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Lots of questions about London at Christmas

Posted by (Austin, TX) on

I will be travelling to London with my 10 year old during the Christmas holidays. I've been there several times but it has been several years since my last visit.

  1. We are considering staying over Christmas Day but returning on Boxing Day. I've heard it's terribly difficult to get transportation that day but I can't believe a city like London shuts down. I'm just looking for a bus or easy tube ride to Heathrow. Any advice?

  2. Our travel dates are somewhat flexible but I notice some of the markets shut down a couple of days before Christmas. We can fly in earlier in order to catch more of the "Christmas spirit". Any advice?

Thanks and sorry for the long post!

Posted by
5802 posts

There is transportation on Boxing Day, but it operates on a greatly reduced schedule and it doesn't start until later in the morning. Don't book an early morning flight. I'd suggest you search posts on Tripadvisor's London Forum (this question comes up every year) on Christmas in London for more info. On Christmas Day, public transportation is virtually shut down. Make a reservation for your Christmas lunch and make sure that you stay somewhere where you can walk to your meal. Transportation on Dec 24th is also greatly reduced.

Posted by
881 posts

Hi, Karen. You can find INCREDIBLE flight deals for returning on Christmas Day vs boxing day sometime. On my last Xmas trip, I cam back on Xmas day, and saved $700 per ticket over any day from there til Jan 13th.

AND (BIG PLUS) you get to have Christmas both in the states, AND in the UK. I had a fun Xmas Eve and morning with my in-laws. Then hopped a flight back to Seattle in time to enjoy a wonderful Xmas afternoon and evening with my family.

Transportation is severely limited. It can look like a ghost town. We arranged a taxi well in advance, and that worked fine. **The cabbies who will work on Xmas bet booked up quickly, so do arrange as far in advance as you can. Our cabbie was booked all day.

Traveling on those days might miss an activity though - so check the dates of anything you want to do. Some of the mass services are incredible - even if it's not your thing.

Posted by
2055 posts

We were in London once over Christmas....17 years ago. I couldn't believe a city like London would just shut down. I was wrong. The entire nation shut down. There was no train service. There was no Tube, no bus, no nada, and we left our hotel at 8 AM looking for breakfast and found it at 4 PM. Granted, this info is pretty dated, but we look back and smile when we recall that day.

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