 24 December.

If you choose to go to Edinburgh from London it will take you a whole day of travel and another whole day back to London. You will also lose a day when arriving in the UK. So, this only leaves you about 6 days in the UK. I would suggest staying in and around London. Many UK members here can offer some suggestions on those six days outside of London if you do not want to be in London the whole time. Enjoy the holidays.

Stonehenge could be a day trip, available by public transportation

"If you choose to go to Edinburgh from London it will take you a whole day of travel and another whole day back to London. You will also lose a day when arriving in the UK. So, this only leaves you about 6 days in the UK. I would suggest staying in and around London."

Thanks--I just talked to my daughter and she agrees with this after thinking about it. We all feel that we do not want to be in London the whole time...so I think I am looking for ideas for places we could get to more easily by public transport that would have a different feel and vibe.

Maybe Oxford or Cambridge? Both are University towns about an hour from London. Both give access to other places to visit, for instance Ely from Cambridge. I think East Anglia gets forgotten on this forum!

You can take trains to Whitsable or Canterbury or Rye or Margate or Eastbourne …

Something you need to consider is that the period between Christmas and New Year sees a lot of engineering works on the rail network. There are always cancellations and line closures. It’s not an easy time for travelling so I would not try to go too far from London or expect to do too much.

I would actually recommend staying in London. You could rent an Airbnb in a quieter, residential area which won’t feel anything like being in central London. There are many such areas in London with lots of green space and local high streets.

So you have 10 days. Go to Google flights, put In London to Europe one way, filter as non-stop, under $125. Now add it to all the local stuff and choose.

Would a trip to the Cotswolds make sense without a car? A combo of charming village, cozy Xmas stuff and walking trails would suit us really well.

Lots of walking available around large gardens and parks in Richmond; could combine with a visit to Christmas at Kew.

In London, it is worth knowing that very few trains run on Christmas Day, no buses except one or two to the airport, no London Underground Tubes. Taxis, if you can find one will be on a higher meter, ubers, if you can find one, will charge surge.

Christmas Day is for walking, you need reservations at the few places you can get a meal. Kids will be trying their new stuff out and you may see them as you walk. Hyde Park is perfect. Any of the parks will be very good, Richmond, Kensington, St James's, Green Parks, Hampstead Heath.

The King's Speech will be on mainstream TV at 3pm.

The same in the provinces, but some buses and 1 or 2 trains depending on where you are.

It starts to shut down early on Christmas Eve, and slowly comes back to life on Boxing Day. But - no trains on Boxing Day.

During the Christmas shutdown a lot of maintenance gets done on the railways around the country - because it is so long it is prime repair time, usually running until New Year. If you want to travel during that time, check and double check.

You daughter can tell you about First Footin'.

Nigel, I once spent Christmas in London. Not something I would do again. But London is still one of my favorites. I am working on learning the language.

Thank you all for your replies. I have lots of possibilities, but am getting hung up on the issues with the trains and logistics. My family has its heart rather set on visiting the Cotswolds for part of this trip. We arrive in London the morning on the 21st and depart the morning on the 30th. We need to meet up with our daughter after we arrive, though that shouldn't be too hard, but she will arrive by public transport from Scotland. I am trying to figure out what would make sense. Does traveling by train to the Cotswolds on the 24th and 27th seem too risky? Christmas is certainly making this all a bit tricky, though I did know it would.

It's not risky exactly to travel to the Cotswolds, but do it early on the 24th as trains and buses run down after about 6pm, closing an hour or two later. Where I am last buses conclude around 9pm and the last train about 10pm, but that is a pretty late shutdown.

The 27th is your problem when Paddington is shut for engineering work. From Oxford you will either need to go from Oxford into Marylebone, or change trains at Reading or Didcot Parkway, then onto the tube at Ealing Broadway.

Or take the Oxford Tube Bus from Oxford.

There will be no transport at all on the 25th in the Cotswolds, but may just possibly be a few buses on the 26th. Stagecoach on their routes haven't announced their plans yet but nationally are getting quite good at running reasonably good Boxing Day Services- don't bank on it though. If they do you may be able to get to Stratford on Avon. In the Lake District we are getting very good bus services from 7am on the 26th.

The Oxford Bus Company/Pulhams are running restricted services in Oxford City and to the Airports on 26 December (also to the Airports on Christmas Day) but not into the countryside- https://www.oxfordbus.co.uk/festive-bus-coach-services-20242025

Thank you so much for this wonderful helpful reply. I have booked a (refundable) cottage in Kingham for the 23rd-26th, but just messaged to ask if we can change to the 24th-27th, which seems a lot more doable. I am still a little worried about the return journey, which sounds cumbersome, and wondering if we should be in London on the 24th-26th and move this part of the trip to a different segment of the trip, but timing remains difficult. I know London will have a lot of things shut around 25th and 26th, so my thought was that the countryside was a smarter option then, since we will be happy to just roam and ramble around.

We do have the advantage of having our daughter with us, who has become familiar with UK bus and train booking while living in Scotland and traveling to England.

The basic problem with moving the stay is that Paddington is closed for 3 days 27th to 29th December and I wouldn't be willing to place a bet at the line re-opening on time on the 30th.

There is no useful bus from Kingham so you are only going to where you can walk to on the 26th.

The village has one pub- The Plough- open on 24th and 26th but closed on 25th. And one convenience store, Being a village shop they may or may not open for an hour or two on Christmas Day.

The village Church is having a Candlelight Carol Service at 5pm on Christmas Eve (midnight service is in a neighbouring village) and a 9am Communion on Christmas Day,
Village Candlelight Carol Services are always so nice, even if you have no particular faith.

Looking at the train timetable for the 27th trains from Kingham are hourly from about 7.20 am to Oxford, and you have a 10 or 11 minute connection at Oxford each hour into a train for London Marylebone. Oxford is not a big station so that is perfectly fine.

So if it was me that is what I would do for the return journey.

So I think this is your best shot at the Cotswolds- 24th to 27th. Leave London as early as you can on the 24th, stock up at the village store when you arrive, go to the service then the village pub. And maybe call the store (01608 658235) to check their opening times.

You can reserve a table at the Plough on line- https://thekinghamplough.co.uk/

And enjoy.

Then let your daughter take the lead changing at Oxford on the way back.

Thank you! Yes, I actually just reserved a table for Xmas eve at 830 pm at the Plough and for Boxing Day at the Wild Rabbit, which has sort of iffy reviews (hmm) despite having a Michelin star.

I've become a bit nervous about this general plan, though. I didn't realize at all just how super rich that area is and am kind of regretting not choosing somewhere a bit more down to earth. The main appeal of the Cotswolds was the historic small village atmosphere and good walking while not being too far from London, but perhaps we should rethink while we have time. My son is suggesting Castleton.

You can walk from Kingham to Daylesford Organic very easily. This is probably the poshest garden centre in the world and the prices match. There are also places to eat there. The part of the Cotswolds that you are going to see is very much designed for wealthy weekenders to enjoy as you have probably guessed if you’ve looked at the menu prices. There is such a thing as the ‘Chipping Norton Set’, media figures, politicians and celebrities who own second homes on the area.

Basically, enjoy it but don’t consider it to be a representation of life in the English countryside. It’s the theme park version.

Daylesford and both pubs in Kingham are owned by the extremely wealthy Lady Bamford as a bit of a plaything. The Bamford family own JCB.

Yes...I am gathering all this and feeling unsure about the choice. I'm sure it's lovely, but perhaps not what we want. We enjoy a fancy meal, don't get me wrong, but the "theme park" vibe has me unsure. I honestly just went ahead and booked an airbnb in a town that looks cute and had free cancellation and a reasonable price (it wasn't at all bad, surprisingly) but I am now rethinking. Open to other suggestions.

It’s pretty but it’s also very posh and Daylesford is really quite ridiculous in my opinion but maybe you have to see it. The area is one of the most expensive places to buy property in the country so just bear in mind the kind of people you’ll come across, and they’ll ALL be there at Christmas. For a few days it will give you an escape form London and some fancy meals which I also enjoy.

Open to other suggestions.

I understand some of your family members have their hearts set on the Cotswolds, but based on the above discussion of the (many) transport logistics, the fact the spot isn't the vibe you're seeking, there won't be many food options on the holiday, and it's going to be rather dark and dreary (it is winter), I'd go back to staying just in London. Helen suggested up thread finding a property in a less busy part of the city. You could do day trips by train to a variety of places and have more amenities than a small town will provide. My two cents though, and as you're running out of time you may just need to go with what you have set up and ride the wave.

The way to Castleton is East Midlands Railway from London St Pancras to either Chesterfield or Sheffield then bus.

However the railway is closed on the 24th and 27th between Bedford and London. Bus replacements from Bedford to Milton Keynes Central for trains to London Euston.

Plus side daughter can get a regular direct Cross Country train from Edinburgh to Sheffield or Chesterfield.

I'll be really cheeky here and suggest Keswick (Lake District). Three hours by train from Euston to Penrith, then a bus every 30 minutes to Keswick. On Christmas Day there is a tradition of a free guided walk at 10am from the Moot Hall- this year along the Threlkeld railway path to Latrigg ending with drinks (not free!!) in the Oddfellows Arms (and they are even doing pre booked Christmas Day Lunch at the Oddfellows).
Last year nearly 80 people turned up for the walk apparently. That was amazing as it was a very rainy day, one I was pleased not to have to go out in, 30 miles away.
And the Alhambra Cinema (Movie Theatre) is the only Cinema in the land open on Christmas Day (or have been the last 4 years)- with an all day bill of family movies.

Yes there are lots of parts of London that feel villagey and with lots of green space. Richmond is very green, also Hampstead, Wimbledon, Barnes. I’m sure others will know of many lovely areas in London where you could chill out and take some walks, use the local high streets and pubs and not feel rushed at all.

I actually like the idea of staying in London the whole time, but fear I can't sell it. We were in Paris a couple summer ago and stayed there the whole time, and everyone got big citied-out, which I think is an influence here. I do think London could be different. We had looked at Hampstead and it's lovely, but it looks like I am picking the richest parts of the UK again, ha ha.

A possible option would be to leave London right away for a more rural area when we land on the morning on the 21st and return on the 23rd or early on 24th. It sounds kind of exhausting travel-wise and we'd have to find an easy way to link up with my daughter, but could avoid the whole "transport on the 24-26th" headache. However, seems much of London will be shut down when we return, so you see the dilemma. I'm slightly regretting this timing, but my daughter was already there and plane fare paid for, so we felt it was a great opportunity.

I don’t think you’d get big citied out in a quieter suburban area of London, and given the time of year it’s just going to be very difficult to get around. That’s without factoring in any weather related mishaps. If the Cotswolds were to get heavy snow you wouldn’t get there. It’s not that likely but it can happen.

Put me in the London and day trips from London club. There is so much to do in and around London. I agree that seeing some of Scotland would be great for the rest of the family, but it you'll need to fly or take full-day trains up and back.

I spend Christmas and New Year's in London and have done for a few years. (Pandemic excepted.)

While public transportation doesn't operate on Xmas day and is somewhat limited on Boxing Day, you should be fine the others.

I agree that day trips are a great way to go.

Other days out could include.....Oxford, Cambridge, Canterbury, Salisbury/Stonehenge, York, Windsor and Hampton Court just to name a few.

You coule even do a day trip to the Cotswolds from London.

Remember, that time of year, it's going to get dark by 4 pm.

If your family insists on going somewhere else, and they want the Cotswolds, I'd suggest staying in Bath especially over Xmas. You will have more of a choice of restaurants. From Bath, you could take day trips into the Cotswolds and let someone else do the driving. MadMax Tours, one of the most popular on this board, is closed for the season and won't reopen until next Spring. But there must be others operating around Christmas.

It is possible to do Edinburgh. When you arrive in London, connect to a flight to Edinburgh. Your daughter could meet you there as all train from Aberdeen to London go through Edinburgh. It's only a little over two hours for her.