London is special. After hundreds of stays, for work and for pleasure, it still gives me energy and joy every single time. And at Christmas that feeling is at its peak, when the magic settles over the city for tourists and Londoners alike.
I have spent Christmas in London more than once, and what I love is that by now I can skip the obligatory sights and simply live it: rent a small flat in a neighbourhood I love, walk for hours, and pick out only the things that make this city itself in December. If you have already done the Tower and the museums and the big-ticket sights, this is how to spend Christmas in London instead, the atmosphere, the corners, and the few things genuinely worth queuing for.
The Christmas atmosphere, where to actually find it
Full immersion in London’s Christmas mood does not happen at any single attraction. It is in the streets. These are the spots I would not miss, and one I would.
Covent Garden is my favourite of all. The market is decorated on a grand scale and filled with the smell of mulled wine and roasted chestnuts, and on the stairs, taking advantage of the acoustics, opera singers and musicians perform one after another. After fifteen years working in opera houses, I could stand there all evening, and often have. If you do one Christmassy thing in London, make it this.
Regent Street and its lights. The great arched lights over Regent Street are the classic London Christmas image, and rightly so. Hamleys, the vast toy shop, is here too: I was not quite as delighted as the hundreds of screaming children on every floor, but the sheer spectacle of it is worth a look, and hard to resist near the LEGO department.
Trafalgar Square and the South Bank. Carol singers gather around Trafalgar Square, where the huge Norwegian Christmas tree stands, an annual gift from Oslo in thanks for Britain’s help in the war, a detail I love. Along the Thames, especially the stretch between Waterloo Bridge and Blackfriars Bridge, the food stalls and street performers of the South Bank make for one of the loveliest Christmas walks in the city.
The department store windows. The Christmas windows of the grand stores, Fortnum & Mason, Liberty, Selfridges, Harrods, are a free, glorious piece of theatre. Walking between them is a proper afternoon out.
And the one that is not for me: Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, the big themed Christmas funfair and market near Marble Arch. Entry is free but the queues on the lawn are formidable, and the whole thing is louder and more commercial than I like, complete with tannoy announcements turning away anyone who has had too much to drink. Plenty of people adore it, especially families and teenagers, so I’ll be honest: it exists, it is enormous, and it is simply not my kind of Christmas. Booking a specific show or slot in advance is the only way to skip the worst of the queuing.
Beyond Christmas: a few corners I love
Even in December I cannot resist a long, aimless walk, and two are especially good this time of year.
Portobello Road and Notting Hill. A Saturday morning at the Portobello market, then the pastel streets of Notting Hill, is one of my favourite London mornings in any season, and especially atmospheric when it is cold and the shopfronts are lit.
Regent’s Canal, from Little Venice to Camden. An oasis of calm that always reminds me of the Canal Saint-Martin in my beloved Paris. From Little Venice near Maida Vale you can walk all the way east, though I always end up stopping in Camden for the market and the food stalls of Camden Lock. I have written a whole guide to walking Regent’s Canal, if you want the full route.
If you are a reader, December is also a perfect time for the bookshops and writers’ houses in my literary London guide: warm, characterful, and gloriously indoors when the weather turns.
Where to stay
I always rent a small flat in a neighbourhood I love rather than staying in a hotel when I am here for a few days at Christmas, because living in a real London area, rather than beside a tourist sight, is the whole point of a repeat visit. Notting Hill and the area around Portobello are my usual choice.
A practical note that matters more than it used to, though: London now caps short lets of entire homes at 90 nights a year and, since 2025, requires every short-let to be registered and display a number. So if you book a whole flat, check it looks compliant, and consider that a hosted room or a hotel is often the more responsible choice. I have written about all of this, along with my tested places to stay by budget, in my full guide to where to stay in London.
Getting there and around
I will not pretend to give you fares, since they change constantly, but two enduring tips.
From the airports, compare the dedicated express trains against the coaches: the express (Stansted Express, Gatwick Express, Heathrow Express or the Elizabeth line from Heathrow) is faster and pricier; the National Express and Terravision coaches are slower and cheaper, and booking either online in advance saves a good deal. Which makes sense depends on your budget and how much your time is worth on the day.
Around town, forget the Oyster card as a visitor: just tap a contactless bank card or your phone on the readers. It applies exactly the same fares and the same automatic daily and weekly caps, so you cannot overpay, and there is no card deposit or leftover credit to reclaim.
Where to eat
One confession: since I moved back to Italy, I miss Japanese food terribly, because there is essentially none where I live in the Cinque Terre. So the moment I land in London I make up for it, and the city is one of the best places in Europe to do so, from the conveyor-belt sushi chains to superb ramen and izakaya in Soho and around. In a city this multicultural, honestly, the best advice is to eat what you cannot get at home.
For something more traditionally British and seasonal, a good fish and chips (I have had lovely ones around Notting Hill) or a proper Christmas roast in an old pub does the job perfectly. And a cup of something hot from a Christmas market stall, wandering the lights, is its own small pleasure.
London at Christmas is genuinely one of my favourite things, and the loveliest part costs nothing at all: the lights, the singing, the smell of chestnuts, and a long cold walk through a city dressed for the season. Wrap up warm, and enjoy it.
Further reading
- Where to stay in London, my tested picks by budget
- Literary London, perfect for cold December afternoons
- Walking Regent’s Canal, from Little Venice to Camden
- Harry Potter’s Studios
- Recommended day trips from London
FAQ
Plenty beyond the usual sights. Wander the Christmas lights on Regent Street and Oxford Street, hear carol singers and see the Norwegian tree at Trafalgar Square, soak up the decorated market and street musicians at Covent Garden, walk the South Bank along the Thames, and admire the festive window displays at Fortnum & Mason, Liberty, Selfridges and Harrods. The best of it is free and outdoors.
Most of London’s Christmas lights switch on in mid-November and run through early January, and the seasonal markets and Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park typically open from late November until the first days of January. December is the fullest time to visit, though it is also the busiest.
It depends on your taste. It is an enormous free-entry Christmas funfair and market near Marble Arch, popular with families and groups, with rides, stalls and shows. It is also crowded, loud and commercial, with long queues, so booking a specific attraction ahead helps. If you prefer a quieter, more traditional atmosphere, the markets at Covent Garden and along the South Bank are lovelier.
No car, and no Oyster card needed. Simply tap a contactless bank card or your phone on the readers, which applies the same fares and automatic daily caps as an Oyster. London’s public transport runs on a reduced timetable over the Christmas period, and note that almost everything, including the Underground, stops entirely on Christmas Day itself, so plan a walking day for the 25th.
A central or characterful neighbourhood you can walk from is ideal, such as Notting Hill, Covent Garden or the South Bank. Note that London caps short lets of entire homes at 90 nights a year and now requires them to be registered, so check a whole-flat listing is compliant, or choose a hotel or hosted room.
