London in the cold, grey depths of winter might not be everyone's idea of the perfect travel destination. But London around the holidays? Well, that's something else entirely. London at Christmas is absolute magic, and I'd encourage you to experience it at least once in your life if you can!

In the weeks leading up to Christmas, London transforms into a city of twinkling lights, mulled wine stands, and cheery shop windows. Pop-up markets appear, theaters put on holiday classics, and you can't turn a corner without coming across some sort of festive display. Add to this all the cozy pubs, historic sites, and afternoon teas that London is already known for, and you get a truly excellent holiday travel destination.

Last December, I headed to the UK for 10 days, spending 1 week just in London in order to soak up all the festive vibes I possibly could. And the festive vibes were definitely vibing!

I went Christmas light-looking, had themed afternoon teas, saw holiday shows, shopped at all the famous stores and markets, plus lots more. I easily filled up my time in London *just* doing Christmassy things!

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10 Christmas things to do in London

Of all the things I did during my holiday trip, these are the ones I think are the best and most unique things to do in London at Christmas. (And yes I personally did every single one of these myself!)

1. See all the Christmas lights

London is well-known for going all-out with its Christmas lights and decor, so you'll definitely want to spend some time light-looking around the city. And, since the days are short in December (it tends to get dark in London around 4 pm!), that means there's plenty of time to do it!

There are a few main ways to see lots of Christmas lights and decor in London. These include:

1. Going on a tour – If you're overwhelmed at the thought of finding all the best lights on your own, then you might want to consider going on a Christmas lights tour. You can do this by bus in an open-top bus (this nighttime bus tour is the most popular one, and has a live guide), or you can try a walking tour like this one (I did this one last year), or this one that has a silent disco aspect with Christmas tunes. All of these options will help you see lots of lights in one go!
2. Riding the public bus – If you want to save a bit of money and see lights on your own time, you can get up close and personal with the lights on Oxford Street and Regent Street by riding one of London's double-decker public buses. The 139 line is the best one for this, and most people will tell you to get on it at the BZ stop (Orchard Street / Selfridges stop) going towards Waterloo. But if you get on here, it's going to be crowded and you likely won't have a chance of sitting up front for the best views. If you want that front row seat, get on further up the line – I got on at a stop on Park Road (still the 139 towards Waterloo) and had my pick of seats.
   • To ride buses in London, you only have to “tap in” with a credit card when you board, so they could not be easier to ride! Use an app like Google Maps or Citymapper to check bus times, though this one runs about every 15 minutes.
3. Just wandering around on foot – And of course you can just put together a list of must-see spots and visit them all on your own on foot, too. Many of the best light displays are in Soho, Mayfair, Marylebone, and Covent Garden, which are all close to one another.

If you're going to go looking for Christmas lights and displays at night on your own, here are some of my favorite spots:

• Regent Street for the angels (the most iconic street in London at Christmas)
• Oxford Street for the stars and Selfridges windows
• New Bond and Old Bond streets for the designer store displays like the ones at Cartier and Dior
• Carnaby Street (though I wasn’t super impressed by it last year)
• Apple Market in Covent Garden
• The exterior of iconic shopping centers like Harrods and Fortnum & Mason
• Burlington Arcade
• Ever After Garden in Grosvenor Square (a beautiful field of lighted roses dedicated to loved ones lost to cancer)
• Annabel’s (exterior only, as it's a private club)

2. Covent Garden at Christmas

Covent Garden is one of the most festive London neighborhoods at Christmas, and I highly recommend planning to spend at least a few hours here one evening.

A main highlight is visiting the Apple Market, which always has incredible Christmas decor alongside all the shopping and dining options. You'll also find pop-up Christmas bars, mulled wine stands, and even heated outdoor patios here around the holidays.

Outside the Apple Market, Covent Garden puts up a huge Christmas tree decked out in twinkling lights. You'll often find buskers performing around this tree, and in December you can catch “snow” falling at the tree every hour! (It's real, man-made snow, and usually starts around the first weekend in December.)

Nearby, I also highly recommend visiting the Seven Dials Market, which is a trendy food hall that's one of my favorite spots to go for a quick meal. At Christmas, there are live musical performances, decorations, and also indoor “snow flurries” a couple times per evening.

3. Visit Christmas markets

Look, I'll be honest with you here: London's Christmas markets do not at all compare to the markets you'll find elsewhere in Europe (ahem, like in Germany). BUT, I still think they're worth checking out if you're in London for Christmas.

The best Christmas markets in London are:

• Leicester Square market – This free Christmas market was my favorite, because it gives the most “German Christmas market” vibes with little wooden chalets serving up hot food and mulled drinks. I got a mulled gin drink and roasted some marshmallows here one evening, and it was fun!
• Trafalgar Square market – The small market at Trafalgar Square is also well worth a visit, with more food and drink stalls, plus nice views and the famous Christmas tree (more on this further down in my post).
• Southbank Centre Winter Market – Stretched out along the South Bank of the Thames between the London Eye and Waterloo Bridge, this “market” is really just a collection of vendor stalls dressed up with some lights. But you'll find lots of food, drink, and shopping options here.
• Winter by the River – More pop-up stalls along the Thames, but this time on the Queens Walk between London Bridge and Tower Bridge. Also pop into Hay's Galleria, where last year they had a fun chalet-style mulled wine bar.
• Hyde Park Winter Wonderland – Lastly, Hyde Park puts on a Christmas festival and “market,” though this one is less market and more carnival rides and games, plus fair-style food stalls. Hyde Park Winter Wonderland is ticketed, and locals often say they don't think it's worth going. But maybe you'll want to judge for yourself!

London’s permanent markets also get dressed up for the holidays and serve up Christmas treats. Must-visit spots are:

• Leadenhall Market – I love this market any time of year, but at Christmas they put up a lovely Christmas tree and have some pop-up drinks stands in addition to all the usual restaurants.
• Borough Market – This popular food market under London Bridge is a must for any trip to London, but at Christmas you can expect to find festive decor plus many special food offerings for the holidays. (The holiday sandwich at The Black Pig always draws crowds.)
• Old Spitalfields Market – In the East End, Old Spitalfields is also worth a visit for all the shopping and food.

4. See the Trafalgar Square tree

I mentioned this earlier, but I want to make sure you know the full story of London's most (in)famous Christmas tree, which tends to go viral online every year for all the wrong reasons.

The huge live Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square is London's official Christmas tree, and the lighting of it in December each year kicks off the holiday season in London.

The tree is sent from Norway each year as a continuing thank-you gift to London for taking in the king and government of Norway when they had to flee during WWII. The tree is decorated in a minimalist Norwegian style with low-energy lights each year – which makes it look a bit bare, but I really love the story and sentiment behind this.

5. Go to a festive afternoon tea

You KNOW I love a good afternoon tea in London, and many places go over the top around the holidays to offer beautiful festive teas.

Last year, I booked the Festive Afternoon Tea at TING, the restaurant inside the Shangri-La hotel at The Shard. This is a very fancy (and pretty pricey) afternoon tea, but the food and service were incredible, AND you get awesome skyline views across London. I enjoyed my holiday treats with a view down towards the Thames and Tower Bridge!

Some places to look for holiday-themed afternoon teas in London include:

• TING at Shangri-La (best views of London)
• The Library at Marriott County Hall (views of Big Ben)
• Royal Lancaster London
• Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon at Fortnum & Mason (classic tea inside the famous department store)
• The Lanesborough (they have an ongoing Bridgerton-themed tea that they usually change up for the holidays)
• The Rubens at the Palace
• The Rose Lounge at Sofitel London St James
• The Hansom at St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel
• Tea at Claridge's
• The Palm Court at Sheraton Grand London Park Lane

And if you want to combine a holiday bus tour with a themed afternoon tea, check out B-Bakery bus tours, which are so fun! They have several holiday options each year, including kid-friendly tea tours (click on December to see all the options).

(Just note that most of these spots won't open up bookings for their festive afternoon teas until October or November at the earliest!)

6. See a holiday show at Royal Albert Hall

When I was first considering a Christmas trip to London, I went to look at the holiday offerings at Royal Albert Hall, hoping I'd maybe find a Christmas concert that would feature organist Anna Lapwood (if you haven't seen any of her videos online, go find them!).

I did not find such a concert offering that would work for me, but what I found instead was a whole bunch of fun holiday offerings. I ended up booking Home Alone in Concert, which I think they offer every year. Basically they show the movie, and the orchestra plays the music live. It was so much fun!

I added on a pre-show afternoon tea at Coda Restaurant inside Royal Albert Hall, which ended up being one of my favorite afternoon teas. The tea was lightly holiday-themed, and the food was SO GOOD. This makes for a really nice afternoon or evening out if you do tea and a concert.

Check out Royal Albert Hall's full Christmas lineup here.

7. Go to a Pantomime or other show

Speaking of holiday shows, you can also go see a number of holiday stage shows around London in December. But if you're gong to add this to your itinerary, I highly, highly recommend going to see a Pantomime.

A pantomime, or “panto” as they're most commonly called, is a very British tradition. On the surface, a pantomime is a play usually based on a well-known fairy tale (the one I saw last year was Robin Hood), but in reality it's more of a variety show with singing, dancing, bawdy jokes, at least one character in drag, and very little actual plot.

The audience usually gets involved in the show, too, and there are over-the-top costumes and sets. It's all very silly, but VERY fun – you'll laugh a lot!

The most over-the-top panto in London is usually performed each year at the historic London Palladium, so you can't go wrong booking that one. Julian Clary is always the star here, coming out in outfits that only get more outrageous as the show goes on.

8. Go ice skating

The Thames may not freeze over in the winter, but there are still places in London to go ice skating. My favorite recommendation is the ice rink at Somerset House, which is absolutely beautiful and surrounded by spots to grab a hot drink.

Other fun options include the rink at Battersea Power Station, and the rink inside Hyde Park Winter Wonderland.

9. Do some Christmas shopping

You'll probably want to do some Christmas shopping in London, and there are of course tons of options! And I'm not talking about the chain stores along Oxford Street.

I highly recommend visiting at least one or two of London's iconic department stores, which are always decked out in holiday decor and fun gift ideas. The best ones are:

• Fortnum & Mason
• Harrods
• Selfridges
• Liberty

And you might also want to shop – window or otherwise – at the designer stores along New Bond and Old Bond streets. Cartier, Louis Vuitton, and Dior are all known for their incredible holiday displays.

10. Visit Kew Gardens

I'm putting Kew Gardens last on this list not because the Christmas at Kew light displays aren't worth seeing, but rather because tickets for this event tend to sell out very quickly each year!

If you plan ahead and are able to snag a ticket, though, you'll follow a light trail through the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew to see immersive displays and installations. It's really beautiful, and worth the admission price.

Tickets go on sale in January each year (so yes, almost a full year in advance!), and the popular days/times do sell out well before the event begins in November. So if you want to go, you'll need to book tickets early – here's the ticket page.

Bonus: Hampton Court Palace Festive Fayre

Since I spent a week in London at Christmas, I decided to dedicate one day to a festive day trip. And while there are lots of good options, I eventually settled on a day trip out to Hampton Court Palace for the Festive Fayre.

Hampton Court Palace is a former royal palace, most famously the favorite home of Henry VIII. And while the palace and its gardens/grounds are worth a visit on their own, each year they host a Festive Fayre over two weekends in December (usually the first 2 weekends of the month). Since I was in London at that time, I decided to go!

Along with being able to explore the castle and various apartments where you'll find costumed interpreters and be able to hear medieval holiday music, they also put on a Christmas market over these two weekends, with 100+ local vendors selling everything from hand-made goods to food.

I had a delicious lunch and a vegan hot chocolate (lactose-intolerant people will understand how exciting that was!), and did some shopping from some of the most unique stalls. The vendor tents are spread out across the palace courtyards and even into the gardens, which is really cool.

Your ticket gets you into the palace/grounds plus the market (pre-booking required), and then there's also an ice rink outside for an additional fee. You can spend about half the day on this trip and then be back in London before it gets dark.

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When to go to London for the holidays

The question of “when to go to London at Christmas” might sound silly, but I'm going to answer it anyway. *Some* of the holiday events in London (like the Kew Gardens light show, and many of the holiday afternoon teas) do start in the second half of November. But MOST holiday things don't kick off until the first weekend in December.

I would say the best time to be in London to soak up all the holiday things is in mid-December. At this time, all the Christmas decor will be up, and there will be the largest number of Christmas shows and events to see/experience.

You CAN visit London in the week between Christmas and New Year's, as many of the holiday things continue running into early January, though of course many things will close on the holidays themselves.

I went to London the first 10 days of December, and found it to be a good time to be there while still being able to be home for the Christmas holiday itself.

Weather in London in December

In terms of what to wear for a Christmas trip to London, I'd definitely prep for chilly and damp weather – but it might not be as cold as you're expecting! London doesn't really tend to get snow or truly frigid temperatures (especially not in December), though it can be humid, which can make it feel colder.

The average high in London in December is 47°F (8°C), with an average low around 40°F (4°C). (Though when I was there, the high each day was closer to 50°F (10°C), and I was actually feeling too warm in my heavy wool coat!)

It will likely be cloudy, and rain/fog/sleet is certainly possible, so I definitely recommend waterproof shoes/boots and an umbrella. I did not bring winter-winter clothes on my trip since I'm from a place that's much colder than London in the winter.

Most days I wore either jeans or corduroy pants with a long-sleeved top or light sweater, or a dress with wool leggings underneath. For footwear, I brought a pair of leather sneakers and some leather chelsea boots. And I topped everything with a long wool coat. I did also bring a hat, scarf, and gloves and some extra layers for colder nights, though I think I only used them once!

London at Christmas map

Here's a map of all the major Christmassy spots I recommend seeing/visiting around London. To save this map so you can use it later, click on the star ⭑ next to the map’s title. To use it, open Google Maps on your phone, click “Saved,” then click “Maps.”

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Have I convinced you to plan a Christmas trip to London?