Name: London Christmas Markets
Start: 2026-11-02
End: 2027-01-04
Location: London Christmas Market

Where to find the Christmas markets in London

Christmas markets in London

Queen’s Walk (Southbank Centre Winter Market)

Alpine-style chalets under Hungerford Bridge, between the Royal Festival Hall and Jubilee Gardens: mulled wine, Dutch pancakes, churros, gifts and jewellery. Free access.
Dates
From 2 November to 4 January 2027
Opening hours
Mon-Sun 11am-10pm
All opening hours
Mon-Sun 11am-10pm
25 Dec: closed
31 Dec: closed
Price
Open access
Organiser
Southbank Centre
The craft stalls close at 9pm.
Leicester Square (Christmas in Leicester Square)

Christmas in Leicester Square: market chalets and a Spiegeltent with ticketed shows.

Dates
2026 dates to be announced
Trafalgar Square (Christmas Market)

Small Christmas market under the tree given by Norway.

Dates
2026 dates to be announced
London Bridge City (Winter by the River)

Winter by the River, a market on the banks of the Thames near Hay’s Galleria, from 10 November 2026 to 3 January 2027.
Dates
From 10 November to 3 January 2027
Opening hours
Mon-Sun 11am-10pm
All opening hours
Mon-Sun 11am-10pm
24 Dec: 11am-5pm
25 Dec: closed
31 Dec: 11am-9pm
Price
Open access
Organiser
London Bridge City
Two pop-up bars, including the two-storey The Clubhouse, and glass-covered curling on the London Bridge City pier, by reservation.
Coal Drops Yard (King’s Cross Christmas Market)

Small King’s Cross Christmas market under the West Handyside Canopy.

Dates
2026 dates to be announced
Market Place, Kingston upon Thames

Christmas market outside the centre, in south-west London.

Dates
2026 dates to be announced
Greenwich Market

Permanent covered market of more than 200 artisans’ stalls and shops, dressed for Christmas, with a lantern parade and the lights switch-on.

Dates
Opens on 18 November
Opening hours
Mon-Sun 10am-5.30pm
Price
Free
Organiser
Greenwich Market

Lantern parade on 18 November from 4pm to 4.50pm, then the market lights switch-on at 5pm and celebrations until 6pm.
Hyde Park (Winter Wonderland)

Christmas theme park: more than 150 attractions, rides and shows, a Bavarian Village and rows of chalets on the Market Square. Timed-entry tickets.
Dates
From 19 November to 3 January 2027
Opening hours
Mon-Sun 10am-10pm
All opening hours
Mon-Sun 10am-10pm
19 Nov: 12pm-10pm
20 Nov: 12pm-10pm
23 Nov: 12pm-10pm
24 Nov: 12pm-10pm
25 Nov: 12pm-10pm
26 Nov: 12pm-10pm
27 Nov: 11am-10pm
30 Nov: 12pm-10pm
1 Dec: 2pm-10pm
2 Dec: 12pm-10pm
3 Dec: 11am-10pm
4 Dec: 11am-10pm
7 Dec: 11am-10pm
8 Dec: 11am-10pm
9 Dec: 11am-10pm
10 Dec: 11am-10pm
11 Dec: 11am-10pm
14 Dec: 11am-10pm
15 Dec: 11am-10pm
16 Dec: 11am-10pm
17 Dec: 11am-10pm
18 Dec: 11am-10pm
25 Dec: closed
28 Dec: 11am-10pm
29 Dec: 11am-10pm
30 Dec: 11am-10pm
31 Dec: 11am-10pm
1 Jan: 11am-10pm
Price
≈ €1.19 to 9.84
Entry ticket required from age 2, in one-hour slots between 10am and 8pm. Last entry 9.30pm. Free entry with £25 of online purchases. Rides cost extra.

Highlights of London Christmas Market

Southbank Centre Winter Market on the Queen’s Walk, from 2 November 2026 to 4 January 2027, every day from 11am to 10pm, free access
Alpine chalets on the banks of the Thames: mulled wine, hot cider, Dutch pancakes, churros, jewellery and decorations
Square markets at Leicester Square (with the Spiegeltent), Trafalgar Square under the Norwegian tree, London Bridge, King’s Cross and Kingston
Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park from 19 November 2026 to 3 January 2027: more than 150 attractions, entry from £1 with booking
Covent Garden lights switched on on 12 November 2026, Somerset House ice rink from 11 November 2026 to 10 January 2027
Direct Eurostar from Paris in 2 hr 17 min for most trains, 2 hr 1 min from Brussels

Where to stay near London Christmas Market

Hotels, flats and rooms around the market, for the dates of your stay.

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London Christmas Market in pictures

Des boules rouges et argentées géantes suspendues sous la halle en verre et en fonte de l’Apple Market à Covent Garden, pendant les fêtes de Noël

De grandes cloches dorées nouées de rubans rouges suspendues sous la verrière de Covent Garden Market, avec un sapin au premier plan

Un sapin de Noël décoré devant l’église Saint-Paul et un chariot fleuri de branchages, sur la piazza de Covent Garden un jour de pluie

Une allée de chalets en bois du marché de Noël de Leicester Square, sous les grands arbres de la place, avec les immeubles de Londres en arrière-plan

L’allée des chalets du marché de Noël de Leicester Square sous la pluie, avec le reflet des guirlandes sur le sol mouillé

Le sapin de Noël de Trafalgar Square devant l’église Saint-Martin-in-the-Fields, avec la fontaine au premier plan

Le sapin de Noël illuminé de Trafalgar Square au crépuscule, avec la colonne Nelson et les façades de la place en arrière-plan

Les chalets du marché de Noël de Southbank et les arbres illuminés devant le Royal Festival Hall, de nuit, sur la rive de la Tamise

Specialities to try

The flavours that make this market what it is

The London Christmas market does not exist in the singular: the British capital has no big central market like Vienna or Prague, but a constellation of neighbourhood markets, from chalets along the Thames to the squares of the West End, plus a Christmas theme park in Hyde Park. On the banks of the Thames, the Southbank Centre Winter Market sets up on the Queen’s Walk from 2 November 2026 to 4 January 2027. Winter Wonderland opens from 19 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, with a ticket. The markets at Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square, King’s Cross and Kingston are described further down with their 2025 edition.

2026 dates and opening hours of the Southbank Centre Winter Market

The Southbank Centre market stretches along the Queen’s Walk promenade, under Hungerford Bridge, between the Royal Festival Hall and Jubilee Gardens. It opens every day from 11am to 10pm, the artisans’ stalls until 9pm, from 2 November 2026 to 4 January 2027, and closes on 25 and 31 December. The 2025 season followed the same rhythm, from 3 November 2025 to 4 January 2026. Access is free.

The Alpine-style chalets line up bars, winter street food and gift stalls: jewellery, decorations, fashion. At the counter, mulled wine, hot cider and hot chocolate, Dutch pancakes, churros and cookies. The Southbank Centre, the neighbouring arts centre, runs the market.

The Christmas markets of the West End and the Thames

Winter by the River, at London Bridge City near Hay’s Galleria, returns from 10 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, from 11am to 10pm.

The dates below are those of 2025.

Christmas in Leicester Square set up its chalets and its Spiegeltent, a big top for ticketed shows, from 1 November 2025 to 4 January 2026, from 10am to 10pm. The Trafalgar Square Christmas Market, a small market under the tree given by Norway, opened from 9 November 2025 to 2 January 2026, from 10am to 10pm.

To the north, the King’s Cross Christmas Market shelters under the West Handyside Canopy, at Coal Drops Yard: from 27 November to 22 December 2025, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 12pm to 7pm, Thursdays and Fridays from 12pm to 8pm, at weekends from 11am to 6pm. To the south-west, outside the centre, the Kingston upon Thames market occupied the Market Place from 13 November to 28 December 2025, closed on 25 December.

Covent Garden, Greenwich and the Somerset House ice rink

Covent Garden switches on its lights on Thursday 12 November 2026: more than 300,000 lights and a British tree on the West Piazza, for seven weeks of festivities. Under the giant bells of the Market Building, craft and gift stalls set up for the season.

Greenwich Market is a permanent covered market of more than 200 artisans’ stalls and shops that dresses up for Christmas; in 2026, the lantern parade and the switching on of the lights take place on 18 November. The courtyard of Somerset House hosts its ice rink from 11 November 2026 to 10 January 2027, with gift shops.

Winter Wonderland, the Christmas park in Hyde Park

Hyde Park Winter Wonderland is not a market but a seasonal theme park: more than 150 attractions, rides and shows, an ice rink, a circus, and rows of chalets in the Bavarian Village and the Market Square. It opens from 19 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, every day except 25 December, with an entry ticket booked in advance: £1 off-peak, £5.50 standard, £8.25 peak. Our Winter Wonderland listing details opening hours, tickets and the park’s gates.

Getting to the London Christmas markets

The train is the simplest way in from Paris: Eurostar links Paris to London in 2 hr 17 min and 2 hr 16 min from London to Paris for most of its trains, 2 hr 37 min at most. From Brussels, the direct journey takes 2 hr 1 min. By air, several airlines link the London airports with France, Belgium and Switzerland: compare flights when you book.

In the city, the Southbank Centre, Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square and Somerset House are less than 1.5 km from one another, on either side of the Thames. Winter by the River is downstream, at London Bridge; King’s Cross to the north; Greenwich, Kingston and Hyde Park are further from the centre.

The Budapest Christmas market opens on St Stephen’s Square from 13 November 2026 to 1 January 2027, with around a hundred Hungarian artisans.
The Prague Christmas market and the Vienna Christmas market are the two other great Advent capitals within reach for a weekend.
In Portugal, the Lisbon Christmas market pairs the chalets of the Rossio with the Wonderland Lisboa funfair.

Our tip

Take the train: Eurostar takes 2 hr 17 min from Paris to London for most of its trains. For Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square and the other squares, reread the dates before you go; those of the Southbank Centre Winter Market are in this listing. For Winter Wonderland, book your entry slot in advance: off-peak slots cost £1.

Reviewed and approved by the editorial team

Information checked against 10 official sources. Detailed sources available on request.

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