London at Christmas

We loved Borough Market….watched ourselves carefully as it was crowded but I had seen Instagram posts of places to see….the chocolate covered strawberries(so worth the calories!) and the creme brûlée donuts…so so good. We loved seeing Southwark cathedral next door and went to Kew Gardens that afternoon at 5. We were some of the first to attend that day and that was so nice….not crowded and the walk from the tube station through the little town stop was like walking through a Christmas play…..delightful to see Christmas trees all lit up through house windows. Kew was so well done and set up for young families and children. We loved it and were so glad we went. Very easy getting there. More to follow!

Thank you Jane for sharing your Christmas in London trip report. I too visited London and Bath, returning on the 13th and had a wonderful time. We also walked a lot, visited Borough Market (first in line for the Brûlée donuts) and loved Kew. Looking forward to reading more about your travels.

So glad you had such a lovely time! You really lucked out with the weather. A good friend was there the week before and said she was miserable with the bitter cold, rain and wind. And she’s British lol.

Going at Christmas time is a bucket list item for me!

Jane, I loved reading this—such a fun trip! I'm so glad you like staying at the County Hall PI (but I will have to check out that York Street location) and especially glad that you enjoyed Bread Ahead's creme brulee donut! I think it's worth going back to London just for that, lol!

My sister and I are heading to Europe for Christmas markets next year. I would love to talk her into meeting in London then heading down to Germany, Austria and Alsace and then ending up in Paris. But if that doesn't work out, I may just go over to London on my own first and then meet up with her someplace else. There's always a work-around!

I am curious if you made it to Kew Gardens to see the lights there. That is a must-see for me at some point. I've been to Kew but only in the spring.

I will admit that the countless warnings over cell phone theft
dampened my spirits before we left…like do I really want to do this at
73?….but will admit that it was NOTHING like what we were told it
would be. The Londoners could not have been kinder…even if bumped on
the tube everyone kindly apologized in that wonderful proper British
diction that offset any frustration.

I was also concerned about cell phone theft after reading so much about it. We were in London the last 2 weeks of November and a couple of times, locals at the tube stations warned us to be aware of our phones. One of the locals kept his strapped to his wrist. Like you, all we experienced was the friendly side of London. When I wrote my Trip Report I was going to write a few sentences like you did that we didn't feel we needed to fear for our phones, but it was such a non-issue that I left that part out.

Jane so very pleased to read that you enjoyed yourselves. London at Christmas is wonderful. Even with the crowds.

As I’ve expressed before, the best way to experience London is on foot. Been visiting for decades. . Each visit I find something/somewhere new to enjoy. Different neighborhoods, markets, historical monuments, a museum to explore, beautiful parks, etc. Last trip ( Nov/Dec) 2024
discoveries were the Parkland walk and Blue Owl Cafe in Finsbury Park, Walthamstow Wetlands, and Hunterian Museum.

Love London. Always changing, always the same.

Still fulfilling my goal of discovering “ proper “ pubs. Places such as The Mitre @ 20 St Mary’s Grove in Richmond. Pub dog Rudi is the best. Or the snug at the Anchor and Hope Riverside with a resident cate or the Dove in Hammersmith or the George and Devonshire in Chiswick or the Griffin in Brentford.

Honestly not a sot but do appreciate pub grub, a pint or cuppa and a free loo after walking for miles. Getting to rest tired feet and lower back is beneficial as well.

Oh and it’s confirmed. I’m returning in Feb 2026.
Meeting a friend who will fly in from Budapest.

One never tires of London!

Thanks for sharing, and really glad to hear you had such a nice time. I will just say with regards to the phone snatching, I'm really glad you didn't have any issues with this- the vast, vast majority of people visiting London won't, but it really pays to just be aware of your surroundings and take precautions like not standing with your phone out by the side of the road etc and not leaving it out on a table at a pub. It's still a real problem but with with some general situational awareness you can protect yourself. I'm just adding this here so others visiting can be aware.

We made reservations at Kew Gardens at 5 pm one night and we were the first in line. It was an easy tube ride there and the walk to the entrance was as charming as the gardens….lovely homes down a road with Christmas tree lights in the windows…like a Dickens Christmas book! The gardens had done a wonderful job with beautiful lights and the display was made for families with children of all ages. There was a nice open market where food could be ordered and you could stop for a meal and hot cocoa. I was so glad we went. We also loved Borough Market…though it was very crowded even on a weekday morning it was a treat to enjoy the creme brûlée donuts, chocolate covered strawberries and have a cup of cocoa. You have to carefully watch pockets, etc as the crowds are thick! Southwark Cathedral nearby was a lovely stop and a beautiful chapel to stop and catch your breath. Again the PI County Hall was an easy location and walk to Borough for us. We did look forward to the Buckingham Palace “Christmas market” but were told that it was just their gift shops open for Christmas business…and we did some nice shopping there. Let me say that we felt the prices were really good….were shocked at how reasonable they were. We took a walk one afternoon and made certain to see the Liberty of London store, a must at Christmas. Such a beautiful store and they had the queues well organized for check outs. A highlight we had planned was high tea at the Goring and it did not disappoint. They served us in the sun porch and it was nice to sit in such a lovely place and be treated very specially. That afternoon we took the LONDON WALKS Christmas tree tour. Claire did a wonderful job weaving us in and out on the very crowded streets and giving us the background on each tree. It also helped us get our bearings of each street and their specific lights on display. We were able to go back later and see some of the trees again at a less crowded time. It really put us in the Christmas spirit!

Thanks Jane, that was a delightful trip report. Yum, high tea at the Goring has just gone on my list!

Might seem like a silly question, but how new is your cellphone? We both carry the smaller iPhone 11 mini, which any decent thief knows is not only OLD, but just not cool. Do you think the comments were meant for newer models? And thanks for the reminder, we're leaving for Naples Friday, which I've visited several times, so we will be aware!

We enjoyed breakfast at 45 Jermyn, the restaurant around the corner from Fortnum and Mason. It was perfect and gave us the chance to shop at F&M after our meal…..what a store! The new double helix staircase is a wonderful new addition. The service and products are great….a must see for their Christmas windows and displays. That night we saw OLIVER at the Gielgud Theater and I am still singing those songs in my head…..the talent was incredible and those adorable boys playing all of those parts! We spent Saturday at Notting Hill and Portobello Market. I love to shop here when I am in London because the dealers are so kind and helpful and their prices are great. We always manage to get our goodies home! That night we attended a Candles Concert at the Westminster Central Hall. There were 2 violins, 1 cello and 1 viola performing Christmas show tunes. We thoroughly enjoyed it. Breakfast the next morning was at the Italian Bear Chocolate Bakery….where you are served a coffee cup full of melted chocolate as your “hot cocoa”……never seen anything like it and a fun place to visit. One of the main reasons for our Christmas London visit was to attend the carol singing at the Royal Albert Hall that Sunday night. It was INCREDIBLE. Singing carols with 5000+ people, a full orchestra and 2 choirs is something I will never forget. We bought our tickets last April and had to purchase the VIP ones to get in, even that early. That allowed us to cocktails and appetizers before the performance began and was a special treat for us.

We took the nonstop train to Windsor Monday morning from Waterloo and toured the castle and St. George’s chapel. I was so impressed with the castle….clean, well kept and easy to tour with the helpful docents and audio tour guide. Loved seeing Queen Elizabeth’s private family tombs in the chapel. What a beautiful place! We had lunch in the charming town and walked over the bridge to Eton. The school was closed but we were graced with Sylvia who kindly walked us through the campus and chapel. It was wonderful! Caught the train back to Waterloo for a nice quiet ride to London. The shops in Windsor were fun to see. We happened up on a restaurant in London on Berkley Square while seeing the lights called Sexy Fish…..it looked like fun and we were early enough to get in without a reservation……OH MY! What tasty food! Don’t know if I have ever enjoyed such a good meal. The service was outstanding and we enjoyed it so that we went back one night to enjoy it again. We had two more days so we did our best to try and get in a seated breakfast somewhere special….and the Savoy was open. Are we glad we did! The River restaurant had a lovely view of the Thames and once again the prices and service were outstanding. The hotel is decorated beautifully at Christmas! Our last afternoon was spent on a 90 minute Christmas Lights bus tour to make certain we had seen all we should. I am so glad we took this trip…..I will add that on our bucket list has been a desire to see European Christmas markets…..after experiencing some in London I do not know if I want to do that just to see mainly food booths. I did find a booth at Leicester Square with adorable very tiny blown glass Christmas figurines but all else seemed to be food or junky things….it would be a long way to travel to see when I so enjoy seeing Kathe Wolfhart type gifts. Again I am sorry I started this trip with a bad attitude….edgy that the fun would get sucked out by fears over crowds, pickpockets….so getting to relax and see that all was well was wonderful. So appreciate the RSteves readers coming to my aid on day 7 when we were desperate to find a laundromat and wash some clothes! Hope this trip report will help someone else plan and enjoy a trip like this!

after experiencing some in London I do not know if I want to do that
just to see mainly food booths.

The UK really doesn't have a tradition of Christmas markets like you see in mainland Europe. They are a relatively recent introduction to the UK festive season and, with apologies for sounding like the grinch, are usually pretty rubbish, overpriced and full of tat.
A market in Leicester Square would be targeted at people out to socialise so it makes sense that it is mostly food focused.

Don't judge markets on the basis of those in the UK, they will be much nicer, and authentic elsewhere in Europe.