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London at Christmas: Top Things to Do, See and Experience During the Festive Season · UK Travel Planning

• 0:03
  Speaker 1: Welcome to the UK Travel Planning Podcast.
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: Your host is the founder of the UK Travel Planning website, tracey Collins.
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: In this podcast, tracey shares destination guides, travel tips and itinerary ideas, as well as interviews with a variety of guests who share their knowledge and experience of UK travel to help you plan your perfect UK vacation.
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: Join us as we explore the UK from cosmopolitan cities to quaint villages, from historic castles to beautiful islands, and from the picturesque countryside to seaside towns.
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: Hi and welcome to episode 71 of the UK Travel Planning Podcast.
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: In this week's episode, I'm going to chat about some of the best Christmas things to do in London during the festive season.
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: Now, if you are planning to visit London this month December, early January I'm sure you already start to think about what sort of festive activities can you include in your itinerary.
• 1:04
  Speaker 2: Well, lots of things.
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: There are some amazing things to do in London during the Christmas period.
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: It's my personal favourite time of year to visit London.
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: I just love the atmosphere, the Christmas lights.
• 1:15
  Speaker 2: It's just fantastic, really, really brilliant time of year to visit.
• 1:18
  Speaker 2: So in this episode, I'm going to chat about some of the best things to do in London at Christmas that you could add into your itinerary, and I will also be chatting to Dommie of Scaling Studio about organising a festive photo shoot in the capital, which is very exciting.
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: Okay, so let's talk about 10 of the best things to do in London during the festive period.
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: So, number one enjoy the Christmas lights.
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: You're not going to be able to miss them, because central London is just bedecked and adorned with beautiful, beautiful Christmas lights.
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: So take a stroll down Oxford Street, regent Street, carnaby Street, leicester Square, covent Garden, seven Dials.
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: You're going to see some gorgeous sights and those are just some of the areas that you're going to find Christmas lights.
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: I do have an article about where to find the best Christmas lights on the website and I will link to that in the show notes.
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: You could number two, take a term because he does get busy.
• 2:14
  Speaker 2: So walking is great.
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: Taking a walk to enjoy the Christmas lights certainly is a great way to see them, but why not take a tour?
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: You could take an open top bus to see the lights and person it.
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: That's what I'm going to be doing next month, so I shall be reporting back on that If the weather's great.
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: What a wonderful way to see the Christmas lights.
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: There are all other festive tours available.
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: So if you're interested in doing a walking tour, if you want to go to the Christmas markets either are Thames Cruises with a festive theme.
• 2:43
  Speaker 2: Again, I've got an article on the website that will link to the different tours that are available over the festive season.
• 2:50
  Speaker 2: So do pop over to UKTravelPlanetcom and take a look If you're interested including a tour in your itinerary.
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: The third thing that I recommend considering to add into your itinerary and one of the best things to do on London at Christmas is go to a Christmas show or pantomime.
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: I absolutely love going to a pantomime.
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: It's a great British tradition, particularly on Boxing Day, to go and see a pantomime.
• 3:15
  Speaker 2: If you don't know what a pantomime is, basically it is a theatrical entertainment which is designed for children, really all the family, to be honest.
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: It involves music, jokes, comedy, but a slapstick, and it's kind of all revolves around a fairy tale or nursery story.
• 3:36
  Speaker 2: So this year at the London Palladium you can see Pidpan.
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: The lyric, hammersmith is Cinderella, and I will put a list of the different pantomimes that are available over this festive season into the show notes.
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: But consider adding in a pantomime.
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: It is a wonderful British tradition and I know when my daughter took her partner over to the UK last year from Australia, they booked to go to a pantomime and he thoroughly enjoyed it.
• 4:04
  Speaker 2: So number four they can do is go to the South Bank Winter Festival, which is obviously held in South Bank.
• 4:10
  Speaker 2: It's more than just a Christmas market because there is a Christmas market there, but there are also gorgeous decorations, the street performances, artworks and lots of theatre music going on at that time.
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: So it's also a great place to try some seasonal and street food from around the world.
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: So head to the South Bank Winter Festival.
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: Number five is Hyde Park's Winter Wonderland.
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: So if you think between the smart shops of Knightsbridge think about Harrods here, because you might want to go and look at the Christmas decorations in Harrods and Oxford Street you'll find Hyde Park.
• 4:44
  Speaker 2: So this large green space is transformed into a winter wonderland every December.
• 4:50
  Speaker 2: You can enter a winter wonderland for free if you visit during off peak times.
• 4:54
  Speaker 2: Otherwise entry costs up to £7.50.
• 4:56
  Speaker 2: And then in addition to that, there's rideshows and attractions which are chargeable too.
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: There's a lot to do and see there, enjoy the food and drink.
• 5:06
  Speaker 2: Again, it's a very popular destination for Londoners too.
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: Number six is perfect for you Harry Potter fans out there is to head to Hogwarts in the snow.
• 5:17
  Speaker 2: Warner Brothers Harry Potter Studio comes over with a beautiful festive makeover, so you can pop over to Hogwarts in the snow at the Harry Potter Studios and enjoy the festive decorations there.
• 5:32
  Speaker 2: Make sure that you do book, because that gets booked up very, very quickly.
• 5:35
  Speaker 2: Number seven is Christmas at queue, which I've actually just booked tickets for, so you can go to queue gardens which are transformed with lights, which are just gorgeous, and you can follow them through the gardens.
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: There's food and drink stalls there.
• 5:52
  Speaker 2: It's an absolutely wonderful experience.
• 5:54
  Speaker 2: It is timed entry with limited capacity so you need to get that booked, which is why I'm really happy that I'll have that booked this year so we can go and enjoy Christmas at queue.
• 6:03
  Speaker 2: Number eight is free.
• 6:05
  Speaker 2: It's to go to see the Christmas tree at Trafalgar Square.
• 6:10
  Speaker 2: So this is donated by Norway every year.
• 6:13
  Speaker 2: You will also find, on particular evenings and days, carol singers.
• 6:18
  Speaker 2: I will put a link in the show notes to the schedule so you can check when the carol singers are going to be there.
• 6:23
  Speaker 2: So number nine is to include some of the Christmas markets into your itinerary.
• 6:29
  Speaker 2: I've already mentioned Winter Wonderland Christmas Market and the South Bank Centre Winter Market, but there also are winter markets held at Covent Garden, leicester Square, greenwich, trafalgar Square and many other places around London over the festive period.
• 6:47
  Speaker 2: Do not miss, honestly, one of the Christmas markets.
• 6:49
  Speaker 2: They are such good fun and a great way to get into the festive spirit.
• 6:53
  Speaker 2: Obviously, if you're walking around London checking out the Christmas lights, chances are at some point you will probably stumble on one of the Christmas markets anyway.
• 7:01
  Speaker 2: Certainly, trafalgar Square through to Covent Garden is a lovely walk.
• 7:05
  Speaker 2: You'll get the Christmas Market in Trafalgar Square, go through Leicester Square again lovely market there and then to Covent Garden Beautiful, absolutely.
• 7:13
  Speaker 2: Cannot wait to be doing this myself next month.
• 7:16
  Speaker 2: Number ten is to book a London festive photo shoot, and at this part of the podcast I've invited Domi from Scaling Studio to talk all about how to book a festive photo shoot with her, what it involves, where she takes some of her beautiful photos from, and so, without further ado, let's welcome Domi on to the show.
• 7:36
  Speaker 2: So, hi, domi, I'm so excited to have you on the podcast again.
• 7:41
  Speaker 2: You're such a wonderful guest to have on, so would you like to tell us a little bit about yourself, about your business, and then share what it is that you love about London in the festive season?
• 7:53
  Speaker 4: Hello, thank you so much for having me here again.
• 7:56
  Speaker 4: It's a pleasure to meet you online and see you soon on December 5th photo shoot.
• 8:02
  Speaker 4: So my name is Domi and I am holiday photographer in London.
• 8:07
  Speaker 4: So my guest who are traveling to the city if there are solo couple of family photoshoots, I am meeting them here in London so I kind of like the care of them and then I take the pictures and I show them.
• 8:20
  Speaker 4: London.
• 8:20
  Speaker 4: I'm showing more like about the best places where you should take the pictures, where you can take the pictures or find things to do so.
• 8:29
  Speaker 4: When I'm meeting my clients I would take the photos and I was like, oh, look, this is Big Ben, look, this is Tower Bridge and I'm showing the best poses, fun time, and then you can always have someone locker here in London who can take care of you.
• 8:44
  Speaker 2: And I have to say I've had a couple of photo shoots with you, I think.
• 8:47
  Speaker 2: I think I've actually had three photo shoots with you now, and I'm really looking forward to having a photo shoot in London at Christmas.
• 8:53
  Speaker 2: It's my favourite time of year to be in London, so so tell us what it is that you love about about London in the festive season.
• 9:03
  Speaker 4: Christmas is.
• 9:04
  Speaker 4: This is the one year all year I'm waiting for Christmas because it's so unique.
• 9:09
  Speaker 4: It's one of the best places to visit during Christmas because there are so many Christmas lights.
• 9:15
  Speaker 4: Like London is putting so much effort.
• 9:18
  Speaker 4: It's already October and they are preparing the Christmas lights around the city, so they are putting always so much effort and on around, like now.
• 9:30
  Speaker 4: It's still not confirmed, but I think it's going to be around November 10th.
• 9:34
  Speaker 4: The Christmas lights is going to be on.
• 9:37
  Speaker 4: I'm going to show the best lights Few only few, so they put so much effort to make this happen and very beautiful.
• 9:47
  Speaker 4: And when the Christmas lights is on 10th of November, all this magic place looks so beautiful and it's so good.
• 9:58
  Speaker 4: Great opportunity to take pictures for Christmas cards for your family and for your friends.
• 10:05
  Speaker 2: Oh, that's a really good idea.
• 10:06
  Speaker 2: I've never thought, if you're visiting London, how perfect to get a photo, an iconic photo of yourself with your partner, your family, for Christmas next year that you can use for your Christmas card.
• 10:19
  Speaker 2: I love that idea, dobby.
• 10:20
  Speaker 2: That's perfect, absolutely perfect.
• 10:22
  Speaker 2: So you obviously have lots of people, you have families and solo travelers and couples, and then they love having a photo, I guess, taken at Christmas.
• 10:34
  Speaker 4: Oh, yes, that's right, this is about the Christmas cards they love to have on this Christmas.
• 10:38
  Speaker 4: So people are like oh, because I'm getting pictures with one week standard.
• 10:45
  Speaker 4: But people sometimes request, especially when they book last means very close to the Christmas day and they're asking them you can send quicker the photos.
• 10:54
  Speaker 4: So I'm sending like 48 hours and then they are using this for Christmas cards.
• 11:00
  Speaker 4: So this is for this Christmas card.
• 11:02
  Speaker 2: Wow that's brilliant.
• 11:03
  Speaker 2: I never thought, but of course, you can do it so quickly these days.
• 11:06
  Speaker 2: That's fantastic.
• 11:07
  Speaker 2: This is my age show and that I'm thinking you have to wait until next year, but how perfect.
• 11:11
  Speaker 2: Well, hopefully I'll be able to.
• 11:13
  Speaker 2: Well, I will share in the Facebook group and on the website the photos that you take of us before Christmas.
• 11:18
  Speaker 2: And you never know, some of you out there might receive one for Christmas as a Christmas card.
• 11:22
  Speaker 2: So tell us some of the most popular places.
• 11:26
  Speaker 2: Don't share all of them because we want to keep some little secret, but what are some of the favorite places to take photos at Christmas?
• 11:34
  Speaker 4: OK, I have like 10 favorite places, but to be fair, I was sure like my three top places with you guys like a little bit secret, don't tell anybody.
• 11:43
  Speaker 4: And then later at the rest, we're going to this camera during the photo shoots with me.
• 11:50
  Speaker 4: So the number one, I feel like this, is the Reagan Street.
• 11:54
  Speaker 4: This is with this big angle lighting and this is very beautiful crossing with the Oxford Street.
• 12:01
  Speaker 4: So the two streets are kind of like connected and from one side you have like the beautiful angles, angles, so you have the beautiful angels, and from the second size of the street this is Oxford Street and there are also very beautiful lighting.
• 12:20
  Speaker 4: I'm not sure about this year how maybe the angel is going to change, maybe something else is going to be there, but it's just a very long street, very big street with so many lighting, and I feel like this is the number one for them when they put so much effort.
• 12:36
  Speaker 4: And so the second street is Oxford Street.
• 12:40
  Speaker 4: This also is just next to the Reagan Street, so kind of walk easily.
• 12:46
  Speaker 4: When we have photo shoots we take some pictures on Reagan Street, then we walk to Oxford Street and we kind of have different vibe.
• 12:52
  Speaker 4: And the last place is which one is my favorite, which one we can do during the day as well, because there are so many Christmas tree decoration that not necessarily you need to have nights so we will have the beautiful lighting, but also there are so many like standard decoration, christmas decoration that you can use for pictures, which is Covent Garden.
• 13:15
  Speaker 4: There is so very and this is as well.
• 13:18
  Speaker 4: What I love about this place is because even it's rainy in Covent Garden, it's like hiding, it's like kind of some part indoor, so then we can cover ourselves from the rain or from the snow.
• 13:32
  Speaker 4: So, nice number three, three like best places where we can take the pictures.
• 13:40
  Speaker 4: Of course, london have so many, so many places which I'm sharing with my clients, so if you're interested, let's meet with us this year.
• 13:49
  Speaker 2: Absolutely.
• 13:50
  Speaker 2: So come on then, dommie, share with the listeners how do they book with you, and I believe you have a special offer for anybody listening to the podcast today as well.
• 14:00
  Speaker 2: So come on, let's hear the details.
• 14:03
  Speaker 4: Sure, so on the website is scaleinstudiocom.
• 14:07
  Speaker 4: There is like so many packages.
• 14:10
  Speaker 4: You can just choose which one suits you the best and then, for example, for family or couple, we have special package and then if you like to have like night Christmas photoshoot with the magic nighting on, so then I will suggest you to meet after 5pm.
• 14:26
  Speaker 4: You can choose any slot.
• 14:27
  Speaker 4: There's not much left, because always for Christmas I'm always fully booked.
• 14:32
  Speaker 4: So I will not wait, I will hurry up and book decisions and then you can pay deposit right now and rest after the photoshoot, and then you can choose any of the slots which suits you the best.
• 14:45
  Speaker 4: And because of this podcast, because of Tracy and because of our great cooperation, I offer for you guys minus 10% off, and when you're going to check out you need to use this magic code UKTP10.
• 15:03
  Speaker 4: So it means like you're going to get minus 10% off for our session.
• 15:08
  Speaker 2: Oh, that's brilliant and I'll make sure in the show notes for this episode I will put a link to Domi's website and also repeat the code so that you can use that and mention to Domi that you heard about her through the podcast.
• 15:21
  Speaker 2: Yeah, and I mean, it's going to be fantastic.
• 15:24
  Speaker 2: We're going to have a wonderful photoshoot at Christmas this year and I know you guys out there, honestly, you will not be disappointed.
• 15:32
  Speaker 2: Domi is an amazing photographer.
• 15:34
  Speaker 2: She's going to make you totally feel at ease and we're better in the world to have a Christmas photoshoot than in London.
• 15:42
  Speaker 4: Yeah, that's totally true.
• 15:44
  Speaker 4: I cannot wait to meet you in person and again, I'm always getting so much more energy and motivation to do even more.
• 15:52
  Speaker 4: And then, yes, christmas in London is one of really the best, and I would just suggest to book everything as soon as possible, because the hotel is sold out.
• 16:02
  Speaker 4: I would suggest you don't really wait.
• 16:04
  Speaker 4: If you want to just give you a last tip about the bookings, if you want to have night photoshoots, I would suggest you to meet like 5pm or later.
• 16:16
  Speaker 4: Or if you want to have like kind of night photoshoot that the lighting is still on but no people, let's meet on 7am, because it's a great time that, because the lighting is still on, is kind of dark in London, and then you would have the people.
• 16:32
  Speaker 4: And if you want to have like during the day, for example, we can go to Covent Garden and then have the Christmas tree pictures or the decoration, then we can meet around like 9am.
• 16:44
  Speaker 4: It's a great time to book.
• 16:46
  Speaker 2: Perfect.
• 16:47
  Speaker 2: Oh well, thanks so much, domi, for coming on the podcast and I say I will be linking to your website and sharing the code again in the show notes.
• 16:55
  Speaker 2: But it's lovely to speak to you and I can't wait to see you at Christmas.
• 16:58
  Speaker 2: Thank you for having me.
• 17:00
  Speaker 2: Bye, bye, bye.
• 17:02
  Speaker 2: Thanks, domi.
• 17:02
  Speaker 2: Thanks again for tuning into this episode of the UK Travel Plan and Podcast.
• 17:08
  Speaker 2: I don't know about you, but I can't wait to experience the festive season in London.
• 17:12
  Speaker 2: As always, you can find links to everything we've chatted about in this week's show notes at UKTravelPlanetcom.
• 17:19
  Speaker 2: Forward slash, episode 71.
• 17:22
  Speaker 2: Next week I will be reporting back about my experiences of a day tour from London to Paris, so don't miss that episode.
• 17:30
  Speaker 2: That just leaves me to say until next week, happy UK travel planning.