London at Christmas

The Best Places to Catch the Lights and Sights in Central London

There is hardly a person out there who doesn’t enjoy holiday festivities and a good Christmas light tour leading up to Santa’s arrival. A little chill in the air, busy sidewalks, window animations, and twinkling lights overhead are all a part of the magic of Christmas in the city. London happens to be among the best cities in the world at transforming its notable streets into wonderlands of cheer.

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I last visited London at Christmas with my two sons prior to spending the week leading up to Hogmanay in Edinburgh. It wasn’t our first visit, but truthfully it felt like it because the sights and atmosphere at Christmas were so different from our previous visit during the summer months. We visited a handful of historical attractions, but our focus was all the holiday activities and light displays around London.

This post journals our walking tour around the streets of central London and highlights the very best spots to see during a 1 – 2 day visit. The light displays vary a little each season. So, your visit might look a bit different from ours. However, the best streets are the best streets every year!

• Where to stay in London
• Top things to do in London at Christmas
• Where to see the best Christmas lights in central London
• How to see the Christmas lights

Where to stay in London

Stay central especially if the length of your stay will be brief. London does have an excellent public transportation system. So, you can stay on the outskirts if needed and still get around to see everything. But, if you can swing it, the best place to stay is in the heart of the city in South Bank, Westminster, Covent Garden, Mayfair, or Soho. All of these neighborhoods are beautifully decorated and within walking distance to other key areas.

We stayed at St. Ermin’s Hotel near Westminster. This is probably one of my all-time favorite hotels in London. It is tucked away in its own little courtyard, yet is located close to all of the major sights. It was fully decked out in lights and decorations inside and out.

Above photos: St. Ermin’s Hotel, Autograph Collection

Top things to do in London at Christmas

Aside from the lights (we’ll get to those further down in this post — or jump ahead by clicking here), the best things to do in London at Christmas are the seasonal attractions that pop up for a limited time only at this time of the year.

• Visit the London Christmas Markets
• Go ice skating at Somerset House
• Attend Advent events at the cathedrals
• Christmas shopping and window displays
• Other attractions

Visit the London Christmas Markets

While European counties like Germany and Austria might be better known for Christmas Markets, London is no slacker. There are at least 10 distinct markets scattered around London, each with its own aesthetic and personality. One could easily spend multiple days just exploring the various markets around the city.

Hyde Park Winter Wonderland is London’s largest holiday market, which includes carnival rides and ice skating in addition to food and craft stalls. It is amazing fun for kids of all ages. It feels like a full-on amusement park, but if that’s not your thing there is still plenty to do here and keep you busy for hours. My personal favorite was the street food!

Tickets and the complete run-down of all of the activities, performances, and food stalls can be found on the official Winter Wonderland website here.

Above photos: Hyde Park Winter Wonderland

Go Ice Skating at Somerset House

There are multiple places to go ice skating in London, but none quite so picture perfect and dreamy as the rink at Somerset House located on the south side of the Strand. No where else in London can you skate surrounded by beautiful 18th century neoclassical architecture with a giant Christmas tree at the center. It is one of the winter highlights of the city for locals and tourists alike.

Above photo: Somerset House

Attend Advent Events at the Cathedrals

A visit to one or several of London’s cathedrals is a must-see during any time of the year. At Christmas time, these grand houses of worship are even more special. Advent masses, choral performances, and other special events are scheduled throughout the season in addition to nativity displays and festive decorations.

Since we were staying in close proximity to Westminster Cathedral, we decided to attend a service here. If this will be your first visit to London, I also highly recommend St. Paul’s. The organ recitals are truly incredible!

• Westminster Cathedral Advent and Christmas information can be found here.
• St. Paul’s Cathedral information can be found here.

Above photo: Westminster Cathedral

Christmas Shopping & Window Displays

Although I personally did not do much shopping during this visit, it is undoubtedly one of the top things to do during the holidays, even if it is just window shopping! The department stores and high-end shops go all-out with engaging, over-the-top displays of their store-front facades and windows. As you walk down the major streets, the displays are hard to miss.

The best department store window displays are consistently:

• Harrod’s
• Fortnum & Mason
• Harvey Nichols
• Selfridges

Other stores with exceptional decorations include Annabel’s, Cartier, Tiffany & Co., Hamley’s Toy Store, and Lavender Green Flowers.

Other Attractions

If this will be your first trip to London, you’ll probably also want to squeeze in a handful of the top historical attractions. The Tower of London and the South Bank Market were big hits with my hubs and kids. On this trip, we managed to visit the Churchill War Rooms, Tower Bridge, and Buckingham Palace. The Churchill War Rooms are fascinating!

Above photos (clockwise from top left): Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, Churchill War Rooms, and Tower of London

I would also highly (super highly) recommend seeing a West End show. London’s West End is the equivalent to New York’s Broadway Theater District. When you are weary from shopping and sightseeing, there is nothing better to cap off your day than a live performance by the best theater talent in the world. You can grab last-minute seats on Seat Geek or Today Tix.

Where to see the best Christmas lights in central London

Really the whole point of this trip was to see the gorgeous Christmas lights of London that I’d seen with wanderlust-eyes a thousand times while scrolling through Instagram and Pinterest. I had to see them in person! I did my research, saw them, and now I’m passing the info on to you. These are the very best streets in London for Christmas light decorations:

• Covent Garden
• Seven Dials
• Regent Street
• Oxford Street
• Gee’s Court
• Carnaby Street
• New & Old Bond Street
• South Molten Street

Covent Garden

Covent Garden isn’t confined to a single street, but encompasses an entire area of London’s West End that was once the vegetable garden of the monks of Westminster Abbey. The decorations throughout the courtyards and shopping streets are amazing day or night. The covered marketplace is decked in oversized mistletoe chandeliers, twinkling fairy lights, and reflective silver baubles.

Above photos: Covent Garden

Seven Dials

Seven Dials is a spot in London between Covent Garden and Soho where seven streets intersect at a single point. The decorations here are super charming for this very quaint location. Starry strands and wrapped tree branches sparkle all over and create a complete 360 experience.

Above photos: Seven Dials

Regent Street

The ‘Spirit of Christmas’ lights above Regent Street date back to 1954 and were the first to bedazzle London during the holidays. These decorations extend from Langham Place, through Oxford Circus, to Waterloo Place.  If they look amazing in photos, just wait to you are standing beneath them! The angels are made of LED lights with 17-meter wingspans and 15-meter trains.

Above photos: Regent Street

Oxford Street

The Christmas lights on Oxford Street are often the first to “turn on” in November and are a huge draw signaling the start of festivities across London for approximately half a million daily visitors. Each year the lights change a little, keeping it interesting for those returning. The orbs shown in this photograph were replaced recently by streamers and stars creating a magical starry night effect. Don’t miss the window displays at Selfridges department store on Oxford filling the block between Duke and Orchard Street.

Above photos: Oxford Street

Gee’s Court

This narrow alley leading into St. Christopher’s Court off Oxford Street is easy to miss if you aren’t keeping an eye out for it. The decorations here are such a surprise and lead to a wider courtyard and Barrett Street. While most of the crowds keep to Oxford Street, this detour offers a beautiful reprieve.

Above photos: St. Christopher’s Place

Carnaby Street

Carnaby Street has got to be one of the most fun and colorful light displays in London. It completely changes every year with a new theme. The displays tend to celebrate something cultural, such as the tropics, music, or art that pays homage it its hippie roots. In the 1960s, the shops along Carnaby Street helped dress Jimi Hendrix, the Beetles, the Rolling Stones and the Kinks. The street is located in Soho, just a few blocks east of Regent Street.

Carnaby Street Christmas Lights often carry a mission of raising funds to support important humanitarian causes. Be on the lookout for the Choose Love storefront where you can leave a donation.

Above photos: Carnaby Street

Bond Street

New Bond Street starts at Oxford Street and runs south eventually turning into Old Bond Street, which then connects to Piccadilly—the only street to do so. Bond Street is home to many high-end shops and couture brands that have their own spectacular windows and decorations.

New Bond Street’s theme in recent years featured giant peacock feathers. The feathers arched out over the streets creating a grand aisle of illumination. However, in 2022, the New Bond Street lights were updated with a royal theme inspired by the Imperial Crown.

Whether you see the giant crowns on Bond Street, or if the lights are updated again to a new theme, the atmosphere on this street is always one of luxury and elegance.

Above photos: Bond Street

South Molten Street

The pedestrianized South Molten Street is lined with giant illuminated blue arches, forming a tunnel-like structure for crowds to pass through. Since it doesn’t have traffic or as heavy crowds as Regent and Oxford Streets, you can actually find a little peace and quiet here. I think the blue lights also give it more of a subdued, moody vibe.

Above photo: South Molten Street

How to see the Christmas lights

The best way to see the Christmas lights, decorations, and window displays throughout London is on foot. Since dusk falls around 3:30 pm in London during December, it is easy to enjoy the twinkle of the lights against a dark sky quite early in the day. Of course, this is also when the streets will be most crowded.

After the department stores and shops close around 10:00 pm (typically), there will be considerably less people out and about. If you are aiming to take photographs with fewer people on the streets, the best time is after the shops close or in the early hours of the morning around 6:00 am.

Another super fun way to see the Christmas lights is the Open Top Bus Tour. The only drawback to the bus is not being able to get a close look at the window displays. The tour lasts for about 90-minutes and is narrated by a live guide. You will get to see many of London’s iconic historical landmarks as you pass under the incredible light displays on its most famous streets.

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