Your chance to meet Santa on a steam train ride from London this Christmas.
Extremely good children can meet Santa on a steam train this Christmas; Steam Dreams is bringing back its Santa Steam Express for two days only in December 2025.
From Victoria station, you can board a festively-decorated vintage carriage pulled by an historic locomotive, and be welcomed with a drink and sweet treat before meeting Santa and his elves, and receiving a gift. (Presumably the only coal on this trip will be used to stoke the fire.)
There are multiple trips on Saturday 20 and Monday 22 December 2025, the experience lasting around one hour 30 minutes, and includes a 'travelling theatre'. Note that, given the journey time, the train doesn't venture far out of the London suburbs, as other Steam Dreams services do. Basically, you won't make it to the North Pole (though last year's trip did loop back over the Thames and pass by North Pole Depot near Harlesden).
Slots on the Santa Steam Express are divvied into three classes: Coach, Club and Private Compartments. Tickets start at £55pp.
Santa's doing the rounds in London as usual: you can also meet him in these grottos.
Santa Steam Express, 20 and 22 December 2025
