London at Christmas: what to book and what to skip

London's Christmas runs from mid-November to early January, and the parts worth doing mostly need booking: skating slots, the Old Vic's Christmas Carol, and any restaurant table on a Friday in December. Plan for the weather too. December is cold and grey, with highs in single figures and drizzle on a good share of days, and snow is rare enough to make the news, so pack a proper coat and count any clear, frosty morning as a bonus.

Winter Wonderland and the Somerset House rink

The biggest event of the season runs in Hyde Park from late November into early January, with rides, markets, ice skating, circus shows and a frankly enormous amount of mulled wine. Winter Wonderland is busy and loud, especially on weekend evenings, so with children go on a weekday afternoon and book the ticketed shows and the rink ahead. From Mayfair, Knightsbridge or Kensington it's a walk rather than a journey.

The rink in the courtyard of Somerset House on the Strand is the calmer option. Sessions are timed and they sell out, the late ones especially, so book the minute dates come out. Spring, the restaurant inside the building, is a good lunch before an afternoon slot.

Covent Garden, the Old Vic and the markets

Covent Garden goes all in, with a giant tree in the Piazza and lights strung along the streets round it. It's best early, before the shops open, when you get the decorations without the crowds. For a night at the theatre, the Old Vic in Waterloo puts on its A Christmas Carol from mid-November to early January. For a lot of London families it's become a fixture, and it sells well, so book early.

Columbia Road Flower Market in Bethnal Green trades on Sunday mornings, with extra days at Christmas, and it's the place for wreaths and winter flowers (and a very early start). Leadenhall Market in the City looks its best in December under that Victorian roof. And for Christmas lunch at home, Londoners shop at Borough Market by London Bridge and the Saturday farmers' markets in South Kensington (Bute Street) and Notting Hill.

Christmas Day itself

Public transport mostly stops on Christmas Day, and most restaurants either close or run a fixed, pricey menu that booked out months ago. A flat with a full kitchen and a table for everyone gets round most of that, with no hunting for a taxi at midnight. Order from the markets above and collect on the 23rd or 24th.

London weather by month

July is the warmest month, averaging 23°C by day. July has the fewest wet days (9) and October the most rain (80 mm). For sightseeing on foot, June scores best on our combined warmth-and-dryness measure.

Month	Avg high	Avg low	Rain	Wet days	Chance a 7-day stay sees a washout	Record high / low
January	8°C	2°C	74 mm	13	53%	16°C / -12°C
February	8°C	2°C	51 mm	10	43%	18°C / -8°C
March	11°C	4°C	45 mm	9	44%	23°C / -7°C
April	14°C	5°C	54 mm	10	44%	26°C / -3°C
May	17°C	8°C	54 mm	9	39%	30°C / -1°C
June	20°C	11°C	58 mm	9	35%	34°C / 2°C
July	23°C	13°C	52 mm	9	34%	34°C / 4°C
August	22°C	13°C	68 mm	9	37%	37°C / 4°C
September	19°C	11°C	62 mm	9	39%	29°C / 2°C
October	15°C	8°C	80 mm	11	47%	27°C / -2°C
November	11°C	5°C	76 mm	12	52%	18°C / -6°C
December	8°C	2°C	69 mm	12	50%	16°C / -8°C

Calculated NOAA GHCN-Daily observations at the Hampstead weather station, north London (records 1960–2015; averages from about 25 years per month). A wet day has 1 mm of rain or more.