London at Christmas
Oct 8th, 2006, 02:14 PM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 45
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
London at Christmas
We will be travelling to London on December 22 with mid-day arrival at Heathrow on December 23. Any suggestions regarding Christmas Eve/Christmas Day itinerary or meals? We would like something festive for Christmas dinner.
Also, we've heard that Boxing Day is a good day to take a day trip, as many things in the city are shut down. Do you agree?
Also, we've heard that Boxing Day is a good day to take a day trip, as many things in the city are shut down. Do you agree?
Oct 8th, 2006, 02:28 PM
#2
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 19,881
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
On Boxing Day public transport is very limited and, just like London, many places will be closed. You'll have to check each place you'd want to visit and see if it's open & accessible.
As for Christmas Day, I presume you already know that there's no public transport (except to/from airports) & taxi's are limited so anywhwre you go to eat must, realistically be walking distance form where you are staying.
Oh and most places don't do Christas Dinner on Christmas Day - they do Christmas Lunch which will be, in several sittings, between about midday & 4:00pm.
As for Christmas Day, I presume you already know that there's no public transport (except to/from airports) & taxi's are limited so anywhwre you go to eat must, realistically be walking distance form where you are staying.
Oh and most places don't do Christas Dinner on Christmas Day - they do Christmas Lunch which will be, in several sittings, between about midday & 4:00pm.
Oct 8th, 2006, 02:29 PM
#3
If you want to talk about "shut down" - you are talking about Christams Day. No transport (buses or tube) at all. Your best bet for Christmas lunch/dinner is at your hotel or at one of the few ethnic restaurants open if you can find one w/i walking distance. Where are you staying?
On Boxing Day some things are closed - but quite a few are open. And some dept stores start their after Xmas sales on the 26th. W/ Christmas Eve being a Sunday - many things normally open may be closed this year
So you will have two awfully quiet days (24th and definitely the 25th) so you might not want to leave town on Boxing Day afterall . . . .
On Boxing Day some things are closed - but quite a few are open. And some dept stores start their after Xmas sales on the 26th. W/ Christmas Eve being a Sunday - many things normally open may be closed this year
So you will have two awfully quiet days (24th and definitely the 25th) so you might not want to leave town on Boxing Day afterall . . . .
Oct 8th, 2006, 04:15 PM
#7
You are pretty much going to have to walk. There are a VERY few cabs working that day but not many. At any of the mid range hotels count on spending about £75 - £100 or more per person. And at the high end properties you are looking at maybe £200 pp. I don't personally know about restaurants near Sloane Sq doing Christmas lunch, except for the Bluebird Brasserie which isn't all that special and it runs about £50. Maybe someone else will give you some ideas.
If you are in a private home - I'd bring in prepared Christmas dinner fixings and eat in,. Then go for a long walk afterwards. About the only time you can see London Traffic-free.
If you are in a private home - I'd bring in prepared Christmas dinner fixings and eat in,. Then go for a long walk afterwards. About the only time you can see London Traffic-free.
Oct 8th, 2006, 04:29 PM
#9
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 425
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Le Cercle, near sloane square should be open christmas day, or at least it was two years ago. email them and find out
[email protected]
[email protected]
Oct 8th, 2006, 06:03 PM
#11
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 45
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Is it worth it to try and get to Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's, The Savoy, that sort of thing? I know the cost of the meal is extremely pricey, but if this is our only Christmas ever in London (and I don't know if I mentioned this, but it's my husband and I and our fourteen year old daughter) is this kind of venue worth it? I'm not opposed to cooking/bringing in if that is doable given that we don't even arrive until mid-day on December 23.
I have looked at the proposed menu's for Christmas Day and they look wonderful from an adult's standpoint, I'm just not sure if they are worth the effort/money and if our daughter will enjoy the experience.
Any thoughts?
I have looked at the proposed menu's for Christmas Day and they look wonderful from an adult's standpoint, I'm just not sure if they are worth the effort/money and if our daughter will enjoy the experience.
Any thoughts?
Oct 8th, 2006, 06:51 PM
#13
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 45
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
We would spring for this if it meant that we would have a memorable (and I mean memorable!) Christmas meal....but it sounds like there are other options....cooking at home, ethnic restaurants that might be a ton of fun-any thoughts? Any specific recommendations for food venues that I could go to on December 23 and pick things up?
Oct 8th, 2006, 07:27 PM
#14
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 2,683
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
There is a very nice grocery store in Sloane Square called Partridges. I would expect that they would have a lot of good preprepared things that you could buy and have a very nice meal.
Otherwise, I would suggest eating ethnic food. A fodorite friend was in London last year for Christmas and they had a great meal at a Lebanese Restuarant. Here is the link to her trip report: http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34730329.
We often go away for Thanksgiving so have eaten many Thanksgiving meals in a restuarant. I personally would not pick a big holiday like Thanksgiving or Christmas to do my "splurge" meal, as you may end up disappointed. Often the menus are very limited, and service can be poor as they are trying to feed tons of people in a short amount of time.
Otherwise, I would suggest eating ethnic food. A fodorite friend was in London last year for Christmas and they had a great meal at a Lebanese Restuarant. Here is the link to her trip report: http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34730329.
We often go away for Thanksgiving so have eaten many Thanksgiving meals in a restuarant. I personally would not pick a big holiday like Thanksgiving or Christmas to do my "splurge" meal, as you may end up disappointed. Often the menus are very limited, and service can be poor as they are trying to feed tons of people in a short amount of time.
Oct 9th, 2006, 04:15 AM
#16
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 1,034
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hi!
Our family was in London last year from 25 December to 1 January. Thank you, jgg, for bringing up the link to our report!
As for dinner, we really liked Noura Brasserie. Our meal was excellent and the price reasonable for Christmas Day - many places were charging 100-200 £ per person which was more than we wanted to spend. However, if you are looking for a very special Christmas Dinner, this may not be the place for you. Christmas is not a holiday for us so we were just looking for a good meal near our hotel. I do agree with jgg, however, that sometimes those special meals (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Eve) can be disappointing or not worth it. But that is me - if you have your
set on a special London dinner, then go for it!!
As for Boxing Day, much is still closed, but there are options within London - just check the hours of places and work your itinerary around what is open. It would be a great day for a pantomime! We went to a football match that day which was tons of fun, but we are fans and both our boys play.
As for a daytrip on Boxing Day, that may be a good idea. I guess it would depend where you went and if you made sure wherever you were going was open - it isn't just London that is shut down for Boxing Day as it is a national holiday. There are probably more things open in London, but, again, it depends what you were thinking of as an alternative.
Feel fee to ask any other questions. I hope I can be of help. Happy travels!
Our family was in London last year from 25 December to 1 January. Thank you, jgg, for bringing up the link to our report!
As for dinner, we really liked Noura Brasserie. Our meal was excellent and the price reasonable for Christmas Day - many places were charging 100-200 £ per person which was more than we wanted to spend. However, if you are looking for a very special Christmas Dinner, this may not be the place for you. Christmas is not a holiday for us so we were just looking for a good meal near our hotel. I do agree with jgg, however, that sometimes those special meals (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Eve) can be disappointing or not worth it. But that is me - if you have your
set on a special London dinner, then go for it!!As for Boxing Day, much is still closed, but there are options within London - just check the hours of places and work your itinerary around what is open. It would be a great day for a pantomime! We went to a football match that day which was tons of fun, but we are fans and both our boys play.
As for a daytrip on Boxing Day, that may be a good idea. I guess it would depend where you went and if you made sure wherever you were going was open - it isn't just London that is shut down for Boxing Day as it is a national holiday. There are probably more things open in London, but, again, it depends what you were thinking of as an alternative.
Feel fee to ask any other questions. I hope I can be of help. Happy travels!
Oct 9th, 2006, 05:28 AM
#17
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 36,842
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I'm not sure what the big deal is about no transport. There are dozens of car services in London and last year I noticed lots of people being dropped off at various places by these services. You might want to call a few days ahead to book one, but I can't imagine that it's that big a problem.
I use Swiss Cottage Cars 020 7431 2700, which is actually a conglomeration of more car services with drivers and their own cars. I don't think most of their drivers celebrate Christmas.
Last year we had a very nice Christmas dinner (despite it being a buffet) at the Chesterfield Mayfair Hotel.
Interestingly when we contacted Noura Brasserie just a few weeks before Christmas (because someone here had suggested it) they didn't know exactly what they were doing for Christmas or the price. Glad to know it was nice afterall, fun4all4.
Chinatown in bustling on Christmas Day. We had a nice lunch there on Christmas.
My personal take on doing an extravagant dinner like Gordon Ramsey is that the service is likely NOT to be as good on a big holiday and they'll charge even more. I'd be more tempted to do that splurge meal on another day.
I see that on Boxing Day we did fish and chips lunch at Harry Ramsden (near Picadilly) and we had a great dinner that night at Boulevard Brasserie in Covent Garden. There were MANY places open on Boxing Day! We also saw two shows on Boxing Day -- both half price from TKTS. So I see no reason to think you have to leave town on that day. In fact it was delightful as there was so little traffic in the city.
By the way, I'd highly recommend Maggie Jones off Kensington High Street -- where we did Christmas Eve dinner. It is wonderfully atmospheric and seems so "perfect" for a traditional British meal. We had hoped for that on Christmas, but they were going to be closed so we booked Christmas Eve (after an early candlelight Carol concert at Royal Albert Hall).
I use Swiss Cottage Cars 020 7431 2700, which is actually a conglomeration of more car services with drivers and their own cars. I don't think most of their drivers celebrate Christmas.
Last year we had a very nice Christmas dinner (despite it being a buffet) at the Chesterfield Mayfair Hotel.
Interestingly when we contacted Noura Brasserie just a few weeks before Christmas (because someone here had suggested it) they didn't know exactly what they were doing for Christmas or the price. Glad to know it was nice afterall, fun4all4.
Chinatown in bustling on Christmas Day. We had a nice lunch there on Christmas.
My personal take on doing an extravagant dinner like Gordon Ramsey is that the service is likely NOT to be as good on a big holiday and they'll charge even more. I'd be more tempted to do that splurge meal on another day.
I see that on Boxing Day we did fish and chips lunch at Harry Ramsden (near Picadilly) and we had a great dinner that night at Boulevard Brasserie in Covent Garden. There were MANY places open on Boxing Day! We also saw two shows on Boxing Day -- both half price from TKTS. So I see no reason to think you have to leave town on that day. In fact it was delightful as there was so little traffic in the city.
By the way, I'd highly recommend Maggie Jones off Kensington High Street -- where we did Christmas Eve dinner. It is wonderfully atmospheric and seems so "perfect" for a traditional British meal. We had hoped for that on Christmas, but they were going to be closed so we booked Christmas Eve (after an early candlelight Carol concert at Royal Albert Hall).
Oct 9th, 2006, 06:51 AM
#18
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 45
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
To fun4all4, I attempted to reply to your travel journal yesterday. It seems that time of year and age of child(ren) with re: to your trip almost mirrors our circumstances.
As for Boxing Day, I thought to send my husband on an Evan/Evans Boxing Day tour to Warwick Castle, as my daughter and I need to collect a friend who will be flying into Heathrow mid-day.
As for car services, do you recommend that I call in advance in order to guarantee that we can get back and forth from Heathrow successfully?
As for Boxing Day, I thought to send my husband on an Evan/Evans Boxing Day tour to Warwick Castle, as my daughter and I need to collect a friend who will be flying into Heathrow mid-day.
As for car services, do you recommend that I call in advance in order to guarantee that we can get back and forth from Heathrow successfully?
Oct 9th, 2006, 06:54 AM
#19
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 45
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
NeoPatrick:
Thanks for all the recommendations. Another question- it looks like you attended Royal Albert Hall on Christmas Eve- they have a service in the afternoon and evening of candles/carols. Would you recommend that over Westminster Abbey? They have a lessons/carols service at approximately 4 p.m., but no tickets, so we would spend a good deal of time, I imagine, waiting to get in.
Thanks for all the recommendations. Another question- it looks like you attended Royal Albert Hall on Christmas Eve- they have a service in the afternoon and evening of candles/carols. Would you recommend that over Westminster Abbey? They have a lessons/carols service at approximately 4 p.m., but no tickets, so we would spend a good deal of time, I imagine, waiting to get in.
Oct 9th, 2006, 07:05 AM
#20
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 36,842
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I'm not very "religious" so maybe not the person to compare. But we loved the concert at Royal Albert Hall. I don't remember the time -- I'm thinking it was around 4:30 or 5PM. There was another one later also.
By the way we also LOVED the Viennese style New Year's Eve Concert at the Barbican if you're still in London then.
Regarding car service -- I usually call about a week before going to set up to and from Heathrow if using Swiss Cottage Cars. Make sure you have your exact flight information including flight number and exact address of where you are going. If doing that I'd also then ask about how much notice for transportation on Christmas Day.
By the way we also LOVED the Viennese style New Year's Eve Concert at the Barbican if you're still in London then.
Regarding car service -- I usually call about a week before going to set up to and from Heathrow if using Swiss Cottage Cars. Make sure you have your exact flight information including flight number and exact address of where you are going. If doing that I'd also then ask about how much notice for transportation on Christmas Day.
