Exploring London at Christmas Time

I made a major error was not realizing how big Christmas Carol shows are in England. I heard about them and wrongly assumed I could get last minute tickets. Everything in our small town radius was sold out, so I booked the last two seats together for Saturday’s performance at the Royal Festival Hall in London. We decided to spend the rest of Saturday hitting the major sites and walking to as many Christmas Markets as our feet would take us.

We realized London is insane this time of year after we boarded the train and it was standing room only. After disembarking the train we entered the chaos that is King’s Cross Station at Christmas. We maneuvered our way through the mass of people waiting on their platforms to be announced for their trains, those running to catch trains, and those just slowly rolling their luggage. We made it out of the station and were surprised to see a market. The market is lined with large wooden chalets along the edges and pop up tents selling a variety of food items from baked goods, cheeses, dried meats, rum, and so much more in the center. The mulled wine was being sold out of paper cups with no permanent mugs in sight. This is a detail I focus in on because I always enjoy the different festive mugs the warmed drinks typically are served up in Christmas Markets due to the fact they make an excellent keepsake. It reminded me more of a farmer’s market than a traditional Christmas Market.

The Christmas decorations at Covent Garden are large and spectacular especially in the Market Building. The gigantic bells, baubles and spinning mirror bells draw your eyes up to the ceiling. The market stalls are selling a variety of items from handmade to store bought, but dodging the crowds only allows you small glances at the items. I was on high alert while in London since I have heard only horror stories about phone theft and pickpocketing especially in these crowded tourist destinations.

After passing by the cart selling mulled wine in paper cups I had my hopes low for the Jubilee Market. Inside the large market area there are collapsible booths selling similar items that you would find in the London gift shops. Picture ‘I heart London’ sweatshirts, key chains, stuffed Paddington bears, etc… There were a few smaller craft booths but those were the exception to the mass produced goods being hawked to the tourists. Overall I would skip this market if you are looking for a Christmas Market similar to Germany/Austria.

The next stop is Leicester Square Christmas Market which is a short walk away. Leicester Square is named after Rodney Sidney the 2nd Earl of Leicester who built Leicester House in the area in 1636 which laid out fields around the house and created a boundary for the square as additional buildings were added alongside the field. In 1792 the Leicester House was demolished, and in the late 19th century the square became a public space.

Leicester Square Christmas Market is more in line with the classic German Christmas Market atmosphere made up of the wooden chalets donned with garland, Christmas lights, and baubles. It is relatively small with the amount of booths but there is a nice variety of gifts and food options. Due to the size it felt really challenging to navigate through the traffic of people, and once again the warmed beverages are sold in paper cups.

Trafalgar Square Christmas Market runs from the beginning of November through Christmas. Trafalgar Square is named after the Battle of Trafalgar on October 21, 1805 where the British navy won against France and Spain in the Napoleonic War. In 1947 Norway gifted Britain a large Christmas tree for support given during World War II since the Norwegian King and government fled to London while Norway was occupied. This tradition has continued to this day with the tree still being gifted by Norway. The backdrop of the market is the National Gallery of London, which is free to visit but advanced booking is recommended to avoid lines or sold out exhibits. The line to enter the museum went around the block, so I would recommend reserving a time slot.

Trafalgar Square Christmas Market is similar to the Leicester Square Christmas Market, but with more chalets. It also has a take on the classic Christmas market composed of the wooden chalets adorned with garland and Christmas lights with a variety of gift and food options. There were lots of food options including churros, donuts, fudge, and plenty of bratwurst. The mulled wine and cider were served in paper cups – I’m still on the lookout for the London Christmas Market Mug. The crowds surrounding each chalet were once again challenging to navigate.

The next market we strolled through was the Southbank Centre Winter Market which has a prime location situated along the Thames. The market also is made up of wooden chalets. It has less decorations per booth than Trafalgar square and feels more compact as people are forced into smaller walking paths along the river. There are ample food options including cheese toasties, burgers, chicken boxes – all give you a chance to take a break from the traditional bratwurst. The mulled wine booths/bars had long lines and were also served in paper cups. The London Christmas mug still eludes me.

Our next stop was in the middle of the market at the Royal Festival Hall for the Christmas Classics. The London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic Choir, and London Youth Choirs performed classic Christmas Carols. I really enjoyed that some of the box seats along the wings of the theatre decorated their boxes with garlands and Christmas lights on their bannisters which added to the ambiance. Most of the carols we have heard of, there was a few that were new to us. Ding Dong! Merrily on High and Once in Royal David’s City were two we haven’t heard of but the audience around us was very excited for. Once in Royal David’s City was originally a poem written by Cecil Frances Alexander in 1848 and was set to music by Henry Gauntlett a year later.

I did not anticipate the audience participation to join in on the caroling, especially for the 12 Days of Christmas. For each of the 12 Days of Christmas the children of the London Youth Choir had a different dance move for each number in the song. The audience was split into three sections with each section given different numbers and dance moves. In addition to our assigned number of three French hens which required us to flap our wings, the entire audience was assigned to a partridge in a pear tree and five golden rings. Between each move we had to sit down, so we stood up at five, three, and one. By the end of the carol, I was out of breath over a Christmas song which makes me feel like maybe I should work out a bit more. Overall a great experience and one I highly would recommend.

Originally our plan was to catch one of the bus routes that run along the lights but the queue to board each bus was quite long. Every bus we did see stopping was packed full of people, with no open seats easily viewed especially on the top of the bus. There was no guarantee that we would be able to make it to the top of the double decker to actually see the lights so we continued on by foot. We slowly walked along a light trail map I found online that took us to the major streets of London while making sure to hit the highlights including Oxford Street, Strand, and Regent Street.

We ventured off the light trail map since I was getting overwhelmed by the amount of people out and about on the streets. What I still have not been able to figure out is what side of the sidewalk you are supposed to walk on – left or right. So instead of having a set side everyone walks wherever so then you pick the open space and lean into the chaos. We realized the majority of streets surrounding the city center have some Christmas decorations. We actually preferred walking off the beaten path which requires less bobbing and weaving through the crowds.

Overall London is decorated beautifully with store front windows lined with garlands, baubles, and Christmas lights. It is a worthwhile stop if you will be in the area, but anticipate the large number of crowds also wandering the streets. I would come for the decorations but not expect the Christmas Markets to amaze you. This being said we did not hit all the markets available in London, we did knowingly skip Hyde Park Winter Wonderland due to it being more a Winter Fair than market.