Christmas Day in London
Nov 5th, 2015, 07:09 AM
#3
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Hi Claudina, as people pointed out in your other thread, there is no public transport in London on Christmas Day. It's a good day for walking, or using the bicycles if you are comfortable with those, as there will not be much traffic.
Nov 5th, 2015, 07:10 AM
#4
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As was pointed out in the very first post on your other thread there is no public transport in London (ie buses and trains) on Christmas Day. Museums and galleries will also be shut.
You need to make sure you have somewhere for lunch booked well in advance or provision to cook 'at home'.
You can get out and about and do some nice walks in the parks or along the Thames etc, assuming your accomodation is nearby.
You need to make sure you have somewhere for lunch booked well in advance or provision to cook 'at home'.
You can get out and about and do some nice walks in the parks or along the Thames etc, assuming your accomodation is nearby.
Nov 5th, 2015, 08:47 AM
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Museums and galleries will be closed the 24th, 25th, and 26th, so make sure to schedule any museum visits either before or after those three days.
There are always some tours scheduled for those days. Here are some examples:
http://www.goldentours.com/festive-period-london
http://www.premiumtours.co.uk/tours/...id28.id17.html
There are also walking tours in London on Christmas Day:
Expensive, full day:
http://www.peterberthoud.co.uk/chris...ndon%E2%80%8E/
Inexpensive, half day:
http://www.walks.com/images/LondonWalks_Winter2015.pdf
(See Special Christmas Walks, on page 7)
We haven't done any of these, but I was looking into them for our Christmas visit to London two years ago. We ended up preparing a Christmas dinner at our apartment, getting acquainted with Christmas crackers, and taking a little walk in the afternoon.
There are always some tours scheduled for those days. Here are some examples:
http://www.goldentours.com/festive-period-london
http://www.premiumtours.co.uk/tours/...id28.id17.html
There are also walking tours in London on Christmas Day:
Expensive, full day:
http://www.peterberthoud.co.uk/chris...ndon%E2%80%8E/
Inexpensive, half day:
http://www.walks.com/images/LondonWalks_Winter2015.pdf
(See Special Christmas Walks, on page 7)
We haven't done any of these, but I was looking into them for our Christmas visit to London two years ago. We ended up preparing a Christmas dinner at our apartment, getting acquainted with Christmas crackers, and taking a little walk in the afternoon.
Nov 5th, 2015, 08:49 AM
#6
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Boxing Day buses, tubes and the DLR usually run in central London more or less to a Sunday timetable between 8.30 ish and 10pm ish. There is usually no Boxing day service on the Overground or National Rail.
There is a short list of some organised attractions open on Dec 25 at http://www.timeout.com/london/things...-day-in-london
Reports of mass restaurant closures on Christmas Day are absurdly exaggerated. With only tourists in the centre, and about half the eating places functioning (though not all for both lunch and dinner), eating's easy, as long as you either book ahead, are happy with ethnic food or can put up with the naffest fast food.
There is a short list of some organised attractions open on Dec 25 at http://www.timeout.com/london/things...-day-in-london
Reports of mass restaurant closures on Christmas Day are absurdly exaggerated. With only tourists in the centre, and about half the eating places functioning (though not all for both lunch and dinner), eating's easy, as long as you either book ahead, are happy with ethnic food or can put up with the naffest fast food.
Nov 5th, 2015, 09:01 AM
#7
yes -- lots of restaurants are open, but except for the fast food/casual ethnic places most restaurants book up far ahead. You really should book something NOW and preferably within walking distance of where you are staying.
Nov 5th, 2015, 10:17 AM
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Pubs are open and do a good business since folks can't do much else - good day for a pub crawl - I wonder if the tourist Double-Decker hop on hop off buses run on Xmas day?
I suppose there may be a mass at St Paul's Cathedral?
The South Bank Walking path may be nice and of course always open.
Uber will probably be up and running!
I suppose there may be a mass at St Paul's Cathedral?
The South Bank Walking path may be nice and of course always open.
Uber will probably be up and running!
Nov 5th, 2015, 11:20 AM
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Kind of funny that pubs and restaurants are open and everything else shut - don't pub workers deserve Christmas with family too - here in Michigan bars cannot open on Christmas Day thought restaurants can but relatively few do - don't Brits have a traditional Christmas Meal at home? Curious about this - or do they do like Catholic countries and celebrate on Christmas Eve - on Coronation Street they have Christmas meals with those silly little crackers (which are not edible) - see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_cracker
and of course Brussels Sprouts are always served they say even though no one likes them!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_cracker
and of course Brussels Sprouts are always served they say even though no one likes them!
Nov 5th, 2015, 12:17 PM
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"don't Brits have a traditional Christmas Meal at home?"
When were you last in London?
In much of Central London, English is now merely a lingua franca: the language of direction signs and for talking to strangers. But close to half the conversations on the tube are in another language.
Many workers in central London catering outlets aren't Christian: I'd say for the majority, "home" is thousands of miles away.
In public-sector attractions (where the law on the legal right to work is enforced), the proportion of workers from another country is about as high - but they're typically Christian, and "home" is a couple of hours away by Ryanair. So Christmas is enforced.
Britain's Christmas break isn't a Christian feast, of course: it's the national festival of family reunion, which is why Muslim bookshops typically close from Christmas Eve to early Jan. Though since, as everyone knows (don't they?) Mary the mother of Christ is mentioned more often in the Koran than in the Bible, it's simple ignorance of Islam that leads people to think Muslims reject Christmas.
London's not a back of beyond Puritan hideout like Michigan: we got rid of nonsense about closing pubs at Christmas the same day (350 years ago) we abandoned our mad experiment in republicanism. It's impossible to think of anything less in keeping with Xmas than closing pubs - and only a country as godless in spirit as the US (however obsessive its lunatic fringe may be about the trivial literals of Protestant heresies) could possibly countenance anything so balmy.
When were you last in London?
In much of Central London, English is now merely a lingua franca: the language of direction signs and for talking to strangers. But close to half the conversations on the tube are in another language.
Many workers in central London catering outlets aren't Christian: I'd say for the majority, "home" is thousands of miles away.
In public-sector attractions (where the law on the legal right to work is enforced), the proportion of workers from another country is about as high - but they're typically Christian, and "home" is a couple of hours away by Ryanair. So Christmas is enforced.
Britain's Christmas break isn't a Christian feast, of course: it's the national festival of family reunion, which is why Muslim bookshops typically close from Christmas Eve to early Jan. Though since, as everyone knows (don't they?) Mary the mother of Christ is mentioned more often in the Koran than in the Bible, it's simple ignorance of Islam that leads people to think Muslims reject Christmas.
London's not a back of beyond Puritan hideout like Michigan: we got rid of nonsense about closing pubs at Christmas the same day (350 years ago) we abandoned our mad experiment in republicanism. It's impossible to think of anything less in keeping with Xmas than closing pubs - and only a country as godless in spirit as the US (however obsessive its lunatic fringe may be about the trivial literals of Protestant heresies) could possibly countenance anything so balmy.
Nov 5th, 2015, 01:28 PM
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Contrary to Pal's remarked that "pubs and restaurants are open and everything else is shut," look at the following websites. You'll find plenty of things to do on Christmas day.
www.timeout.com/london/christmas
www.visitlondon.com
There wil also be services at any of London's cathedrals and churches. I would suggest Westminster Abbey or St. Etheldreda's, Britain's oldest Roman Catholic church, for a more personal experience. It's a very welcoming church.
www.timeout.com/london/christmas
www.visitlondon.com
There wil also be services at any of London's cathedrals and churches. I would suggest Westminster Abbey or St. Etheldreda's, Britain's oldest Roman Catholic church, for a more personal experience. It's a very welcoming church.
Nov 5th, 2015, 01:41 PM
#14
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I see one real thing on historytraveler's link - Ripley's Believe It or Not - believe it or not - the rest are ice skating, seeing Christmas lights on streets - watching folks plunge into the Thames and churches and cruises on the Thames.
If that is plenty of things OK - I assume the streets would be open and lights on and said churches would be but besides Ripley's ain't a thing indoors open besides restaurants it seems.
That said I would savour being in London on Christmas Day when there is no traffic much and as someone who loves to walk would revel in the rather ghostly visage of London at rest - except for restos and pubs and a few churches.
If that is plenty of things OK - I assume the streets would be open and lights on and said churches would be but besides Ripley's ain't a thing indoors open besides restaurants it seems.
That said I would savour being in London on Christmas Day when there is no traffic much and as someone who loves to walk would revel in the rather ghostly visage of London at rest - except for restos and pubs and a few churches.
