Christmas in London 2011

Discover all the festive fun of London this Christmas with Eurostar. With its traditional decorations and fashion boutiques, London is the perfect place for Christmas shopping and getting yourself in the merry mood this December. From eccentric and traditional window displays to burlesque pantomimes and performances, not to mention the miles and miles of colourful Christmas lights festooning the city, discover all the joys and excesses of a Christmas holiday in London.

At Christmas London is so much more than just a city; for window shopping aficionados it becomes a place of pilgrimage, with Oxford Street, Regent Street and Bond Street all decorated for the occasion and lit up with a million and one Christmas lights. What’s more, as well as Christmas shopping, London also offers plenty of other yuletide activities, from the panto horses of Dick Whittington and Puss in Boots to the panting hordes swamping the shops on Christmas Eve, so you’re sure to find what you’re looking for.

So British

- In November Harrods is transformed into a veritable Christmas cracker, covered in decorations and lights and fit to bursting with presents. Visitors come from all over to witness “the most beautiful shop windows in the world”.

- The famous Selfridges on Oxford Street is home to the “Santa Express”, which lets children and adults alike take a tour of Santa’s grotto.

- Hamleys was founded in 1760 and has been located on Regent Street since 1881. It’s made up of seven floors exclusively dedicated to toys and has got everything to satisfy kids from ages 1 to 100.

- At this time of year, for the brave among you, London hosts several ice rinks throughout the city. One of the most popular and well known is in the centre of the city at Somerset House, where you’ll find a beautiful rink illuminated with torches and fairy lights.

So Crazy

Of course, London just wouldn’t be the same without the odd dose of extravagance…

- South of the Thames, Canary Wharf is one of the most visited areas in the city, with three shopping centres housing over 200 shops.

- In Covent Garden, both kids and adults can take part in the Great Christmas Pudding Race. Costumed participants must take each other on in a relay race, with Christmas puddings taking the place of batons. All the money raised goes to Cancer Research UK.

- The Peter Pan Christmas Race, named thus by Sir James Barry in 1904, takes place on Christmas Day itself every year in Hyde Park. The 100 yard swimming race has been running every year since 1864 and is organised by the Serpentine Swimming Club.


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