Want to see as much festive stuff in London as you physically can?
We've put together this self-guided walking route around the best of central London's Christmas 2024 lights, trees decorations and displays. It's not a comprehensive list (that'd be nigh-on impossible) but it packs a heck of a lot of festivities into a route of around two hours (depending on your walking speed, number of pitstops, and how long you pause at each stop for photos).
You don't need to do it all — start and stop where you like, cover just one section, skip stops, or split it into multiple sections to cover over multiple evenings. This map shows you where each stop is, to help you plan your time:
Don't forget to factor in food, drink and toilet breaks along the way — we always find that Christmas lights look their best when you've got a hot chocolate in hand. This route is best done when it's dark, as many of its components consist of lights and illuminations. Have a read up on the operating hours of the West End Christmas lights this year before you go.
1. Trafalgar Square Christmas tree
Start your tour at the official centre of London, in Trafalgar Square. The Norwegian Spruce Christmas tree which graces the square every year is its most famous festive landmark (lights switched on from 5 December 2024), but the square also hosts a Christmas market, spilling over from Leicester Square (more on which later) with wooden cabins lining the top terrace outside the National Gallery, and an overwhelming whiff of mulled wine pervading the area at all hours. Carols are performed beneath the every day in one-hour slots from 4pm-9pm, between 9-24 December.
From Trafalgar Square, walk four minutes east along to Pall Mall to the bottom of Waterloo Place, where you'll find the...
2. St James's Christmas tree
...on Waterloo Place. For our money, it's one of the prettiest and best-dressed trees, and stands in the open air, free for anyone to visit. Quite often Santa's there too, willing to star in your festive snaps (as above). Just mind yourself getting there, as it's on something on an island in the middle of busy lanes of traffic. From here, look up and you'll see the...
3. Regent Street Christmas lights
The 'Spirit of Christmas' angels stretch all the way down Lower Regent Street — which is significantly less busy than Regent Street itself. Walk five minutes up to Piccadilly Circus if you want to catch the iconic view of the angels swooshing above the curve of Regent Street. From here it's another five-minute walk to Fortnum & Mason.
Alternatively, if you aren't bothered about seeing Regent Street proper, or you want a quieter route, turn left off Lower Regent Street by Tesco and wander four minutes along Jermyn Street, one street back from Piccadilly, where many of the businesses often have their own impressive festive displays. Turn right along Duke Street and where it meets Piccadilly, you'll find...
4. Fortnum & Mason advent windows
Department store Fortnum & Mason turns its facade into a huge advent calendar, with numbers on each of the upstairs windows. Take the time to look at the street-level windows too, and if you've got the time (and, more importantly, the inclination to battle the crowds), pop inside to see the dancing pine cone installation over the staircase:
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Cross Piccadilly outside Fortnum & Mason (the best views of the advent windows can be had from across the road outside the Royal Academy anyway). Wander a couple of minutes west along Piccadilly, remembering to peep into the Burlington and Piccadilly Arcades, before turning right onto Old Bond Street for the...
5. Bond Street Christmas lights and windows
Chanel No.5 perfume bottles adorn the skies over Bond Street for Christmas 2024. But as well as looking up, remember to look left and right, as several of the high-end stores in the area go all out with their Christmas displays. Ralph Lauren, Cartier and both Chanel shops are particularly worth a look this year, though by our estimation, we'd say fewer shops have gone all out in 2024 than in the last couple of years.
It gets VERY busy in this part of town in the evening, so watch out for traffic and keep hold of your possessions, and anything else you don't want to lose (your children, perhaps).
Stick with Old Bond Street and New Bond Street as far as Bruton Street, then turn left and walk five minutes to....
6. Annabel's in Berkeley Square
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The private members' club has been upping the ante each year with its external festive facade, reaching a Christmassy crescendo in 2024. A peacock in a glittering snow globe takes up the entirety of the building's frontage, hovering over a rather bemused-looking doorman. It looks great in daylight, and even better at night.
From here, it's an eight-minute meander (eyes left for the Connaught Christmas tree along the route) to...
7. The Ever After Garden in Grosvenor Square
A glowing field of 30,000 white roses has taken up residence in Grosvenor Square again. The Ever After Garden raises money for the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, each roses sponsored in memory of a loved one. It's free to visit though, but be aware that it can get muddy on the paths. In situ until 18 December 2024, open 3pm-9pm daily.
[If you're planning to weave a visit to Hyde Park Winter Wonderland into your festive explorations, this is the time to do so. It's a 15-minute walk from Grosvenor Square, depending which entrance you're heading for, though do bear in mind that you need to book in advance. It's not really the sort of place where you can make a quick stop either.]
Otherwise, wander four minutes up North Audley Street or Duke Street to Oxford Street for the...
8. Oxford Street Christmas lights
A festive staple in the capital, the Oxford Street Christmas lights once again take the form of thousands of stars curtaining the street from above, which can be seen the length of the street. Fancy getting a closer look? See them from a double decker bus. Otherwise, move on to the...
9. Selfridges Christmas windows
You'll have emerged onto Oxford Street opposite one corner of the Selfridges department store building. Follow the building's facade along Oxford Street for a look at this year's Christmas windows. They feature giant tinsel sculptures and scenes inspired by Christmas grottos, using 5km of garland, 15,000 LED lights and 36,000 baubles — and that's just the windows.
Head east about 10 minutes along Oxford Street (could take longer, depending how crowded it is), and consider taking a 30-second diversion at the purple clock to see the St Christopher's Place lights before reaching...
10. Oxford Circus for the Regent Street lights
Oxford Circus is a prime spot for clocking both the Regent Street and Oxford Street Christmas lights intersecting, though it's also often chaotic, so snap a photo quickly and head east along Oxford Street then immediately right down Argyll Street for a three-minute walk to...
11. Liberty London at Christmas
The beautiful building — made from the timber of two ships, don'tcha know — is ogle-worthy any time of year, but comes into its own during the festive season, when light-bedecked Christmas trees classily line its exterior.
Pop just behind the building for the...
12. Carnaby Christmas lights
Carnaby has new Christmas lights for 2024. The 'Into the Light' scheme consists of several six-metre-long sculptural light forms made from 60,000 energy-efficient LEDs, suspended over the pedestrianised shopping street. We'll be honest, we're finding them a bit... lacklustre compared to the street's previous Christmas lights.
From here, the longest section of the walk takes you to Leicester Square in about 12 minutes. Multiple routes are possible but we recommend going via Brewer Street and the surrounding area for the...
13. Soho Christmas lights
A far cry from the world-class design teams responsible for some of the West End's other lights, the Soho Christmas lights have been designed by children from the local primary school... and they're all the better for it. They prove the rule that you can stick a Santa hat on anything to make it Christmassy, including pineapples and sea creatures.
14. Christmas in Leicester Square
Throughout the festive period, Leicester Square is home to a Spiegeltent, where performances of La Cirque take place. But even without a ticket you can visit the Christmas in Leicester Square market, an intimate gathering of wooden cabins, lit in that twee manner of Christmas markets, selling tree decorations and the like. Note, there's usually a couple of minutes' wait to get in as bag searches at the entrance cause a bit of a backlog.
From Leicester Square, head seven minutes east to...
15. Covent Garden Christmas tree and decorations
The oversized golden bells which debuted in Covent Garden Market Hall last year are back for Christmas 2024, along with giant red baubles, and at one end, a forest of Christmas trees ideal for a festive selfie. The towering Christmas tree can still be found in the Piazza too, with hourly flurries of snow between 12pm and 9pm every day 6-31 December.
Wander east out of the Piazza, down Russell Street then Wellington Street for the 10 minute walk to...
16. Somerset House ice rink
The final stop on our route is Skate at Somerset House, an ice rink set alongside a towering Christmas tree in the Somerset House courtyard. Not a skater? No problem — the Skate Lounge alongside the rink serves up refreshments, or you can book in for dinner at the alpine-inspired restaurant The Chalet.
From here, you can head along Strand — with the brand new 'fairy' Christmas lights overhead — and back to the starting point of Trafalgar Square. Alternatively, if you've got any energy left, you can cross Waterloo Bridge to South Bank, where the Southbank Centre Winter Market is in full swing, its wooden cabins selling food, drink and gifts along the river side. The free Winter Light festival is also on, with illuminated sculptures dotted around the outside of the building.
Another option is to walk 15 minutes east of Somerset House and hunt out the Penguin Parade free art trail, with a dozen sculptures spread about the area.
All photos by Londonist unless stated otherwise.
