London at Christmas

What a magical time to visit London—at Christmas!

Last December I had a short overnight stopover in London before an early morning flight back to the States. Despite the cost and hassle to travel to and from Heathrow airport for such a brief visit, I still wanted to stay in the heart of the city to see their spectacular Christmas lights. To make every minute count, I pre-booked a 7pm guided walking tour that would lead me through the most festive displays on Oxford Street, Covent Garden and Regent Street. And chose a hotel nearby in Piccadilly Circus.

Transportation

But as luck would have it, my flight into London was delayed 2 hours. Instead of arriving at 3:30, I landed at 5:30pm. Fully aware it would take awhile to reach the city and my hour was in an hour, I ran to the train terminal, bought my ticket (£16) and barely caught what turned out to be the LAST express train into the city. The express train was definitely the way to go! Fifteen minutes later I arrived at the end of the line, Paddington Station. From there I had to wait for a taxi for the final leg to my hotel as no trains were traveling to Piccadilly thanks to a strike that limited many of the subway lines that weekend.

What should’ve been a short taxi ride to my hotel (2.3 miles) ended up taking over 40 minutes long. When the driver turned on Regent Street, we came to a complete stop. The street was so jam-packed with tourists, double decker buses and cars that we barely inched forward. The driver snapped at me and rudely shot down my inquiry about an alternate route, claiming this was the only way. We sat there in stony silence staring at the chaos in front of us. Not exactly the Christmas experience I’d been hoping for…

High in the sky, shimmering angels hovered above the traffic, blissfully oblivious to the noise. With outstretched wings, they floated serenely between the tall ornate buildings along Regent Street. Twinkling, they lit up the night spreading peace and joy. Simply dazzling. This is what I had come to see! Plus the other light displays on the tour itinerary. But time kept ticking. Traffic was still crawling. Soon my pre-paid guided tour was already in full swing, elsewhere. I imagined the jovial mood of the partipants wandering past festive lights in the various districts listening to stories and interesting facts about London at Christmas. While I sat captive with an angry taxi driver.

Exasperated about the climbing cost (now £84) and the time (Christmas lights don’t stay on all night), I finally just got out and walked to my hotel. After all it was my only night in London at Christmas, and I’d wasted enough precious time.

 

Lodging at Zedwell Piccadilly

Zedwell Piccadilly is a contemporary no frills kind of place where tourists check themselves in, make their own key cards and take the elevator to the assigned floor. Ensuite rooms, called cocoons,  feel like cubicles with bunkbeds. There are no windows. Nor any standard perks like tea or coffeemakers. Kinda surprising when rooms start at £267. But the uncluttered space is by design.

Zedwell is all about the quality of your sleep. No distractions or FOMO watching people outside your window. Instead the soft mood lighting, purified air, Egyptian linens and sound proof surroundings help lull you to sleep inside their cocoons. They even offer a bedtime yoga class to help ease into your zzz’s.

Rates were comparatively affordable to other hotels in Piccadilly Circus. And their location was great—-a few blocks to Regent Street and close to Piccadilly station where you can connect to other subway lines that crisscross the city.

On this very short night, it was a perfect fit for me! I stashed my luggage, grabbed my camera and hit the pavement from 8 pm until 1 am…then fell fast asleep.

 

Festive Lights

Regent Street is where the angels fly.

 

Using Maps on my phone, I found other districts that I would’ve visited on my guided tour itinerary.

Like Soho and Carnaby. It felt great to be out walking! This mid-December night was crisp and brisk with distinct excitement in the air. I really didn’t know where to go specifically, so just wandered aimlessly.

Loved the bright colors and fun vibe.

I found a giant tree in Convent Gardens.

When I reached Chinatown I decided to head back toward Piccadilly Circus.

Maybe I could take the underground train across to London’s Tower Bridge. There was a Christmas market there…

 

the TUBE

I’d never ridden London’s subway before. Thankfully there was a uniformed attendent who explained the procedure and told me to just buy individual tickets for each leg along my way instead of buying a more expensive 24 hour card. He told me which line I’d need to connect to that would bring me close to the Tower Bridge on the south side. And even told me how many stops to count before I got off to catch a different line.

He was a godsend for a rookie like me!

Using the Tube was pretty straightforward. The stops for each subway line were posted on the wall so you could figure out distances and see when to get off. Some stations were packed. Others fairly deserted. Thankfully didn’t run into anyone sketchy there. Became rather adept at changing lines and getting around that night much to my surprise.

 

London’s Tower Bridge

Ahh, the Tower Bridge! How could I visit London at Christmas without seeing this iconic landmark?  Magnificent!! And absolutely stunning at night.

Looked like a fairytale!

Near the Tower Bridge on the south side of the riverbank was the Christmas market. But by the time I arrived here from Piccadilly Circus (30 min subway & 10 min walk), the market was already winding down. Most of the food stalls were closed. I still hadn’t had dinner but was running on adrenalin.

London has a few different Christmas markets, so maybe this is just a teensy one. But it had far fewer vendors than I was expecting. Compared to other Christmas markets I’d seen on this trip, Belfast and Glasgow stood out as clear favorites.

But none could compare with London’s Spirit of Christmas angels on Regent street!

Leaving the market, I decided to walk across that magical bridge–something I’d never done before.

Reaching the north side, I turned left and kept walking. I followed Thames River for about 20 minutes before I decided I’d better find a subway as the streets werer pretty deserted by now. And very late. I veered north to catch a central line at Bank station and navigated my way back to my hotel.

Back at Piccadilly Circus I looked for somewhere to eat but couldn’t find anything open other than crowded bars. Except McDonalds. Really??? I’m in London and that’s my only choice?? Ba humbug(er).

But the Christmas lights and sights had been totally worth it.

 

Airport

Going back to the airport the next morning was easy. The Piccadilly Circus station near the hotel has an underground line that connects directly to the airport! The hardest part was lugging my suitcase down all the stairs. At least I was traveling back early on a quiet Sunday morning.

A calm 50 minute ride provided plenty of time to reflect on my fast paced race through this bustling city that clearly embraces Christmas. I know that I missed so much.

I’d love to come back to see St. Paul’s Cathedral, Kensington Palace and Windsor Castle all lavishly decorated for the holidays. Attend Christmas concerts & shows. Visit Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, and bigger Christmas markets. Go on guided walking tours. Shop! Enjoy proper dining options and just soak up the festivities… Anybody wanna go???

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