Christmas in London: Lights, Markets and Where to Go Together
London takes Christmas seriously: lights from mid-November, riverside markets, skating in courtyards and restaurants booked weeks in advance. Here is what deserves your evening and what to avoid.
Christmas in London is the one time of year when planning really pays off. The best tables are taken weeks in advance, the markets are crowded from five o’clock, and what separates a lovely evening from a chilly queue is often a single booking made early.
The lights
Regent Street puts up the angels, the display everyone photographs. Carnaby Street tries something new each year, often wittier. Covent Garden brings the huge tree and the mistletoe chandeliers and has the best atmosphere of the lot. Bond Street is the most refined, and calm enough to stroll without being pushed about.
They are lit from mid-November until early January. See them on a weekday evening; the very same streets on a Saturday afternoon test anyone’s patience.
The markets
- Southbank Centre Winter Market. Wooden chalets by the river, the simplest to pop into, and ideal for a mulled wine en route to somewhere else.
- Winter Wonderland, Hyde Park. Huge, noisy and geared to families and groups. Reserve an entry slot online, arrive early and make it the whole evening rather than a stopover.
- Leicester Square Christmas Market. Compact and central. Twenty minutes is plenty.
- Greenwich and Spitalfields. The all-year markets dressed for the season, and far better for buying real gifts.
Ice rinks
The prettiest is Somerset House, skating within a Georgian courtyard with a bar alongside, and it is the first to sell out. The other classic is the rink at the Natural History Museum. Slots at Canary Wharf and Hampton Court are easier to come by. Book any of them in advance; turning up for tickets in December simply doesn’t work.
Eating and drinking
Reading this in the autumn? Book now. Christmas menus open months in advance and central restaurants fill up. Our guides to Michelin-starred restaurants and London’s most romantic restaurants cover where to go, and in December afternoon tea is the smarter choice, since the festive versions are excellent and much easier to book.
For drinks, hotel bars really shine: warm, beautifully decorated and happy to take reservations. Our guide to London’s best bars has the details.
What to avoid
- Oxford Street on a weekend. Nothing on it justifies the crowds.
- Winter Wonderland on Saturday night. Go on a Tuesday or give it a miss.
- A festive set menu somewhere you have not eaten before. In December, set menus are where kitchens take shortcuts.
Booking an escort in December
December is our busiest month, and diaries fill days, not hours, in advance. Two practical tips. Book early, above all for New Year’s Eve, which we are asked for more than any other night, and the weekend before Christmas. And book longer: three hours or a full evening works much better than an hour once there is a market, a dinner and the journey home to fit in.
Our guide to dinner dates and overnights explains longer bookings, and if you have left it late, today’s availability shows who is still free.
Where to next
Questions
In mid-November, and they stay lit until early January. The four worth a walk are Bond Street, Carnaby Street, Covent Garden and Regent Street.
Southbank for a quick stop en route elsewhere, Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park for a whole night out, and Greenwich or Spitalfields if you want to buy real presents.
Yes. Somerset House is first to sell out, and turning up for tickets in December rarely works. Canary Wharf or Hampton Court are easier to get into.
Several weeks if it is central. For something festive that is easier to book, try afternoon tea; the quality stays high.
Yes. December is our busiest time and the diary fills up days ahead, with New Year's Eve the night we are asked for more than any other. Reserve early and plan on three hours, not one.