JennyD Posted December 6, 2019 Share Posted December 6, 2019 We will be traveling to London for a few days that will include Christmas and Boxing Day. I understand that everything -- including public transportation -- is closed on Christmas, and on the 26th transportation is limited and most attractions are closed. Any recommendations for what we might do over those two days? Kids are 14, 11, and 9, and we will be staying in Finchley. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted December 6, 2019 Share Posted December 6, 2019 First, Make sure you have food sorted for both days. Book seating because you will not be seated without reservations. Buy some extra treats. Tradition for many people is a long walk at a beautiful location on Boxing Day so I imagine you will see people out enjoying themselves. We haven’t been in England for those holidays for a couple of years but things are more open then they were in terms of shopping and attractions. I just did some googling and both Kew Gardens and Hampton Court are open Boxing Day, both will be closed On the 25th. Our local shopping mall is open 8 to 8 on Boxing Day. Honestly your biggest problem may be pre announced train strikes. I just saw intermittent strikes being announced for the entire holiday season so pay attention. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted December 6, 2019 Share Posted December 6, 2019 I agree that long walks would be good - there will be very little traffic, so it's a great time to explore London on foot. https://www.finchleysociety.org.uk/walks/ https://www.barnet.gov.uk/parks-sport-and-leisure/walks-and-trails/dollis-valley-greenwalk https://londonist.com/2015/05/dollis https://londonist.com/2015/09/weekend-walks-a-green-walk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted December 6, 2019 Share Posted December 6, 2019 Sounds like an awesome adventure! I just did a quick search on googlemaps, and Finchley apparently has a lot of Japanese, Halal and Turkish grocery stores. Surely a couple of those will have opening hours during Christmas and Boxing day. The area looks lovely! Enjoy your stay! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyD Posted December 6, 2019 Author Share Posted December 6, 2019 Thanks so much for all the suggestions! 14 hours ago, mumto2 said: First, Make sure you have food sorted for both days. Book seating because you will not be seated without reservations. Buy some extra treats. Tradition for many people is a long walk at a beautiful location on Boxing Day so I imagine you will see people out enjoying themselves. We haven’t been in England for those holidays for a couple of years but things are more open then they were in terms of shopping and attractions. I just did some googling and both Kew Gardens and Hampton Court are open Boxing Day, both will be closed On the 25th. Our local shopping mall is open 8 to 8 on Boxing Day. Honestly your biggest problem may be pre announced train strikes. I just saw intermittent strikes being announced for the entire holiday season so pay attention. We will be staying in a rented apartment and will be arriving early on the 24th, so I plan to go to the grocery store and stock up right away. I had no idea about the train strikes, though, so thanks for the heads-up. 7 hours ago, Laura Corin said: I agree that long walks would be good - there will be very little traffic, so it's a great time to explore London on foot. https://www.finchleysociety.org.uk/walks/ https://www.barnet.gov.uk/parks-sport-and-leisure/walks-and-trails/dollis-valley-greenwalk https://londonist.com/2015/05/dollis https://londonist.com/2015/09/weekend-walks-a-green-walk Fantastic links, thank you. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawyer&Mom Posted December 6, 2019 Share Posted December 6, 2019 Some West End theaters may be open. I once saw a musical on Christmas Day when I lived in London. (We didn’t have family to visit, it was last minute and nearly the whole audience was American tourists.) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted December 6, 2019 Share Posted December 6, 2019 4 hours ago, JennyD said: Thanks so much for all the suggestions! We will be staying in a rented apartment and will be arriving early on the 24th, so I plan to go to the grocery store and stock up right away. I had no idea about the train strikes, though, so thanks for the heads-up. Fantastic links, thank you. I am really glad you are going to be self catering as it will be so much easier........M&S usually has quite an assortment of somewhat prepared Christmas foods that are really nice if one is nearby. Don’t forget to buy Yorkshire puddings......they come frozen so easy and tasty. Per my Dh these train strikes are only going to be a few hours in duration each time but may not be announced days in advance which is the norm in England. Primarily in the West of the country but I saw warnings of possible effects on travel on one of the websites I was on for your London trip. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saw Posted December 6, 2019 Share Posted December 6, 2019 If you can get a taxi (should book one in advance (through Addison Lee) to be sure of it) and get to the start point, you can do a London Walk https://www.walks.com/our-walks/walks-by-date/?d=2019-12-25 This seems to be offered only on Christmas Day. Here's a link to transport info for Christmas: https://tfl.gov.uk/status-updates/major-works-and-events/christmas-travel 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyD Posted December 8, 2019 Author Share Posted December 8, 2019 This is all great, thanks! I will definitely make sure that we bring good warm clothes for long walks out and about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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