Patrick

In other words, m_kingdom you could have answered the original post with "There is nothing unusual about the crowds during Christmas except in shops". Wouldn't that have been easier and more polite?

Scarlett

Ann,
I lived in NYC and always enjoyed thte crowds and bustle of the holiday season..and I would jump at the chance to spend Christmas time in London. Those shoppers and party goers will just add to the merry atmosphere. You might have to book things more in advance, restaurants etc, but that is not difficult.
I think it would be a great way to add a little difference to a Holiday always spent the same way- for us it has always been home with children, I would go and let the children meet us there
Do it!!!

Kate_W

I've lived in London and New York, and the main shopping streets in London were much crazier than NYC at Christmas. I recall that Oxford Street was as crowded as a rock concert - a complete sea of people. However, it's relatively easy to move around on streets that run parallel to the jam-packed thoroughfares. Hotels in popular areas will also be jammed (even on weekdays) but again, you should be able to find accommodation a little further away. One thing to avoid, however, is trying to travel anywhere on Christmas Day or Boxing Day. All public transportation (and I mean all of it - tube, buses, trains - everything) stops on Christmas Day, and most of it stops on Boxing Day. So leave by Christmas Eve, or be prepared to stay put for the next few days.

earl30

hey, ann, what do you mean "like NYC it's not the best time to go? it is the best time to be in NYC!!
i can't believe that just like Manhattan, London isn't busier and more crowded during that time period than the rest of the winter, regardless of what the rude poster who seems intent on picking a fight says.

JimF

For the past two years we have visited London during the Christmas season, first the week before and last year the week after Christmas. We thoroughly enjoyed both, but if you are into the "whirl" that accompanies getting ready for Christmas, the week prior is a great time, IMO.

It's crowded in the stores, of course. We live in Houston and it's mobbed here as all major cities, but there is a tremendous charm to a New York or London where the focus is in the city, and the bumping and noise are all part of the experience. In a typical shopping mall it's just bumping and noise, but in London, with its traffic, wet streets, bright lights, pushing people, it made for a great experience for us.

Yes, London is insanely busy the week before Christmas, but if you love the city, as we do, I highly recommend it.

Jim

Patrick

I've been trying to figure something out. If the stores are indeed very crowded at that time -- more than usual, how is it possible that the tube, the streets, and the sidewalks aren't more busy than usual? How do all those extra people get to and from the stores without causing the rest of the city to be more busy than usual? It's a puzzle.

TopMan

Patrick, the ONLY "puzzle" is why you continually give this person the time of day, internet fame, or whatever you want to call it...please stop feeding the monster and it will probably shrivel up and die!

Tulips

It most definitely IS busy in London, particularly in shopping areas. Oxford Street and Regent Street are absolutely crowded. When I lived in London I tried to get my shopping done before Dec. 1st to avoid this.
However, I do like the atmosphere of London that time of the year. If you do not plan to go shopping, you will have a great time.

SiobhanP

Hi Ann,

As you know what it gets like that time of the year in Belfast (Dublin as well) its will be 10 times busier. Saying that it can be a fun time and nice if there is a bit of snow.

Don't worry about the office parties, they book out places so they won't just be hanging in a regular bar or pub all night.

Go see the sights and have a ball. Anyway the daytime should not be too insane if it's a work week.

as usual ignore the ejits!

flanneruk

Barbara is absolutely right.

The poster has asked an absurdly vague question. And it's perverse for people to focus on one tart - but accurate -reply.

Given that Ann41 seems reluctant to tell us what she's thinking of going to London for, virtually any answer's guesswork.

In the week beginning Dec 20, parts of London are busier than usual for the first few days.Those parts include the main shopping streets during the day , the areas round the main West End and City bars at night, and the packaged, "Les Mis" style shows.

Other parts of London get a lot less busy. Museums and galleries are close to deserted, but stay more or less fully open till (and including) Dec 23. Serious theatres aren't especially full. Non-seasonal concerts are emptier than usual. Speciality and heavy-goods shops are close to unpatronised. London in total starts emptying from Dec 17, as many people head off to warmer, softer-currency or rural holiday destinations. Most of London's core industries - finance, administration and global deal-brokering - really wind down from Dec 17, and foreign business visitors are pretty thin on the ground for that and the following week.

Some bits of the transport system, especially round Oxford St, and especially at lunchtime and early evening, are busier than usual: most of the system is actually a great deal less crowded than usual. The railway stations catering to the "quick trip to Town" crowd living within the 100 miles radius that really defines London these days are unpleasant during the very extended evening rush-hour (from 1530 to 2200), but fine the rest of the day. Hotels are generally emptier. By Dec 23 and 24, even the shops are close to empty, except for a few honey-pots for the feckless and affluent. Tiffanys, for example, is chaos on Dec 23 as all the boys and girls in the financial-services industry snap up the £1000 bracelets.

A couple of years ago I spent most of that week in New York, then went back to London to finish the Christmas preparations off. London felt like a ghost town by comparison.

But then I wouldn't go to an office-party pub and then on to "Rod Stewart: The Musical" then, or at any other time of the year.

mamc

I was there on business two weeks before Christmas last year. It was nearly impossible to walk on Regent Street - the sidewalks were packed. The stores were crowded but the museums and other sights weren't. I did a fair amount of Christmas shopping in the gift shop of the Victoria and Albert. The weather wasn't at all bad. The city looked beautiful and quite festive. All in all, not a bad time to be in London! Enjoy!

Patrick

TopMan, no there is an even bigger puzzle. It is why you find it necessary to constantly badger me about badgering another poster? Is there a difference? You entertain yourself the way you want to, and I'll entertain myself the way I want to, OK? Obviously you get as much enjoyment out of commenting on my comments as I get in commenting on m_kingdom's comments.

Ann41

To those of you who answered my question, thank you so much. You have been very helpful. Siobhan--You're absolutely right. I think I was blocking out what Belfast is like coming up to Christmas. Completely insane. But think we'll still hit London anyway.

The last time I was in NYC around Christmas, the sidewalks were so crowded that I literally had to walk in the street most of the time. I loved the atmosphere, but not the crowds.

flanneruk--are you looking for a minute-by-minute itinerary? I wasn't aware that I needed to explain my motivations for going to London to get an answer to my question. Here is my ground-breaking relevation: We're going to London to explore. I've been there several times, but I'm usually wandering around by myself while my husband is working. Neither of us like to plan exactly what we're going to do, just decide in the morning what we're in the mood to do, or wander around the city and enjoy ourselves.