Thinking about spending a few days this Christmas in London with kids? I can guarantee that you won´t regret it! London is the perfect destination to visit with children during the Christmas holidays, and if you plan your days wisely, they will go home with a trip they´ll remember a lifetime.
London is not only filled with wonderful Christmas lights, but there are Christmas markets, ice skating rinks, Santa´s Grottos as well as the fabulous Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park.
Here is a list of things you cannot miss if you are planning a trip to London this Christmas with kids.
If you are visiting London this Christmas and bringing the kids with you, you should at least spend an afternoon at Winter Wonderland. This is a Christmas fair and Market that is installed during the Christmas period in Hyde Park every year.
Christmas is absolutely magical here, and it is undoubtedly one of our favourite places to visit during Christmas in London with kids.
Here you will find Christmas markets, and funfair rides for children of all ages, with a specific area for younger children. One of London´s most beautiful Christmas ice rinks is also located here. There is also a circus and loads of food stalls and restaurants.
You can easily spend half a day visiting Winter Wonderland and I´m sure the little ones will definitely want to come back! If you go late afternoon, you´ll get to see all the Christmas lights switched on which makes it very magical. We, however, have been taking our kids in the morning during the week the last few years as there are less people. It can get very crowded during the weekends, especially in the evenings
Tickets: Winter Wonderland.
Hamleys, London’s most famous toy shop
Christmas in London with kids would maybe be incomplete if you don’t include a visit to Hamleys, one of London’s best toy shops. Located on Regent Street, this toy shop has 7 floors of fun where you can find absolutely anything that you can think of! From toys to collectable items, puzzles, bath toys and lots of Lego! During the festive season Father Christmas spends a lot of time at Hamleys (obviously!), so you can also book tickets to go and meet Santa in his grotto.
Website: Hamleys.
Christmas in London with kids: Best Santa’s Grottos to meet Father Christmas
Where will you take the little ones to meet Father Christmas this year? We all know how exciting meeting Father Christmas is, and how important it also is to make sure you pick a good Father Christmas as they start getting older and asking questions!
The good thing is that there are numerous Santa’s Grottos in London, practically every shopping centre, every children’s farms and some of London’s most famous shops and attractions have a Father Christmas available to listen to children’s requests. So, you’ll be spoilt for choice when you need to pick which one (or ones!) you want to book. He usually spends a few minutes with each child, asking them what they want for Christmas and always gives them a little something in the end. If you are spending a few days this Christmas in London with kids meeting Father Christmas in one of his amazing grottos will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of the trip!
Meet Father Christmas on a Thames River Cruise
Between 12 and 5 p.m. on December 3 and 17, Father Christmas will be sailing up and down the River Thames on an Uber Boat in London. This is your chance to meet him whilst cruising the River Thames!
You don´t need to book any special tickets to meet Santa; all you need is a valid ticket for Uber Boat. Father Christmas will be on the following cruises:
12:05 and 14:35 – Boat departs from Battersea Power Station to North Greenwich Pier
1:25pm and 3:55pm – Boat departs from North Greenwich Pier to Battersea Power Station
Tickets to ride an Uber Boat: Uber Boat Tickets.
Meet Father Christmas in Winter Wonderland
Winter Wonderland has one of our favourite Santa’s Grottos in London. It is always very neatly decorated, and you can buy a professional photo and take your own. One of the best things is that you don’t have to book to go and see Father Christmas, but you do need to buy an entry ticket for Winter Wonderland. Queues to see Father Christmas in Winter Wonderland can be quite long, but if you go in the morning, the queues tend to be much smaller.
Santa’s Grotto is located in Santa Land in Winter Wonderland. This is where all the funfair rides are for little ones, too.
- Dates: 17 November – 1 January 2024
- Web: Winter Wonderland
Meet Father Christmas at Hamleys
Hamleys has a walk-through Santa’s Grotto experience that children will love. They usually have an elf school and learn how to be elves themselves until they reach Father Christmas’s grotto to meet him. Along the way, there will be songs and games. This experience lasts about 40 minutes.
Tickets usually sell out very quickly, though!
- Dates: November – December,
- Web: Hamleys
Meet Father Christmas at the Royal Albert Hall
This year Father Christmas will be storytelling at the magnificent Royal Albert Hall. The storytelling session lasts about 30 minutes, and then they get some one-to-one time with Father Christmas to tell him what they want.
- Dates: December 2023.
- Web: Royal Albert Hall
More Santa’s grottos in London:
Ice skating is one of the most beautiful things to do in London at Christmas. Several ice skating rinks pop up throughout the city, and the little ones enjoy this very much! Most ice skating rinks in London have a specific area for younger children with giant penguins that they can use as support so they don’t fall over.
Winter Wonderland has one of the biggest ice skating rinks this Christmas in London, but other ice skating rinks you might like to visit are Somerset House, Hampton Court Palace, Canary Wharf, Queen´s House or Skylight.
Visiting a Christmas market in London is a must if you spend a few days here this Christmas. Several Christmas markets are dotted around London, where you can buy Christmas gifts for the family or find something special to decorate your home.
We have already discussed the Christmas market in Winter Wonderland, but there is also a Christmas Market in Southbank, in Leicester Square or London Bridge, to give you a few ideas.
In addition to the best musicals in London that are available all year round, there are also many Christmas Shows during the Christmas period. Santa Rocks is one of the best Christmas Shows for Children in London this year, and other Christmas Shows available this year include Elf, The Snowman, Peppa Pig´s Fun Day Out, Disney On Ice, Edward Scissorhands Ballet and, of course, The Nutcracker.
Find out more: Christmas Shows in London.
Taking the kids to the circus is also a very Christmassy thing to do. There is a circus in Winter Wonderland this year, which takes place in the largest circus tent in the United Kingdom. There are two different circus shows showing here, Zippos Circus and Cirque Berserk.
