Last Updated on November 3, 2026

London properly leans into Christmas, and if you’re planning a festive trip with children this year, you’re spoilt for choice. I’ve pulled together everything from the big-ticket immersive experiences to the free stuff you can just wander into, so you can actually plan a few days instead of scrolling ten different “best of” lists.

A few of these change their dates and prices every year, so I’ve included the most current 2026/27 information I could find, but always double check before you book. I’ll be keeping this updated once a week throughout the Christmas season too, so check back if you’re planning ahead.

LONDON CHRISTMAS WITH KIDS ESSENTIALS

🎟️ Tickets / Book your big days out in advance, especially Winter Wonderland and Hogwarts in the Snow, both sell out their best time slots weeks ahead over December. Book your Winter Wonderland entry slot here.

🚇 Getting Around / An Oyster card or contactless bank card is all you need for the Tube, buses and most trains within London, just tap in and out and it caps your daily spend automatically. If you’re heading out to Windsor or Chessington for the day, book your train in advance on Trainline for the cheapest fares.

✈️ Getting There / Flying in for a festive city break? Search flights on Skyscanner, and book a private airport transfer with WelcomePickups so you’re not wrangling kids and suitcases on public transport after a long flight.

🏨 Stay / London hotel prices climb fast in December, so book early. Skip the endless scrolling, these are the ones I’d point a friend toward (full picks in Where to Stay below): Search and compare all London hotels.

📱 Connect / Stay connected from the moment you land with an eSIM. I use Holafly, use code TRAVELWITHPAU for 5% off.

🛡️ Get Insured / Things can and do go wrong when you travel, especially with kids in tow over a busy holiday period. World Nomads offers coverage for over 150 activities as well as emergency medical, lost luggage, trip cancellation and more.

Things to Do at Christmas in London with Kids

1. Hyde Park Winter Wonderland

Winter Wonderland is the big one, and if you only do one Christmas thing in London with kids, this is probably it. It runs from 19 November 2026 to 3 January 2027 in Hyde Park, with 150 plus rides, attractions and shows including a new Peter Pan themed Magical Ice Kingdom for 2026, the Giant Wheel, an ice rink and an ice bar. Entry is no longer free, so you need to pre-book a timed entry slot. Once you’re in, Santa’s Grotto in Santa Land is free, open 10am to 6pm on a first-come, first-served basis (you can’t book it, and the queue can close early on busy days), every well-behaved child gets a present, and Mrs Claus waves from the grotto balcony. Book direct through hydeparkwinterwonderland.com, this is the official ticketing route, not a third-party reseller. Entry from £1 for Monday to Thursday sessions in November, £5.50 standard and £8.25 peak.

2. Christmas at Kew Gardens

Christmas at Kew turns the botanic gardens into an after-dark light trail, running from 13 November 2026 to 3 January 2027. Expect illuminated tunnels, immersive installations and a visit from Father Christmas, plus a traditional festive fairground near the Temperate House with rides for all ages. Already almost sold out, so book your Christmas at Kew ticket here. From £25.50 for adults, £20 for children, under 4s free.

3. Hogwarts in the Snow at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London

If you’ve got Harry Potter fans in the family, Hogwarts in the Snow is worth the trip out to Leavesden. It runs from 14 November 2026 to 17 January 2027, included in the regular studio tour ticket at no extra cost, and sees the Great Hall and the Hogwarts model dusted in fake snow for the season. The easiest way to do it without a car is a ticket that bundles in coach transport from central London. Book Harry Potter Warner Bros. Studio Tour with coach transport. From £130 adults, £55 children (5-15), £188 family ticket, under 5s free for tickets including a coach from London.

4. Ice Skating

London does not lack for pretty places to fall over on ice.

Somerset House brings back its rink in the Edmond J. Safra Fountain Courtyard next to a 40ft Christmas tree, running from 12 November to 11 January, sessions have typically run from around £18 to £26 depending on the time slot in past seasons.

Hampton Court Palace has one of the prettiest settings of the lot, skating right in front of the Tudor palace, with Santa on Ice sessions and live ice-sculpting on selected dates, tickets from £18 to £21. If you want to make a day of it, the palace’s own Winter Palace festive programme runs from 28 November to 3 January, included in normal palace admission and open to all ages (children need to be accompanied), with timed entry every 30 minutes. There’s also a Festive Fayre on 4 to 6 and 11 to 13 December, so book your palace ticket ahead if you’re going on one of those days. The rink is a separate ticket.

Glide at Battersea Power Station runs three interconnected rinks around a 30ft tree from 6 November to 3 January, plus a new riverside skate trail through the trees, tickets from £16 for adults or £48 for a family ticket.

Skate Leicester Square is right in the middle of the West End, tickets from £14.50 for adults, £9.50 for children, or £40 for a family ticket.

Book direct through each venue’s own website, availability moves fast closer to Christmas, and exact prices for this season are confirmed nearer the time.

5. Christmas at The Paddington Bear Experience

Over at County Hall, The Paddington Bear Experience gets a Christmas makeover from around 12 November to 5 January, with an immersive walkthrough, a decorated Christmas tree and festive treats for younger kids. Book your entry ticket here. From £44, under 2s free.

6. London Christmas Village, Shepherd’s Bush Green

New for 2026, London Christmas Village at Shepherd’s Bush Green is an immersive Dickensian storytelling walkthrough running from 28 November to 23 December. The Village Square ticket gets you the giant tree, carousel, market, Children’s Post Office and marshmallow toasting, but not a grotto visit. To meet Father Christmas, you need the Full Journey (around 2.5 hours, seven story experiences and three gifts per child) or, for little ones, the Pre-School Journey (around 90 minutes). It’s too new to have reviews yet, but the Dickensian theming makes it a nice fit if your family has already done the more established options. Book your London Christmas Village tickets here. Village Square from £15, Pre-School Journey £35 per child and £15 per adult, Full Journey £60 per person.

7. Meet Father Christmas at Hamleys

Hamleys on Regent Street turns into a proper winter wonderland every December, and children can step inside a cosy grotto for around 40 minutes with Father Christmas himself. It’s one of the most famous grottos in London and tickets went on sale on 23 September and sell out quickly, so book soon through the Hamleys website. Prices run from roughly £75 up to £195 depending on the date and group size, with the days closest to Christmas costing the most.

8. London’s Christmas Lights

This one’s free. Walk down Oxford Street and Regent Street for the big overhead light displays, then head to Covent Garden for the giant tree in the Piazza. It’s an easy, low-cost way to spend an evening and works well tagged onto the end of another activity in the West End. If you’d rather sit back with tired little legs than walk the whole route, book an open-top vintage bus tour of the lights instead, it covers Regent Street, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square and more in about 75 minutes.

9. Character Christmas Lights Bus Tours

If you’ve already got a Paddington fan in the family, there’s a Paddington-themed Christmas Lights bus tour that does the same kind of route with Paddington on board. For PAW Patrol fans, there’s a PAW Patrol Christmas Lights bus tour too, with clue-solving, an activity book and Christmas afternoon tea built into the ride. And for Peppa Pig fans, a Peppa Pig Christmas Lights bus tour covers a similar route from Temple, past Tower Bridge, St Paul’s, Piccadilly Circus and Big Ben, with sing-alongs and interactive tablets on board. I have tried the standard Peppa Pig afternoon tea bus tour with my son, so you can read my honest Peppa Pig bus tour review to see what to expect, including the route, the menu and whether it is worth it.

10. The Polar Express Train Ride

If your kids love the film, The Polar Express Train Ride at Euston Station is worth booking early, it sells out. It’s a genuine train journey with theatrical performances, a light show, character meet-and-greets, hot chocolate and a cookie, and a Santa visit at the end, running on selected dates from 5 to 23 December. Book direct through londonthepolarexpressride.com. From £69, under 2s on a lap from £5.

11. Meet Santa at London Transport Museum

London Transport Museum in Covent Garden puts on one of the better low-key Christmas outings for younger kids: Santa arrives in an interactive sleigh from 27 November to 23 December, and there’s a festive family trail running right through January exploring 200 years of seasonal transport history, and it’s small enough not to turn into a whole-day slog if you’ve already got a big attraction booked the same day. Book direct through the London Transport Museum website. Adult admission around £27 (doubles as a 12-month pass), kids go free.

While you’re museum-hopping, swing past the Natural History Museum in South Kensington too, its animatronic T. rex gets dressed in a giant Christmas jumper and Santa hat every December in the Dinosaur Gallery, free to see and always a hit with younger kids.

12. Wander a Christmas Market

For an easy, mostly-free evening, the Southbank Centre Winter Market, also known as Christmas by the River, runs along the Thames from Jubilee Gardens to Waterloo Bridge, alpine-style chalets, a visiting Santa, and it’s right by the London Eye if you want to combine it with a ride. Browsing is free, you just pay for food, drink and any craft stalls that catch your eye. Covent Garden and Greenwich both run their own smaller markets too if you want to spread the wandering across more than one evening.

13. The Magic of Christmas at London Zoo

London Zoo runs its own Christmas programme from late November to Christmas Eve, with festive animal talks and crafts included in normal entry, plus a separate bookable Meet Santa experience (on selected dates from 21 November to 24 December) where kids do a bit of Christmas crafting before heading into the grotto. It’s a nice way to combine a day out you’d probably do anyway with something properly festive, rather than a standalone Christmas-only ticket. Book direct through the London Zoo website. Entry from around £32 adult, Meet Santa experience from around £19 per child.

14. Gingerbread City

Gingerbread City at Coal Drops Yard in King’s Cross is a genuinely impressive annual exhibition, an entire miniature city built from gingerbread, candy and icing, running from late November to early January. There are also family gingerbread-building workshops if your kids want to do more than just look. Book direct through the Museum of Architecture. From £8.50 for a child, £13.50 for an adult.

15. Taste Film Cinematic Dining

If your kids are old enough to sit through a proper sit-down dinner, Taste Film runs themed cinematic dining experiences across London, a multi-course menu synced to key moments as a film plays. All three of this year’s Christmas options are rated PG with a minimum age of 5, so they work best as a one-off treat rather than a regular day-out option: How The Grinch Stole Christmas at The Moniker (November and December), Elf at New Street Square (December), and The Nightmare Before Christmas at Parlour in Kensal Rise (November). Around £80 to £100 a head depending on venue and course count.

16. Chelsea Winter Illuminations

Chelsea Winter Illuminations at the Royal Hospital Chelsea is the only light trail in central London, over 30,000 illuminated white roses through Ranelagh Gardens, running from 25 November to 28 December. It’s back this year with a longer route and new artworks. The Winter Village itself (markets, workshops, pop-up choirs) is free to enter, the illuminations trail needs a ticket. Book direct through the Royal Hospital Chelsea website. Adults £18 to £29.95, children £12 to £19.95, under 2s free.

17. Phantom Peak

Phantom Peak is one of my own favourites on this list, an immersive open-world experience where you wander a whole built town solving puzzles and interacting with characters in character. The original Canada Water venue closed after 625 performances, but it’s back from 4 December 2026 at a bigger new home in Westfield Stratford City, multi-level, fully accessible, with three distinct storylines and a proper themed bar. Given how seasonal-storyline-driven these immersive experiences tend to be, and that reopening date landing right at the start of December, I’d be amazed if it doesn’t come back with a Christmas theme worked in somewhere. Book your Phantom Peak tickets here. Dynamic pricing, from £39.90 to £65.10 adults, £29.40 to £53.55 under 18s, earlier dates are cheaper.

18. Wundrful World of Christmas

For younger kids specifically, Wundrful World of Christmas at Immerse LDN on the ExCeL Waterfront is one of the more elaborate Santa experiences on this list, a mixed-reality walk-through where you travel to the North Pole, help out in the Elves’ Workshop and Toy Sorting Station, visit Mrs Claus’s Kitchen, and finish with a proper sit-down with Father Christmas himself and a photo. It runs on selected days from 13 November to 24 December, and every child needs a ticket, including babies in arms (free under 12 months). New for 2026, the ticket also gets you into the Elves’ Playground, a glowing Christmas village with light installations, gentle fairground rides and market stalls (the rides and food are paid for on the day). The nearest station is Custom House on the Elizabeth line and DLR. Book your Wundrful World of Christmas tickets here. Off-peak from £24.90 for children and £29.90 for adults.

19. Christmas Fair at Fulham Palace

A properly festive family day out rather than just a browse, Christmas fair at Fulham Palace fills the historic Palace and grounds with independent market stalls, Christmas crafts and badge-making for younger kids, a themed trail around the Palace, live carols from local choirs in the Tudor courtyard, and a community Christmas tree showcase you get to vote on. It runs Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 December, 11am to 4pm, tickets are £3 for children and £5 for adults. Buggies and prams need to stay in the designated outdoor parking areas, and food and drink aren’t allowed inside the Palace’s historic rooms. Book your Christmas fair at Fulham Palace tickets here.

20. Santa’s Winter Garden at Fulham Palace

New this year and selling fast, Santa’s Winter Garden turns the walled gardens of Fulham Palace into a snowy North Pole, with real snow effects, twinkling lights and a magical wardrobe to step through on your way in. The path ends with a visit to Santa himself. It runs from 20 November to 23 December, and it’s a separate thing from the December Christmas fair above, so you could happily do both. Book Santa’s Winter Garden tickets here. From £38 per child and £20 per adult on the quietest days, up to £67 per child and £38 per adult at peak times, plus a £5.50 booking fee per order.

21. Christmas at Woolwich Works

If you’re south-east of the river, Woolwich Works is a lovely, much calmer alternative to the big-name grottos. Santa’s Grotto runs on selected days from 28 November to 23 December, with a reading corner, a colouring table, a letter to post to Santa, a hunt for hidden elves and a photo with the man himself, plus quiet sessions on weekend mornings. From £13.50 per child including the booking fee. Alongside it are The Elf Factory, a playful non-verbal show for all ages on 13 December (1pm and 3pm, £17.50), Santa’s Silent Disco on 19 December from 4pm to 6pm (all ages, £12.50) and a Baby Gospel Christmas Family Concert on 21 December at 11am (around 45 minutes, recommended for ages 0 to 8, from £11.50 for children). See the full Christmas at Woolwich Works programme.

22. Grotto in the Garden, Covent Garden

Brand new for 2026, Grotto in the Garden sets up inside St Paul’s Church in Covent Garden as part of the wider Christmas in the Garden market, running from 21 November to 23 December. Every child gets five minutes one-to-one with Father Christmas, increasingly rare at the bigger London grottos, plus a wrapped gift and a printed family trail that takes you out around Covent Garden and Seven Dials to hunt down the Christmas lights and decorations. Separately bookable, Ms. Claus, Santa’s daughter, runs a 20-minute interactive story time at 11am, 12pm, 2pm and 3pm. And if your dog is part of the family, well-behaved dogs can come into the grotto too, they even get their own gift and dog-friendly trail with a ticket. Book your Grotto in the Garden visit here. Around £29.50 per child, adults free, Ms. Claus story time around £9 extra.

London Christmas Shows for Kids

London does not hold back on festive theatre, there’s a genuinely good spread of family shows every year, sorted roughly by age below so you can pick the right one for your kids rather than gamble on a panto that’s too loud or too babyish.

For toddlers and younger children:

Christmas Lights at the Polka Theatre in Wimbledon (11 to 22 November, ages 1 to 4) is a visual, mostly wordless show with integrated BSL about two characters lighting up their house for Christmas, with a play session in the snow-covered garden afterwards, tickets £16 for adults and children, and several performances have already sold out.

Dear Santa at Battersea Arts Centre (28 November to 24 December, ages 2 to 6) is based on the Dear Zoo author’s book, and kids get to meet Santa and take home a gift after the show, it runs on Battersea Arts Centre’s pay-what-you-can model with a suggested price around £10.

There’s A Bear On My Chair at the Southbank Centre (early December to 3 January, ages 2 to 7, around 55 minutes) is a puppetry show about a mouse reclaiming his chair from an enormous bear, with tickets from £16 plus a booking fee.

The Snowflake at Little Angel Theatre (21 November to 23 January, ages 2 to 5) is a gentle puppet retelling of Benji Davies’ picture book, tickets £18 for adults and £16 for children.

For older kids:

The Snowman at the Peacock Theatre (21 November to 3 January, all ages) is the reliable classic, a new staging this year from the Birmingham Rep, still built around Raymond Briggs’ story and that soaring “Walking in the Air” score, tickets from £18 to £75, with off-peak family packages from around £105 for 3 and £140 for 4.

Pinocchio at Shakespeare’s Globe (28 November to 3 January, age 5+) tells the story through life-sized puppets in a full musical staging, standing tickets from around £13, seated from a bit more.

Santa’s First Christmas at the Unicorn Theatre (14 November to 3 January, age 4+) is a dance and music piece about the elves giving Santa a taste of Christmas magic for once.

Scruff’s Christmas Adventure, also at Little Angel Theatre (28 November to 3 January, ages 3 to 8), follows a puppet dog trying to work out the perfect Christmas gift for his owner, tickets £18 for adults and £16 for children.

Stick Man at the Bloomsbury Theatre (3 December to 3 January, all ages) is now in its 15th Christmas season, a stage adaptation of the Julia Donaldson favourite, a tight 60 minutes with no interval, good if you’re not confident your kids will sit through a longer show, tickets from around £19 up to £37 for the best seats.

For a proper pantomime: the London Palladium has the biggest-name cast in town this year. Cinderella runs from 5 December to 10 January with Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders as the Ugly Sisters and Julian Clary as the Fairy Godfather, loud and silly and made for full audience participation, with tickets from £25.

For a bigger spectacle: Scrooge: A Cirque Extravaganza at ExCeL London (23 to 28 December, age 3+) puts a genuine circus twist on A Christmas Carol, aerialists, fire tricks and stilt walkers included, tickets from £38.

For a calmer evening: London’s Candlelight concert series runs dozens of Christmas-themed evenings in churches and halls across the city, string quartets performing by candlelight. Not every one is aimed at kids, but a few are a genuinely lovely, quiet family outing, the Nutcracker Suite performances and the Disney Love Songs and Christmas Movie Soundtracks evenings especially. Browse all Christmas Candlelight concerts in London here and pick one that suits your family.

Close to London Christmas Day Trips with Kids

LEGOLAND Windsor Christmas

LEGOLAND Windsor runs its Christmas event from 21 November 2026 to 2 January 2027. It’s genuinely the one big Merlin Christmas event worth the trip for younger kids who love the rides and the Lego builds. It’s about an hour from central London by train to Windsor & Eton Central, book direct through book direct on Legoland’s website here. From £34, Father Christmas grotto upgrade from £27.50 per child.

Christmas at Chessington

Chessington World of Adventures has rebranded its Christmas event (formerly Winter’s Tail) as Christmas at Chessington for 2026, running on selected dates from 21 November to 24 December. The Christmas Village has Father Christmas’s grotto and the Toy Workshop, plus a Christmas panto and carollers. Make sure you book the Christmas Village ticket, the cheaper theme-park-only ticket doesn’t include the grotto. It’s around 40 minutes from central London by train, book direct in Chessington’s website here. Christmas Village and theme park from £32 per person online, under 90cm free.

Where to Stay in London at Christmas with Kids

Budget Accommodation

• Premier Inn London County Hall: I wouldn’t call it exciting, but that’s kind of the point at Christmas when you’re already spending on everything else. Reliable, no-frills rooms right by the London Eye and the Southbank, and after a long day out you can just walk along the river to the Christmas market stalls rather than deal with the Tube. Best for: families who want to be central without paying central prices.

Mid-range

• The Tower Hotel: This is the one I’d pick if I wanted the kids to wake up to an actual view, Tower Bridge right there out the window. Family rooms are available, and it’s an easy walk to Borough Market’s own festive stalls if you fancy mulled wine with your breakfast pastry. Best for: families who want a bit more space and a proper “we’re actually in London” moment.

Splurge

• The Langham, London: Properly grand, and genuinely one of the most festive hotels in London, close enough to Oxford Street’s lights that you can walk the whole strip straight from the front door. Their Christmas afternoon tea is an event in itself, worth booking even if you’re not staying the night. Best for: a treat-yourself Christmas trip where the hotel is part of the occasion, not just where you sleep.
• Ham Yard Hotel: If I were building a trip entirely around the hotel, this is where I’d stay. The Kit Kemp-designed Christmas trees fill the lobby, handmade stockings hang above the fire in the Drawing Room and Library, and a full Gingerbread Village goes up in early December, it’s genuinely one of the loveliest lobbies in London to just sit in with a hot chocolate and watch the world go by. Best for: families who want the hotel itself to be one of the days out, not just a place to collapse at the end of one.

None of these float your boat? Search all London hotels.

Where to Eat in London at Christmas with Kids

Christmas afternoon tea is a whole genre in London, and most of the big hotels do a festive version with mince pies, gingerbread and hot chocolate worked into the usual sandwiches and scones. Look for kid-friendly sittings, some hotels run earlier slots specifically so families can bring younger children. Three genuinely worth booking:

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Festive Afternoon Tea at One Aldwych is the most imaginative of the lot, a whole children’s menu themed around Roald Dahl’s book, Fizzy Lifting Drinks included, from £55 per child.

Children’s Afternoon Tea at Fortnum & Mason, served in the Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon decked out for the season with sparkling trees and fairy lights, is the classic, glamorous choice, for ages 4 to 10, from £60 per child.

Festive Afternoon Tea at The Library, London Marriott Hotel County Hall is the one to pick for the view, Big Ben right across the river, and it comes with a welcome gift for kids and a complimentary sweet shop too.

For something more casual, Borough Market and Southbank Centre Winter Market both have street food stalls doing mulled wine for the grown-ups and hot chocolate for the kids, good for grabbing lunch between attractions rather than a sit-down meal.

How Long to Stay in London at Christmas with Kids

A weekend (2 to 3 days) is enough to do Winter Wonderland, one immersive experience and a wander through the lights, if you’re not trying to squeeze in a day trip as well.

4 to 5 days gives you room to add one of the day trips, LEGOLAND Windsor or Chessington, without rushing everything else, and leaves a spare evening for ice skating.

A week or more lets you spread things out properly, especially useful if you’ve got a mix of ages in the family and want to alternate big, busy days with quieter ones like the Christmas lights walk or a pantomime.

Best Time to Visit London at Christmas with Kids

Early to mid-December hits the sweet spot: the lights and grottos are all open, but it’s before the really frantic final week before Christmas when everywhere gets packed and prices peak. If you can travel on a weekday rather than a weekend, you’ll find shorter queues at the big attractions and cheaper off-peak entry, Winter Wonderland’s £1 Monday to Thursday November sessions are the standout deal if your half-term dates allow it.

Getting To & Around London

Most international families fly into Heathrow, Gatwick or London City, all of which connect into central London by train or the Underground within an hour. Search flights on Skyscanner, and if you’d rather not deal with luggage and tired kids on public transport after a long flight, book a private airport transfer with WelcomePickups instead. If you’re coming from elsewhere in the UK or Europe, Eurostar into St Pancras or a direct train are both easy options, especially useful in December when airports get busy with holiday traffic. Once you’re in London, the Tube and buses cover everywhere in this guide, just tap in with a contactless card or an Oyster card and the system caps your daily fare automatically, no need to work out zones or buy individual tickets.

London at Christmas with Kids FAQ

Is Winter Wonderland free for kids?

No, entry to Hyde Park Winter Wonderland now costs from £1 for everyone, adults and children, for off-peak Monday to Thursday slots in November, rising to £5.50 for standard slots and £8.25 at peak times. You must pre-book a timed entry ticket either way. Santa’s Grotto inside is free. Individual rides and attractions inside are paid for separately, or bundled into a wristband package.

What is the best free Christmas thing to do in London with kids?

Walking the Christmas lights on Oxford Street and Regent Street, then finishing at the tree in Covent Garden, is completely free and works well as an evening activity tagged onto another day out.

Do I need to book Hogwarts in the Snow in advance?

Yes. Warner Bros. Studio Tour London tickets, including the Christmas Hogwarts in the Snow dressing, sell out well in advance over the festive period, especially for weekend and school holiday dates, so book as early as you can.

Is Chessington or LEGOLAND better for younger kids at Christmas?

LEGOLAND Windsor tends to suit slightly younger children better thanks to its gentler rides and Lego-building activities, while Christmas at Chessington works well across a wider age range with its Father Christmas grotto, panto and zoo.

Is London expensive for a Christmas trip with kids?

It can be, especially for hotels and the big-ticket attractions in December, but there’s a genuine mix of free things to do (the lights, window displays, wandering the markets) alongside the paid attractions, so it’s easy to balance a trip around your budget.