London

Atmosphere: 🎄🎄🎄🎄

London, like New York, is depicted in a handful of Christmas media as being a cozy and picturesque place to spend the holidays. While it still is very much London, the city’s Christmas highlights uphold its reputation.

The major avenues and winding streets of central London are strung up with Christmas lights and decorations. Though the city is ordinarily quite bright, the Christmas lights do stand out and make it seem even more special. From Piccadilly Circus to Leicester Square, there are decorations galore, as well as in other major touristy parts of the city (I’m sure).

The main Christmas attraction here is Hyde Park Winter Wonderland. For a admission fee of 5 to 10 euros (depending on peak/off-peak hours), you get access to a fairground constructed in Hyde Park, complete with rides, games, food, live music, and so much more. It’s a bit overwhelming, it’s a spectacle, and it’s not to be missed. The city also has various Christmas markets in the major areas of Central London (Borough Market, Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square, etc.) which are festive and well-done.

Food: 🥘🥘🥘🥘🥘

Think of any kind of cuisine you can. London has that culture’s Christmas food. The variety and choice selection is endless and impressive. Quality is usually pretty high, too. A particular shoutout to the cinnamon buns in Hyde Park, which were absolutely incredible.

Crafts: 🛠️🛠️🛠️

Surprisingly, the crafts were not up to par with the food in London. I think the major focus on the fair/carnival theme made it so the predominant stalls were all games or food. Many stores were outfitted with Christmas decor, but I don’t count these, as they exist both before and after the markets.

Affordability: 💶💶💶💶

London is known to be an expensive city, but especially with the exchange rate, you’re going to spend a lot here. 5 to 6 euros for a drink, 8 to 12 for a snack, and much more for proper food. At the Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, prices are even more inflated (and expect 6 to 7 euros per person per attraction/ride, too).

Extras: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Though Hyde Park Winter Wonderland isn’t a permanent installation, London goes all-out for it. The rides, the performances, the music, the spectacle…they’re all worthy of celebration. For this market alone, London gets full marks. Seriously. All manner of carnival games. Bumper cars. Roller coasters. Haunted houses. VR adventures.

Overall: 🎅🏼🎅🏼🎅🏼🎅🏼

Though the actual Christmas markets are rather confined, London is peak Christmas. The spirit of the season is present in every shop and every restaurant in the city center, and the decorations are sublime. It’s a cliche Christmas destination for a reason, and it is not to be missed.