London is a wondrous place in winter. Despite the occasional rain, there’s a magical quality to the city. This is especially true over the festive season when it erupts in seasonal celebrations. Whether you’re there for a weekend or a week, you’ll find lots of things to do in London at Christmas.
London goes all out to capture the Christmas spirit and the New Year celebrations are epic. With an emphasis on cosy indoor activities, it’s also a great time for foodies to visit. Worried about the rain? Grab an umbrella and don’t let it stop you from venturing outdoors. There are plenty of events celebrating the best of Christmas that are well worth visiting.
The best things to do in London at Christmas
Dozens of seasonal markets are open. And naturally, you can visit all of London’s world-famous landmarks any time of year. For more useful tips on things to see and do in London, read our online London Travel Guide.
London is jam-packed with world-renowned tourist landmarks, and history awaits around almost every corner. If you’ve never seen them, they’re top of the list of things to do in London in winter.
The best alternative Christmas markets in London
Christmas in London sees the city awash with festive markets. North to south, east to west, you’ll find them wherever you go. The main events are in the city centre, but for an authentic experience don’t miss the smaller, quirkier local markets.
Many of the city’s parks are also transformed to offer magical outdoor experiences. The Hyde Park Winter Wonderland is the top pick when it comes to size, attractions and commerciality. While it may be expensive and over the top, its sheer energy will blow your kids’ socks off.
Christmas By The River, near London Bridge, is another special pick. There’s also the Leicester Square Market to explore, whilst the Kingston Christmas Market brings a European flavour to the traditional British festivities.
These aside, here are my top three picks for something slightly different:
1. Canopy Christmas Market
The Canopy Christmas Market runs from late November to the end of December. It’s a celebration of festive season diversity. Among its attractions are a Vegan Festival, a canopy gifting programme and loads of festive workshops. Here you can buy handmade crafts and taste some of the plentiful street food on offer. There’s also a craft beer bar, a natural wine bar and an artisanal gin bar.
2. Christmas at Kew
Away from the city centre, Christmas at Kew Gardens is my pick for the most atmospheric market. It runs from November 15 to 7 January so there’s plenty of time to visit. A wonderful sanctuary of nature and calm all year round, it transforms into something even more magical at Christmas. Adorned with illuminations and sculptures, twinkling trees and sparkling decorations, its light trail is the highlight. Best enjoyed after a mulled wine or two.
3. Greenwich Christmas Market
With the November 15th ‘turning on’ of Greenwich Market’s Christmas lights, this year-round market turns into a festive hotspot. A World Heritage Site, its 150+ stalls are set near the Greenwich Meridian Line and overflow with Christmas cheer. Pick up some Christmas and London themed gifts and soak in this historic part of the city.
The best festive gathering spots in London
London is famous for its gathering places, from Carnaby Street to Covent Garden, Piccadilly Circus to King’s Cross. Come Christmas they are transformed by festive lights and decorations and are spectacular at night. You’ll find huge festive displays and lots of live music, street performers and strange installations.
Where there are light and street displays there are always people. And at Christmas in London that means a lot of people – so be prepared for crowds and congestion.
Food and shopping at Borough Market
A trip to Borough Market is one of my favourite things to do in London at Christmas. Especially when temperatures get really chilly. Under the market’s cover, protecting it against the elements, you’ll find all manner of stalls selling everything from Christmas goods to fresh seasonal produce.
Of course, there are also plenty of food booths where you can get delicious treats, hot coffee and mulled wine. If you’re a fan, you’ll find some of the best oysters in London at Richard Haward’s Oysters. Remember to bring cash, as many vendors don’t take cards.
Head east to Spitalfields and Shoreditch
Spitalfields and Shoreditch are trendy and creative areas, bursting with pop-up businesses, eateries, independent stores and installations. They offer a fresh take on the more traditional, festive side of Christmas. It’s also the place to be for some of the best Bengali food in London.
Connecting Spitalfields Market to Brick Lane is a warren of side streets and squares. Wander at will and don’t be afraid to dive into the local shops, street markets and pubs. Pick up some vinyl gifts and catch a live gig at the world-famous Rough Trade East in the Old Truman. Brewery.
For gruesome history but excellent beer, don’t miss The Ten Bells pub, forever associated with Jack the Ripper.
The best winter events in London
The best things to do in London at Christmas are often seasonal and don’t last year round.
Skate the UK’s biggest ice rink
London’s winter weather doesn’t usually extend to ice and it’s been a long time since the Thames froze. Luckily there’s no shortage of epic ice-skating rinks to glide over.
My favourite is the atmospheric Skate at Somerset House for its magical setting and bottomless champagne. But 2023 sees the opening of Ice Kensington Palace, the UK’s largest ice rink. Promising to be as sustainable as it is spectacular, it houses a football field-sized rink in a quintessentially British setting. Expect food and shopping and lots of live events to keep you entertained.
Binge the classics at a winter film festival
Winter is film season in London, and the two most popular seasonal film festivals are held at the Luna Winter Cinema and the Skylight Christmas Cocktail Cinema.
The former is in Kensington Palace and the Battersea Arts Centre, the latter at Tobacco Quay. Both feature a daily calendar of movies both epic and cheesy, including plenty for kids. You can get tickets from around £10.
Free things to do in London at Christmas
London is known worldwide for its superb museums, galleries and architecture. The holiday season is the ideal time to get lost in them while other tourists are distracted by seasonal events. Many are free to visit and offer hours of refuge from crowds and inclement weather.
World-class museums
The Natural History Museum is perhaps the best of its kind. A fascinating place to explore the story of the world around us, it’s packed with fantastic exhibits. Not least of which is the awesome blue whale skeleton, Hope, floating above Hintze Hall.
Next door, the Science Museum is equally as beguiling, and its many interactive exhibits will keep kids (and adults) occupied for hours.
No less spectacular is the British Museum, which charts two million years of history and culture. Although it’s worth visiting just to stare in wonder at its intricate glass roof and peer inside the famed Reading Room.
All these museums are free to visit, and if you have the time you could spend a whole day at each.
Art galleries that span genres
Art lovers will want to head straight to the three main free galleries in London.
The historic National Gallery in Trafalgar Square shows thousands of works from the 13th to 19th centuries, among them Van Gogh’s Sunflowers and (my mum’s favourite) the exquisite The Execution of Lady Jane Grey.
It’s a new dawn for the National Portrait Gallery, which reopened in 2023 following a transformative renovation. It is an artistic tour de force, home to one of the world’s greatest collections of artworks. Paintings and drawings, sculptures, prints and photographs from history right up to the modern day.
The imposing Tate Modern stands on the Thames’ South Bank. A cavernous space, it houses installations and exhibitions from the greatest names in modern and contemporary art. Its free collection is extensive and makes it well worth stopping off on a stroll along the South Bank.
Unusual things to do in London at Christmas
It would be impossible to cover everything that Christmas in London entails in one article, such is the variety. If you’re looking for something a little out of the ordinary, the city has that covered too.
Go snowboarding and skiing
Okay so it’s not exactly in London, but it’s definitely on its fringes. Just north of London in Hemel Hempstead, The Snow Centre is a real-snow indoor slope for skiers and snowboarders. The 160 metre main run may not compete with an Alpine descent, but it’s as good as you’ll find in England! Come Christmas time, it’s even hosting some festive snow parties.
Embrace a London tradition
It may not sound all that festive but the annual Christmas Eve Auction at Smithfield Meat Market is an institution. A window into Londoners at their hilarious, eccentric best. As auctions are won, turkeys are unceremoniously flung at winning bidders, so you need to have your wits about you. There’s a festive atmosphere with lots of carol singing and good cheer.
Cancelled over recent years thanks to COVID, 2023 should be a special year to see it spring back to life.
Join in with a pantomime
London’s theatres pull out all the stops in hosting pantomimes over the Christmas period. Raucous and unpredictable, they’re a wild take on traditional theatre and are unanimously hilarious. Choose a child-friendly wholesome show for the family, or indulge in some truly wicked and rude shows for more adult fun.
Often starring famous actors, the big shows in 2023 include Peter Pan at The Palladium and A Christmas Carol at The Old Vic. Tickets sell fast despite the number of shows, so check schedules and book early. There are hundreds of smaller theatres across the city putting on pantos of every kind which are always cheaper and often more engaging.
More things to do in London all year round
If you’ve only experienced London in winter, check out our guide on what to do and see in London in summer. There’s just as much to explore. We can also point you to some of the best things to do in London for free. And if you’re looking for a particularly traditional English way to spend some time in the country’s capital, here are a few of the best tea spots in London.
