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So you’re spending Christmas in London, and you’re not sure what to put on your itinerary? Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered! Not to be biased or anything (seeing as I’m a born and bred Londoner), but London is one of the best places to spend the festive holiday! I’ve got the ultimate Christmas in London itinerary to help you make the most of your visit, including a downloadable map (to view on Google Maps) of over 150 recommendations!
Things to do: – Visit Winter Wonderland – Christmas lights open bus tour – Visit the Christmas markets – Go ice skating – Watch festive theatre shows
If you can’t wait already, download the map below! You’ll be provided with a link to the map and a step-by-step guide on how to actually use it! Or if you wanna see the itinerary before downloading the map, keep on reading! Either way, you’re in for a treat!
1. Visit Winter Wonderland
Going to Winter Wonderland is a must do when spending Christmas in London (it’s certainly an place to add to your London bucket list)! It’s held in Hyde Park every single year and is definitely the most popular Christmassy thing to do in the city. There are festive rides, food stalls, mulled wine, a fire pit, Christmas parties, live music, carnival games, ice skating and more!
Hyde Park is huge. So getting to the right place you want to go to in Winter Wonderland can save you a lot of time and energy. When visiting Winter Wonderland, there are different entrance gates you can go through for specific attractions that tickle your fancy:
Green Gate – If you want to enjoy live music, go to the Green Gate, which will lead you to Bavarian Village. Head from Knightsbridge or High Street Kensington tube stations.
Blue Gate – If you’re looking to do some ice skating and to see the Christmas markets, enter through the Blue Gate. Head from Green Park, Hyde Park Corner or Victoria tube stations.
Gold Gate – This will lead you to Zippos Christmas Circus, the perfect area for families. You’ll find circus performances being held in the largest circus tent in the UK! The best way to get here is to head down from Marble Arch tube station!
Red Gate – This is a family entrance gate where you can enter Santaland! This has everything you think Santaland would have: Santa’s Grotto, family-friendly rides and Santa’s Parade!
Fancy gliding around on an ice rink? Luckily, spending Christmas in London means that there are various ice skating rinks that you can enjoy! There’s an ice rink in Winter Wonderland, but you can also go ice skating in other places in London too! Here are the best ice skating rinks to visit when spending Christmas in London, including their running dates!
Ice skating is very popular during Christmas time in London. So to make sure you don’t miss it, book your ice skating tickets in advance through their websites!
3. Explore the Christmas Markets
One of the best things about spending Christmas in London is the festive markets! You’ll find festive lights, mulled wine, festive food and more that you’ll enjoy.
Leicester Square Christmas Market
Several Christmas markets across London are worth going to! So here are the dates that they’re running:
Southbank Centre Winter Market | TBD
Christmas in Leicester Square | TBD
Covent Garden Christmas Market | TBD
Spitalfields Christmas Market | TBD
Winter by the River | 13 Nov 2025 – TBD
Kingston Christmas Market | TBD
Winter Wonderland Christmas Market | TBD
Christmas under the Canopy, King’s Cross | TBD
Belgravia pop-up Christmas Market | TBD
Christmas in Trafalgar Square | TBD
4. Christmas Shopping
We all have to do Christmas shopping at some point. And when you’re spending Christmas in London, you’ll have tons of places to do your shopping! From luxury brands to toys and outlet shopping, you won’t fail to find the perfect Christmas gifts for your family and friends of all ages!
Festive displays in Selfridges
I’ve put tons of shops where you can do Christmas shopping on the Christmas in London map, but here are a few places that you can’t go wrong with:
Any London Christmas market
Covent Garden
Hamleys
Harrods
Selfridges
Battersea Power Station
LEGO Store Leicester Square
5. Admire the Christmas Lights
When spending Christmas in London, you’ll see London at its prettiest! The festive vibes are matched with the most dazzling Christmas lights! From the iconic angels on Regents Street to the festive decorations on Harrods’ storefront, there are tons of Christmas lights to admire in London!
You can see all the festive lights at night through an open-top bus tour. Or if you’re on a budget, hop on bus 94 from Regent Street/St James’s and sit on the top deck to see the lights from Regent Street to Oxford Street! Alternatively, you can do a self-guided walking tour, exploring all the festive lights and displays on London’s streets from the ground!
Christmas lights in London are turned on at different dates, but you can bet all the lights will be on by mid to late November up until Christmas! If you want to get an early look at the London Christmas lights, here are the best Christmas light displays and the days you can see them switched on:
Oxford Street – TBD
Carnaby Street – TBD
Regent Street – TBD
Covent Garden – TBD
Marylebone Village – TBD
Kew Gardens – TBD
Chelsea – TBD
Belgravia – TBD
6. Admire the Festive Window Shop Displays
Along with Christmas lights, festive window store (and hotel) displays are something you can’t miss when spending Christmas in London! These shop displays will be the most extravagant that you’ll ever see! There are tons to admire, all of which you can view on my Christmas in London map, but here are a few popular ones to see around central London:
Hamleys
Harrods
Selfridges
Fortum & Mason
The Ritz
7. See the Best Christmas Trees
It’s not Christmas in London if you don’t see Christmas trees! There are tons of Christmas trees dotted all across the city, but there are 2 main trees that you can’t miss.
The first Christmas tree is in St Pancras International Station at King’s Cross. Every year, they collaborate with a brand to create the most unique Christmas trees you will ever see. My all-time favourite is the 2023 Christmas tree where they collaborated with Hatchards Bookshop to create a book tree! As a bookworm, this made my heart sing!
You may also like: 10 Best Things to Do in King’s Cross London (coming soon)
The second Christmas tree is in Trafalgar Square. It’s in the same area as the Christmas market and has a history behind it! Every year since 1947, London is given a Christmas tree by the city of Oslo in Norway as a token of gratitude for British support to Norway in World War 2. Every Christmas tree gifted is typically a 50 to 60-year-old Norway spruce tree and is amazingly tall, standing over 20 metres!
One beautiful aspect of Christmas is all the Christmas carolling and concerts! Luckily, London is a big city, so there are tons of Christmas carols and concerts to see leading up to Christmas. St Paul’s Cathedral and Royal Albert Hall go all out for the Christmas carols and concerts, but there are other churches and performing arts centres that also do beautiful performances!
One of my favourite things about Christmas is definitely the food! From turkey to gingerbread men and mulled wine, best believe I will be full by Christmas afternoon! If you’re spending Christmas in London and you fancy festive dining, you can opt for afternoon tea at The Savoy or The Landmark, or check out some festive dining menus at The Ritz or The Ivy Chelsea Garden.
10. Watch Festive Theatre Shows, Films + Pantomimes
It’s not Christmas without classics like The Nutcracker, Home Alone and Elf! During Christmas in London, there are theater shows, films and pantomimes that you can watch and enjoy from mid/late November up until Christmas! The most popular is the Nutcracker at the Royal Opera House, which you will have to book very early in advance. But there are also Christmas shows, films and pantomimes that you can watch elsewhere at venues like the Barbican, the Dominion Theatre and the London Palladium.
The Ultimate Christmas in London Itinerary: Christmas in London Map
Have you spent Christmas in London or are you planning to? Let me know what you’re most excited to see/do this year!
Don’t forget to save “The Ultimate Christmas in London Itinerary” for later!
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