This is one trip where words alone will just not do it justice. Also, there is some great info. about Christmas in London here (Thanks Claudia!). When things open, what to see, etc.
As well as some recent trip reports thanks to jaimeelsabio and allan.
So, in the interest of not repeating information, I think I can help most by providing the visual enticement.
PHOTOS: I’ve posted some of my photos on google photos. The two at the end are short videos from Christmas at Kew Gardens.
DATES: I was here Friday Nov. 14 – Saturday, Nov. 22. I thought this was a great time to go. Even though some of my days overlapped with Allan’s, I did not experience the crowds that he did. I think there are two main reasons for this. 1) Location. I stayed right in the heart of Westminster, at the Sanctuary House Hotel, and was able to walk most everywhere. AND 2) I was solo. It’s much easier to be out the door at 6 or 7 am when you are by yourself. I hope to return to London next Nov. with my sister (who has health challenges) and my mom (who will be 80) and fully recognize that this will be a different trip. Different, but still fabulous.
My biggest tip is get out early when you can. If you want to go to Harrods, be at the doors before they open. I had Bond Street to myself on a Sunday morning at 7:30am.
I loved the early sunset time this time of year. It was great to be out at 5pm and able to see all the lights without having to try to stay up much later. Also, as a solo, female traveler, I just feel safer walking around in the dark at 5pm versus 9 or 10pm. Not to say it’s not safe at those later hours. It’s just a comfort level for me.
FINAL THOUGHTS: London at Christmas time is a great destination for everyone. There is just so much to see and do. I encourage anyone who has been thinking about it, to just do it. Book that trip to London next Nov. or Dec.
Hi Carrie,
Wonderful photos! Thanks for sharing them. FWIW, I enjoy reading your trip reports and repetition from a different person's perspective doesn't feel like repetition to me.
Amazing photos- may I ask if this was on a phone or with a real camera? Well done getting up so early to get the streets when they are empty!
Glad to hear you had such a nice time here- I still maintain it's my least favourite time here, tho I am not much of an xmas person. But I am happy other people are enjoying it!
Hi Katiecem, I’ve been conflicted on the trip reports lately. Someone made a comment earlier this year that stuck with me. Something about the trip reports are a way for a person to brag about their trip. I would never want to come across like that. I’ve been fortunate to have been able to take a lot of trips lately, and maybe people are tired of me and my trip reports. Sometimes I get tired of myself. :-) So, I decided I’ll write a trip report if I have something new or helpful or exciting to share. My next trip is March with my sister and her husband. I usually have some interesting stories after traveling with them, so I plan to write a trip report after that trip. That will be Spain.
Hi Cat VH, I have an iphone 15 pro that I used. I upgraded from a 13 mini and I noticed the difference immediately in photo quality and there is a much better zoom on the newer phone. And the best thing about the newer phones, which I just found out before this last trip, is the clean up feature on photos.
https://support.apple.com/en-us/121429
I think of it as a magic eraser. When editing photos, at the bottom next to crop, is clean-up. Click on it and it will suggest things to erase or you touch what you want to erase. And like magic, it’s gone!!!! As someone who spends a lot of time waiting for people to move out of the way to get that perfect picture, I totally feel like I’m cheating when I use this feature. But it is sure nice to be able to get rid of that odd garbage can or construction crane that is impossible to shoot around.
Sorry for invading your city. :-) I do my best to try and stay out of the way of the locals. I’m not the one standing in the middle of the sidewalk checking my phone. And when I fell on top of some poor lady on the tube when I was trying to get situated with my darn suitcase, I apologized profusely.
Carrie, wonderful photos. London is really beautiful at Christmas time. Thanks for sharing your trip!
Carrie - thanks for the trip report and wonderful photos. i'm heading to London on December 21st, (also solo) and your photos are making me even more excited for this trip. I can't wait to see the lights at Kew Garden.
Happy Holidays & Happy Travels!!
Thanks for the tip- I have a 15 as well, tho regular, not pro- but I haven't been able to get my photos looking as good as yours!
No need to apologise, we welcome guests here, and it's a big enough place there is room for everyone! And having tourists fall into you on the tube is just a normal part of life :)
Thanks for posting the links to your beautiful photos.
Carrie, I also love the camera on the 15 Pro-I got it specifically because I wanted the better Zoom. And I love Clean-up-its a game changer to get rid of cars in photos!
Beautiful photos! Thank you for sharing.
Hi jeanm, I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this trip as much as I did. I’m not a big lover of cities and I was just there last year with my sister and her husband, but I felt the Christmas magic. It’s a great walking around city and all the decorations made it even more enjoyable. I think the first thing I did after checking in and having breakfast was run to St. James Park to see if the pelican were still there. They were! They just bring me such joy.
Hi Stacie, Have a great trip! If you get a chance, take an uber boat ride down the river at night to see all the lights. I did the boat trip during the day, and I couldn’t help but think how much better it would look at night. The uber boats are very comfortable, and unlike the tube, they have toilets.
Hi again Cat VH, I came home thinking I really need to work on my balance before I return. I am so impressed with the people who can ride the tube without holding on to anything. I always try to stand near the door so I can hold on to pole.
Hi cala, I wasn’t originally planning to post photos, but after reading allan’s great trip report, I thought, they need to see it. People need to see how it looks this time of year.
A friend told me about clean-up a few days before my trip, and I was like, how did I not know about this. I love it so much I bought myself the new ipad air so I can have clean-up there too.
Hi Ginger, Thanks, I’m glad you enjoyed them. I’m in the process now of deleting some more. I always take thousands of photos. I have allowed myself a hard limit of 200 per trip that I can keep. But, 150 if I can get there. I’m currently at 208 for this trip. And I always do a photobook after each trip too.
I also enjoyed your photos, looks like a magical time of year to visit, definitely more magic than the middle of August, when I was there earlier this year.
FWIW Android also has a photo editing feature that is called magic eraser (accessed in the photo app, tools/edit/magic eraser). I used it to zap out all the people in front of the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul - fun to imagine what it would look like if that truly had happened.
In lieu of a Trip Report, your photos tell the perfect story of London this time of year.
I did not experience the crowds that he did. I think there are two
main reasons for this. 1) Location. I stayed right in the heart of
Westminster, at the Sanctuary House Hotel, and was able to walk most
everywhere. AND 2) I was solo. It’s much easier to be out the door at
6 or 7 am when you are by yourself.
You're so right. Travelling with 5 limits your freedom to be up and out, as does staying in Fulham vs. Westminster. When it's just Carla and I, I'm usually out the door for an our or two while she wakes up and gets ready, and usually we stay closer to the centre so I can wander. I'm envious of some of the photos you got early in the morning. I'm curious, did you edit the Kew photos to get rid of the people or are you just incredibly patient and waited out the crowds for an opportunity?
Someone made a comment earlier this year that stuck with me. Something
about the trip reports are a way for a person to brag about their
trip. I would never want to come across like that. I’ve been fortunate
to have been able to take a lot of trips lately, and maybe people are
tired of me and my trip reports.
Personally I don't get tired of trip reports, and I especially love the ones from people that have visited the same places I've been. I love to read the different views of the same thing. What I do get tired of is the negative nellies that complain about what someone else posts.
You never dealt with the crowds this trip? Lucky. I think for us, some of the challenge that makes crowds more noticeable and more of an annoyance is the height of Carla. She's 5'0 and a crowd can be 10 people standing in front of her.
Gosh, Carrie, between your fantastic photos and Allan's and Jaimeelsabio's trip reports, I think I will have to add London to my Christmas Market trip that I hope to take in 2026. Thanks for sharing!
