A few years ago I was inspired by the movie Christmas With The Kranks and decided to do what I referred to as “Skipmas.” The MR isn’t a huge fan of Christmas so I decided, why not? I still put up a small tree and technically celebrated the holiday, which was not at all in the plan. In any case, I decided that I wanted to visit London in December and decided to go for 7 days. It was a great trip and I absolutely recommend London in December. 

6 Reasons We Love London in December

1.All the pretty lights – London has some pretty spectacular holiday decorations and light displays in December. Our favorite trees were in Trafalgar Square and Parliament Square. We also loved the lights and skating rink by the London Eye and the lights by Tower Bridge. Don’t forget to check out Oxford and Regent Streets Christmas light displays. 

2. Ice skating at really cool historical places – the year we went (2015) our favorite skating rinks were at the Tower of London and the London Eye. This year there are ice skating rinks at the Natural History Museum, Somerset House, Tower of London and I’m so jealous about this one – Hampton Court Palace. 

3. Christmas Markets – No, they aren’t German Christmas markets but they are pretty great in our opinion. We got each of our family members something unique from the London Christmas markets and they loved the gifts! Our favorites were on the Southbank and by Tower Bridge (Christmas By The River).  There are so many markets to choose from and each one offers something different. Don’t forget to check out Christmas in Leicester Square and Greenwich Market at Christmas.

4. Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park – It’s kind of insanely packed all of the time but it’s a lot of fun to walk around Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park. There are rides, games, Santa Land and a Christmas Market. We actually got a few gifts at this Christmas Market and for whatever reason we could not find it on our first visit to Winter Wonderland. It’s massive!! We suggest you try the churros!! 

5. Hogwarts in the snow  – For my fellow Potter nerds there is the draw of Hogwarts in the snow. Where the Great Hall is decked out in festive décor including an enormous snow covered Christmas tree. The massive Hogwarts Castle model is also covered in filmmaking snow. You can see Hogwarts in the snow until January 27, 2019. It is suggested that you buy tickets ahead of time, we did! We also suggest that you choose an earlier tour so that you have plenty of time to explore.

*This year the Warner Brothers Harry Potter Studio Tour is adding “Dinner in the Great Hall” and I can’t wait to get back and go to this. This year is completely sold out (no surprise there) but tickets for next year will go on sale September 2019. I’d say buy those ASAP!

6. Attractions/historical sites are not as crowded as you might think – On this trip we visited all of the main attractions in London including The British Museum (which has ruined me for all other museums), The Tower of London, Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace and nothing was overly crazy.  It was actually way less crazy than when we were in London in May. 

I added a day in Dublin, Ireland to the end of this trip and would suggest Dublin at Christmas too!

London is a great city to visit at any time of the year but we loved visiting in December. The city really turns out for the spectacular light displays, charming Christmas markets and, of course, Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park. 

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