Top 6 things to do in London for Christmas

As an Australian, the idea of a glowing winter Christmas is somewhat foreign. We usually have Christmas by a backyard pool with a BBQ lunch. Christmas in London, however gives off a certain kind of festive magic that is hard to explain. It really is a must have experience and there is an enormous amount of activity and bright lights to keep anyone busy for several days. Here are my top things to see and do for a perfect London Christmas:

Winter Wonderland

Located in Hyde Park in between Marble Arch and Hyde Park Corner tube stations, Winter Wonderland is a great place for people of all ages, especially a great place to take your kids as well. Running for roughly six weeks from mid November to early January, it has a large array of rides and food stalls and you feel like you are walking through a European themed carnival. There is also a ferris wheel and even an ice rink! Find more info HERE.

Gorgeous little Bavarian alpine villages set up 🙂

Ice Skating

There are a number of options if you want to strap on some skates and have a bit of wintery fun outside.

Somerset House (The Strand/West End)
Winter Wonderland (Hyde Park)
Hampton Court Palace
Queen’s House (Greenwich)
Skylight Ice Rink @ Tobacco Dock
Kew Gardens
Canary Wharf

Note: The Natural History Museum Ice Rink will no longer be operating and had its last hurrah for Christmas 2021.

Christmas Markets

There is something just so alluring about a European Christmas market. If you can’t make it further afield to Germany, Austria or Belgium then London does a good job at trying to recreate some of these with the stalls at various Christmas markets around the city. Load up on mulled wine, bratwurst and lots of ornaments and trinkets for your tree at any of these locations:

Southbank
Trafalgar Square
Leicester Square
Hyde Park (within Winter Wonderland)
Covent Garden (see below)
Kingston

Covent Garden Displays

Covent Garden is perhaps my FAVOURITE area in London. Located in the heart of the city, the cobbled streets and boutique stores are simply charming. Just by taking a walk around it is hard not to get into the Christmas Spirit. During the Christmas period this area you can find a Christmas village, a huge Christmas tree, lights, decorations and bauble dining domes, along with some great spots to eat out. Decorations and lights are usually on from 7 am to 11pm (7 days a week) from early November to early January.

Lights

Ok, the lights above some of the major streets in central London are just c’est magnifique! Best spots to take an evening stroll include

Regent Street
Oxford Street
New Bond Street
Carnaby Street

On my last trip I wasn’t able to capture that many good photos due to the weather so the snapshots below are from the lovely @cassiesamji and @visitlondon:

Kew Gardens

This is an ultimate crowd pleasing favourite in terms of London’s magical Christmas atmosphere and cheer. The Kew Botanical Gardens puts on a twinkling after dark display of lights and laser beams that sparkle and light up, which is great for people of all ages to walk thorough as well as seasonal hot food and drinks to enjoy.

This usually kicks off in mid November and usually wraps up around a week or so into January.

Checkout more info and snap up tickets HERE. Make sure to do this well in advance as this is super popular and tickets will sell out! I missed out on my recent trip to London for Christmas last year and am hanging to go back and experience this.