London in December 2026

Pack from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages for Heathrow, west of the center. They are a long-term average, not a forecast for December 2026.

• Temperature: average high 8.79°C (48°F), average low 3.08°C (38°F).
• Rain: 57.05 mm (about 2.2 inches) on 10.77 days with at least 1 mm.
• Air frost: 7.17 days. That is a freezing air temperature, not snow on the ground.
• Sunshine: 54.96 hours in the month, the lowest total in this Heathrow record.

Sunset in London in December 2026

timeanddate's London table, in local time and including refraction, has sunset at 3:54pm on December 1 (day length 8 hours 11 minutes). The earliest sunset is 3:51pm on December 12 or 13. The winter solstice is at 8:50pm on Monday, December 21: sunrise 8:03am, sunset 3:53pm, day length 7:49:42. On December 31 sunset is 4:00pm. Do outdoor walking in the late morning.

Does it snow in London in December?

Heathrow's table does not list days of snow lying, so this page gives no London snow-day count. UK-wide, the Met Office (last reviewed October 2025) says snow lying averages 3 days in December, 3.3 in January, 3.4 in February and 1.9 in March for 1991–2020, and that snow is more likely in January and February than in December. A white Christmas is one snowflake observed on December 25 at an official station. Snow lying at more than 40 percent of stations at 9am has happened four times since 1960: 1981, 1995, 2009 and 2010. Pack for cold rain, and check the forecast before you travel.

Wear a waterproof hooded jacket, waterproof shoes, a layer you can take off indoors, and a hat, scarf and gloves after dark. The full list is in our guide to what to wear in London.

In December the lights are already on.

Christmas lights

Walk the streets, or take a bus and stay dry. Routes are in our Christmas lights tours guide. The rest of the festive month is in Christmas in London.

Golden Tours Gray Line London runs an open-top night bus with a live English-speaking guide, meeting on Belvedere Road. The operator lists it as a 60 to 90 minute tour and says light traffic can bring it down to 60 to 70 minutes. It is not hop-on hop-off, there is no toilet on board, and the operator says dates can change while the lights schedule is confirmed. It is rated 4.53 from 2,049 reviews, from $41.

If you would rather be inside, Evan Evans Tours describes a luxury coach through the West End lights, with upper and lower decks, and an optional Christmas afternoon tea. The tour-only option is the from-price, $34. Children under 5 are not permitted. The shared-tour maximum on the listing is 51. It is rated 4.45 from 38 reviews.

Winter Wonderland, markets and skating

Hyde Park Winter Wonderland runs November 19, 2026, to January 3, 2027, every day except Christmas Day. The £1 off-peak entry is Monday to Thursday in November only, not a December price. Rides and the rink are in our Winter Wonderland guide. Stall-by-stall dates are in the London Christmas markets guide.

Skate at Somerset House, in the Edmond J. Safra Fountain Court, runs November 11, 2026, to January 10, 2027. Site entry is free; a ticket is required only to skate. Adults are £13 to £28.50 and children £11 to £15, plus £1.50 per ticket, and the site also advertises tickets from £11. Sessions are generally 45 minutes. The rink is closed on December 25. On December 26, sessions start at 12pm and the last starts at 10pm. On December 24 and 31 the last session starts at 5pm. On January 1, sessions start at 12pm. No 2026 Natural History Museum rink was on the museum's visit pages, so that rink is omitted.

December 31, including fireworks and the boats, is in our New Year's Eve in London guide. The open-top night bus below does not run on December 25 or 31.

Concerts in London in December are not on one official calendar. Below are only the dates a venue had published on October 27, 2026. Royal Albert Hall carol dates were not confirmed, so they are left out.

The Nutcracker at the Royal Opera House

The Royal Ballet's Peter Wright production of The Nutcracker is on the Main Stage from December 3, 2026, to January 13, 2027. The performance lasts about 2 hours 10 minutes, including one interval. Tickets are published from £10 to £238. It is suitable for ages 5 and up, and children under 5 are not permitted. The production page lists Thursday 3 December at 7:30pm and Friday 4 December at 12:30pm and 7:00pm. It does not list every date.

Exhibitions open through December

• National Gallery: Renoir and Love runs until January 31, 2027. General admission to the gallery is free. There is a charge for some exhibitions.
• British Museum: the Korea exhibition runs until January 31, 2027. Permanent-collection entry is free. Rooms 33, 33a and 33b (China and South Asia, Amaravati, and Chinese jade) are closed from November 30 to December 11, 2026.

The museums and the street lights are free. All three museums below are closed 24–26 December.

• National Gallery, Sainsbury Wing, Trafalgar Square: free general admission, daily 10am–6pm, Fridays until 9pm. Also closed 1 January. Walk-up is allowed. A free timed ticket is optional.
• Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road: galleries free, 10:00–17:50, last entry 17:30. Weekends and school holidays can mean a queue. A free ticket guarantees entry. The museum publishes no December crowd count.
• British Museum, Great Russell Street: free, 10:00–17:00, Fridays until 20:30. A free ticket is priority entry. Walk-up is allowed. Groups of 10 or more must book.
• Outdoors: the West End lights are free to walk after sunset. Somerset House's courtyard is free. Skating is not.

In England and Wales, Friday 25 December 2026 is Christmas Day. Because the 26th is a Saturday, the substitute Boxing Day bank holiday is Monday 28 December. New Year's Day is Friday 1 January 2027.

Transport on Christmas Day

National Rail runs no services on Christmas Day. Its festive guide covers Thursday 24 December 2026 through Monday 4 January 2027. Many routes finish early on Christmas Eve. The last-train list out of London was not published yet; National Rail said late November or early December. Some routes also finish early on New Year's Eve.

TfL's closures PDF, correct as of Monday 26 October 2026, says the Underground, DLR, Elizabeth line, London Overground and London Trams have no service on Christmas Day and finish earlier than usual on Christmas Eve. That Christmas Day row does not name buses. Check the Journey Planner for last trains.

What is closed

• Large shops over 280 square metres in England and Wales must close on Christmas Day. Small shops, up to and including 280 square metres, may open any day or hour.
• National Gallery, British Museum and Natural History Museum: closed 24–26 December. The National Gallery is also closed on 1 January.
• London Eye: closed on Christmas Day, and closed for maintenance throughout January. Other December hours were not on the page we read.
• Skate at Somerset House: closed on 25 December. On 26 December, sessions start at 12pm and the last starts at 10pm.
• Hyde Park Winter Wonderland: closed on Christmas Day only, so Boxing Day is open, through 3 January 2027.

Boxing Day and the week after

Saturday 26 December is not a second full shutdown. National Rail says most operators have no service, with a very limited service from a small number of operators and the details still to be confirmed.

On the TfL notice, Boxing Day is line by line. The Liberty line and the Lioness line have no service on the entire line. The Elizabeth line row includes the words "No service on the entire line." Other lines are partial. Use the Journey Planner.

From 27 December through 3 January, Dolphin Junction work affects Paddington, including Heathrow. Waterloo is reduced on 27 and 28 December. Greater Anglia's Liverpool Street to Shenfield route is closed for that week, and the Elizabeth line is affected.

The table above compares duration, from-price and reviews.

Walking

See The Sights Tours's 5 hours walk, from $26, is rated 4.97 from 887 reviews. Meet at St Paul's Station Exit 2, beside Caffe Nero at 30 Newgate Street. It ends at Buckingham Palace. You see the City, including St Paul's, the Tower and Tower Bridge, from outside, pay for one Tube ride, then continue through Westminster. Lunch near Tower Hill is extra. No entrance tickets. The group maximum is 25. It is about 5 miles, and not suitable for wheelchairs, prams or guests with mobility difficulties. Cancel at least 24 hours ahead for a full refund. The operator may also cancel for bad weather or too few travelers.

Top Sights Tours Group LLC's 5 hours walk meets at The Ritz, Piccadilly, and ends at King William Street. Rated 4.85 from 2,692 reviews, from $65. The listing says a group of 10 to 20 and a shared maximum of 40. Buckingham Palace, Westminster, the South Bank and the Tower are seen from outside, and you pay your own Tube fare. The operator says the 10am tour can see Changing of the Guard on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. That is the listing, not the official Guard calendar. The same listing marks the tour wheelchair accessible and says the walking is moderate.

After dark

Evan Evans Tours's 90 minutes open-top night bus leaves Green Park Station (Stop H). From October to March the listed departures are 7:30pm and 9:20pm, live-guided in English, with seats first come, first served and a shared maximum of 60. The route includes Kensington: the Royal Albert Hall, the Natural History Museum and Harrods, seen from the bus. There are no tours on December 25 or December 31. It is rated 4.30 from 1,106 reviews, from $42.

Do not count on any of these tours on Christmas Day. If the walk includes a Tube ride, avoid Christmas Eve, when the Underground finishes early.