Linda

My family and I have an opportunity to visit London from December 25 thru January 2. A friend has told me this is a terrible time to go...bad weather, attractions closed for the holidays, etc. If anyone out there has visited London during this time of the year, I'd appreciate your insights.<BR><BR>Thanks!<BR>Linda

janis

I lived in the UK for 5 years and visit frequently - and I LOVE the holiday season in London. Yes - many things are closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years. But the theatres have special shows (Pantos), there are many fabulous concerts, special church services, wonderful holiday decorations, and chestnut roasters on every corner.<BR><BR>True - the days are short and can be wet/cold. But hey - it is Winter after all. You will not see gorgeous gardens or long warm evenings like in the summer - but London at Christmas is a lovely experience. <BR><BR>All of the tourist attractions will be open between the two holidays.

Darlene

I'm living in the UK right now, and we spent Christmas Eve 23-24 in London this past year. If it's a great deal I would go for it, otherwise I would wait for a better time. The decorations on Oxford Street and Harrods are nice to see, but not like the outrageously decorated streets and stores (some might say overdone)we are accostomed to in the US. The stores don't have their sales until mid January, so there won't be any last minute shopping deals like the states. We went to see the decorations at Kew gardens, and found them very understated. Plus we froze our A--es off out there. There were special shows, but we were surprised to find the Nutcracker was finished by the week prior to Christmas. By the way did you know it gets dark at about 5:00pm.<BR>We did go to a couple of really nice museums, but we could have done that anytime. Overall, the English take their bank holidays very serious. There aren't tons of things open, there are laws on trading hours on holidays (We couldn't get into Marks and SPensers at 5minutes to 5pm on boxing day). Everything was shut down.<BR>Not that all of this is terrible, its just that this time of year is a special time for family and friends in the UK. Not for people out and about. Since we didn't have family here, or many friends, we were sorry we didn't go home.

melissa

I spent 2 1/2 weeks with family and friends in London last Christmas and New Years and loved it. We actually had decent weather. Cold, but very little heavy rain. We loved shopping...the decorations were beautiful, especially in the shopping arcades off Picadilly (Burlington and Princes Arcades)and in Fortnum & Mason. I also know London Walks does some special holiday-themed walking tours during the holidays. Despite attractions being closed on the days Janis listed, we were able to see everything we wanted to.

go go go

Go Go Go<BR><BR>We had a fabulous holiday two years ago though we did something a bit different. We found ourselves in York for xmas. We checked into a smallish hotel which provided us with activities, companionship, lively dinner conversation and the York Minster. York was lovely to walk around on xmas day with virtually no one else in sight. We would, and will, do it again in a flash. I can't imagine not being able to find some similar opportunity in London. We actually went to London from York and stayed in the city from the 27th through Jan 5. With a little bit of planning, we were able to do everything on our list--including the Tower of London, Ceremony of the Keys, walking tours (including a seasonal Charles Dickens London WalK), the British Museum, shopping, theatre, etc. So, find yourselves a smallish hotel and sink into the holiday spirit. If you find the right one, they will keep you happy and content during the bank holidays when everything else is closed.<BR><BR>