What To Do In London On Christmas Day

So, you’re in London on Christmas Day. Either you planned this like a genius, or you’ve been tricked by a well-meaning relative who promised “a quiet Christmas.” Let’s be honest: London on December 25th is a ghost town with better architecture. The tubes are napping, the buses are on strike (even from existence), and every coffee shop has locked its doors tighter than Scrooge’s wallet. But fear not—this isn’t a disaster; it’s a weird adventure.

The Great Turkey Trot (And I Don’t Mean the Bird)

First, accept that nothing is open. That includes your favorite kebab joint. Your Christmas dinner options? A cold sandwich you brought from home, or a heroic trek to a hotel buffet that costs more than a flight to Spain. But wait—there’s a secret weapon: Chinese restaurants. In London, many Chinese eateries open on Christmas Day because, frankly, they don’t celebrate the birth of a baby in a manger. They celebrate dumplings.

Head to Chinatown. It’s gloriously crowded, loud, and serves prawn toast while carolers sing in the background. It’s the most London thing you’ll do all year. Pro tip: book a table in October. Otherwise, you’ll be sharing a noodle bowl with a disappointed tourist from Ohio.

Become a Royal Paparazzi (Without the Arrest)

Here’s a surprising fact: the Queen’s Christmas speech is not delivered from a golden throne while feeding corgis. It’s filmed weeks earlier. But on Christmas morning, you can still loiter outside Buckingham Palace and pretend you’re waiting for a royal wave. Spoiler: they’re all in Norfolk, eating soggy Brussels sprouts. But the guards are still there, doing their famous walk. They won’t wave back. They’ll stare through you like you’re a ghost. It’s magical.

If you’re cold (and you will be), walk to St. James’s Park. Feed the ducks, but bring bread—the birds are hangry from a year of tourists ignoring them. Just don’t feed the swans. They’re the Queen’s property, and she has a hitman in a crown.

The Christmas Day Swim: For the Genuinely Insane

Every year, hundreds of Londoners strip down to Santa hats and swim in the freezing Serpentine lake in Hyde Park. It’s called the “Christmas Day Swim,” but it’s really a hypothermia party with good press. If you’re brave (or drunk), join them. The water is about 5°C (41°F). Your toes will go numb, your dignity will evaporate, and you’ll emerge feeling like a Viking—or a popsicle. Either way, you’ll have a story that makes everyone at the pub jealous.

How Is Christmas Celebrated In The Uk at Catherine Dorsey blog

Don’t swim? Just watch. Laugh at their shivers. Buy them a hot chocolate afterward. You’ll be a hero. Bonus fact: the Serpentine is also home to an old, grumpy swan named “Derek” who once bit a politician. True story. (Okay, I might have made that up, but there is a grumpy swan.)

Church Crawling Without the Guilt

You don’t need to be religious to enjoy a Christmas service. London’s cathedrals—like St. Paul’s and Westminster Abbey—hold stunning carol services that are free and full of candlelight. The singing? Beautiful. The pews? Stone cold. Bring a cushion, or accept that your back will ache like you’ve been wrestling a Christmas reindeer.

The real treat is the atmosphere. Everyone is polite. No one is checking phones. You’ll feel a weird, warm connection to a bunch of strangers. Then you’ll walk out into the freezing dark and realize you’ve forgotten where you parked. Classic London.

The West End Ghost Walk

If you’re tired of “joy,” try scaring yourself. On Christmas Day, the West End theatres are dark, but the streets are empty—perfect for imagining you’re in a Dickens novel. Wander down Shaftesbury Avenue. The only sound is your own footsteps and a distant, drunk Santa singing “All I Want for Christmas Is You” off-key.

How to Spend a Magical Christmas in London 2025

You can also visit the London Dungeon—if it’s open. (It’s not. But stand outside and let your imagination run wild.) I once saw a fox steal a mince pie from a bin. That’s your live entertainment. Embrace it.

The Secret: Become a Flâneur

The best thing to do in London on Christmas Day is walk. No crowds. No tourists (except you). The streets are yours. You can take a silly selfie in the middle of Oxford Circus without getting run over. You can shout “Merry Christmas!” at a taxi and it might honk back. Probably a middle finger. But still!

End the day in a pub. Most pubs close by 3pm, but a few—like the Lamb & Flag in Covent Garden—hold a “Christmas lock-in” for locals. If you charm the barman with a tin of Quality Street, you might get let in. Inside, it’s warm, loud, and smells like beer and tinsel. You’ll find a fire, a dog wearing a Santa hat, and someone arguing about the correct way to roast a potato. That’s London. That’s Christmas.

So yes, London on Christmas Day is weird, quiet, and half the shops are locked. But it’s also yours. No queues. No rush. Just you, a very confused pigeon, and the ghost of Charles Dickens watching you eat a cold sandwich beside Parliament. God bless us, every one—even the ones without gravy.