Few cities do the Christmas lights better than London. This guide covers the best Christmas installations in London, including lights, decorations, window displays, and how best to see them all.
By: Paul Healy | Last Updated: | Comments & Questions
The London Christmas lights are a big celebration in a town that loves entertaining.
While the scent of roasted chestnuts wafts in the air, grand architecture comes alive under the twinkling of dazzling lights.
Mark and I have spent Christmas in various European cities and concluded that nowhere does Christmas lights quite like London.
If you’re travelling from abroad, you won’t be disappointed by London’s festive atmosphere.
Several of the best Christmas lights are centrally located within easy walking distance of each other. We’ve put together a London Christmas Lights self-guided walking tour so you can see them all with a follow-along map.
IN THIS GUIDE
CHRISTMAS LIGHTS IN LONDON
Use these links to navigate to the sections in this article. Click the arrow in the bottom left to jump back to the top. Questions? Leave them in the comments.
LONDON CHRISTMAS LIGHTS MAP
All the beautiful Christmas Lights on our list are in central London, except for Kew Gardens. The map below shows all the lights and window displays in this guide.
The lights are a great thing to do in London on Christmas Day when most other things are shut.
USING OUR MAPS. Click on the top right corner to open in the Google Maps app. Click on the star to save to your Google account.
BEST CHRISTMAS STREETS & SQUARES IN LONDON
OXFORD STREET
Oxford Street is the retail capital of London. Thousands of brilliant white stars form a canopy over the longest shopping strip in Europe.
This is one of the most popular Christmas Lights, with an estimated 1 million people visiting daily. The lights are turned off at 11 p.m. to save power, so we recommend going around 10:30 pm to avoid the crowds.
It’s not unusual for Oxford Circus Tube station to be closed due to overcrowding. If this is the case, your best option is to walk up to Tottenham Court Road or Bond Street Stations; both are around a 7-minute walk away.
NEW BOND STREET
New Bond Street is rapidly becoming the top destination for Christmas lights, and we recommend visiting it on our London Christmas itinerary.
Bond Street has partnered with Chanel this year, featuring their iconic NO°5 perfume bottle.
The highlight is usually the Cartier store, which has adorned its facade with stunning window displays.
Chanel, Christian Dior, and Piaget have great decorations just along the street.
Pro Tip – New Bond Street becomes increasingly crowded every year. We suggest going as soon as the sun goes down or as late as possible.
SAVILE ROW
Savile Row, the home of bespoke tailoring, has adorned its famed street with a Christmas nod to its industry.
Golden sheers cut through a glittering swathe of fabric to mark the festive season. The display includes 5,154 low-energy LED lights, and the decorations are printed on 100% recycled plastic.
If you find the crowds of New Bond Street too much, Saville Row is just around the corner, and you’ll probably have it all to yourself.
REGENT STREET
The tradition of Christmas lights in London began in Regent Street in 1954.
Today, 16 “spirits” with a 17-meter wingspan cover the street with a canopy of 300,000 twinkling lights. It’s one of London’s most famous Christmas streets, and the display is magical.
The same lights have been on display every year we’ve been going to the Christmas lights, and it just wouldn’t be the same if they changed them. So, hopefully, they don’t!
The decorations stretch from Langham Place to Waterloo Place, with smaller displays connecting some side streets.
The best section is between Oxford Circus and Piccadilly Circus. If you only want to see one street, this is it.
CARNABY STREET
Carnaby Street always brings a bit of bling to Christmas.
For 2023, we saw Carnaby Universe, a vibrant display of neon and light waves covering the street.
This year, they have gone with a more subtle approach, using 60,000 LEDs in geometric shapes that perform a regular light display.
It’s not as attention-grabbing as previous years, but it’s worth a look.
PICCADILLY
The lights of Piccadilly feature dramatic large-scale figures of Anteros, the Greek god of god of requited love. A statue of Anteros has stood in Piccadilly Circus since 1893.
The winged canopy of lights is one of the most impressive in the city.
With old-school London glamour and some of the most prestigious addresses in the city, Piccadilly is great to stroll down any time of year.
At Christmas, it’s a little more magical.
SEVEN DIALS
The central focal point at Seven Dials is a column bearing six sundials. Unfortunately, it was an early commission before the present 7-road junction was completed.
At Christmas, this error of civic planning is adorned with giant wispy star of lights. It’s a whimsical Christmas display in one of our favourite parts of London.
Wander off in every direction from Seven Dials to get a taste of some of the best of secret London. You’ll find concept stores, independent restaurants, and hidden squares.
Our London itinerary covers Seven Dials and Covent Garden, which might be helpful when planning your trip.
COVENT GARDEN
Covent Garden’s feature piece is the huge Christmas tree with 30,000 red and white twinkling lights. Behind the tree, 40 giant bells and 12 huge baubles with spinning mirror balls decorate the North and South Halls.
Central Avenue at Covent Garden houses one of the best Christmas markets in London.
Around the plaza, the outdoor dining spots provide a cool spot to hang out. There’s plenty of mulled wine, hot chocolate, and wine bars with cosy interiors.
For more details, please read our guide to Christmas at Covent Garden.
TRAFALGAR SQUARE
Every year since 1947, Norway has donated the Christmas tree that stands in Trafalgar Square in gratitude to the British people for their support during World War II.
It’s over 20 metres high and selected from the forest surrounding Oslo several months in advance.
The tree is draped in traditional Norwegian lights, which hang vertically, creating a festive atmosphere in front of the Trafalgar Square Christmas market.
This is another very busy part of London over Christmas, so we’d only recommend this if you have the appetite for crowds.
GROSVENOR SQUARE
The Ever After Garden in Grosvenor Square is a memorial to raise funds for the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.
The garden features 20,000 illuminated white roses in the square and is kept dark otherwise, creating a thoughtful atmosphere.
It’s a beautiful memorial and a lovely, quiet place in London over Christmas.
It’s free to enter, but you can honour a loved one with a personal dedication on one of the roses for a £10 donation.
CHRISTMAS WINDOW DECORATIONS & SHOP FRONTS
ANNABEL’S
Annabel’s is a private members club in Mayfair with a magical Christmas façade.
This year, the design features a magical bird in a giant snow globe.
It’s a beautiful Christmas display and one of the highlights of our London Christmas Lights walking route, where you can see many of the central London lights in an easy-to-follow walking guide.
FORTNUM & MASON
Fortnum & Mason has been a favourite of the Royal Family since Queen Victoria’s times.
In the 1730s, Fortnum & Mason started providing picnic baskets to the elite. Today, Fortnum & Mason ships around 120,000 picnic baskets a year.
Each Christmas, they decorate the façade to look like a giant advent calendar, glowing with a passionate red.
Fortnum & Mason is just through Burlington Arcade near Savile Row and New Bond Street.
CHURCHILL ARMS
The Churchill Arms is a local pub in Kensington that spends a cool £25,000 annually decorating its façade with plants.
It adds 80 Christmas trees and 22,000 lights to create an over-the-top display that can’t be missed at Christmas. It’s a fantastic addition to the London Christmas Lights.
We also highly recommend it as a great spot for a festive pint. It’s a busy pub, so it’s usually standing room only; however, it’s worth it because of the wonderfully decorated interior.
Our Tip – The Churchill Arms has an excellent Thai menu that we highly recommend. Booking in advance is essential.
SELFRIDGES
The Selfridges windows have been a tradition of London Christmas since 1909.
The iconic London department store unveils a new and creative Christmas theme each year.
There are 15 windows in total. To see them all, start at the Orchard Street end of the store on Oxford Street and make your way down to Duke Street. Don’t miss the windows around the corner on Duke Street as well.
Selfridges is included on our London Christmas Light DIY walking tour.
EPIC CHRISTMAS DISPLAYS
CHRISTMAS AT KEW GARDENS
Over Christmas, Kew Gardens are illuminated in a state-of-the-art light and sound spectacular.
A light trail transports you from one magic display to the next, with music changing to match the presentation as you walk along.
A hologram display in geometric shapes illuminates the sky. Ingenious technology decorates the footpath with fun Christmas designs.
The highlight is the spectacular sound, light, and water show in front of the grand greenhouse.
Trail Distance – The trail is 3 kilometres long and takes around 2 hours to walk. The route is on pathways, although some places can be slightly uneven. There are plenty of places along the way to stop for refreshments.
Tickets need to be booked in advance.
BATTERSEA POWER STATION
For 2023, Artist David Hockney adorned Battersea Power Station with a captivating Christmas display called “Bigger Christmas Trees.”
In 2024, Wallace and Gromit take centre stage with a massive animation projected onto the chimneys every night from 5 pm to 10:30 pm.
This amazing light show was shot on an iPhone 16 Pro by Aardman, the Academy Award-winning animation studio.
HOW TO SEE THE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS?
ON OUR WALKING TOUR
The best way to see the lights is on our DIY walking route.
The entire walk is 5 kilometres, and it takes you past the most iconic streets and the best lights and decorations.
Visit our London Christmas Lights Route, which contains the full self-guided walking tour and a map of the 2024 highlights.
BY PUBLIC BUS
Another great way to see the Christmas lights is on an iconic double-decker bus.
One of the best bus routes for this is the 139.
Catch the bus from Stop BZ on Orchard Street near Selfridges. It goes down Oxford Street, right onto Regent Street, and past Trafalgar Square.
Next, it goes down the Strand, and we suggest getting off at South Hampton Street to head into Covent Garden.
This great route picks up some of the best lights in central London. When you get off, you might find our guide to Christmas in Covent Garden useful.
ON AN ORGANISED TOUR
The other way to see the lights is on an organised tour. This removes all the hassle; honestly, if you’re not a fan of crowds, this is probably the best way to see them.
Open Top Bus Tour (Get Your Guide) – This well-rated tour includes Oxford Street, Regent Street and Trafalgar Square.
Open Top Bus Tour (Viator) – See the main Christmas Lights plus iconic landmarks, including St Paul’s Cathedral and Buckingham Palace.
MORE GUIDES TO PLAN YOUR LONDON CHRISTMAS
- To plan your trip, start with our 4-day London Christmas Itinerary, a day-by-day walking plan.
- To book your accommodation, read our guide to the best neighbourhoods in London which includes our hotel recommendations.
- Hit the festive spirit with our guide to the best London Christmas Markets.
- Here are all the best places to see the London Christmas lights.
- Our bumper guide to Christmas in London has the best events and things to do.
- Read our guide to Christmas Day in London to see what’s open.
- Soak up the atmosphere with Christmas in Covent Garden.
- Find the best bars, restaurants, igloos and more in our London Christmas guide.
- Take our self-guided walking tour of the London Christmas lights.
- See what’s on in Leicester Square for Christmas.
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Thanks for your support. Paul & Mark
Thank you so much for sharing this blog. Christmas is just around the corner and I am sure that this blog will definitely create a sense of excitement among the people in London. Keep up the good work.