Why Christmas in London should be on your bucket list

Visiting London during the Christmas season is a dream for so many. And as bucket list destinations go, Christmastime London doesn’t disappoint. The light displays, Christmas markets and sounds of the season are all around. And the list of holiday activities seems endless. From the amusement ride filled Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park to ice skating rinks at some of the city’s most famous venues, the spirit of Christmas is everywhere. In this video I’ll take you to some of the must-see sights: the London Christmas tree lighting, the Leadenhall Market and Santa Claws at the Natural History Museum. And I’ll tell you about the best thing you can do if you’re there on Christmas Day. 

You can see so much of London in just 2 days: Top places & best things to do

I’ll show you how to have two great days in London with an easy-to-follow walk around St. James’s Park where you’ll see the city’s biggest sights and I’ll guide you to the best viewing platforms and observation decks in the British capital. You’ll see Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, the London Eye, Buckingham Palace, Parliament, Trafalgar Square, the National Gallery, St. Martin in the fields, Horse Guards Parade, Wellington Barracks, St. James’s Palace and the Mall, plus the Walkie Talkie, Shard and much more.

This guide makes London sightseeing so easy | See the biggies in 1 day

The Royal Sightseeing Triangle leads to all of London's must-see attractions: Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, the Churchill War Rooms, Buckingham Palace, St. James's Palace, Trafalgar Square, the National Gallery, St. Martin-in-the-fields, the National Portrait Gallery and Horse Guards Parade. Follow my "Royal Sightseeing Triangle" to all these attractions in just one day. Plus, visit the bar where Bond's "shaken, not stirred" martini was created, grab a bite at the Cafe in the Crypt or a pint at the Sherlock Holmes pub and take a sunset spin on the London Eye. This is an easy to follow two-mile or three-kilometer route through the heart of the British capital that you can take at your own pace.

London Walks | Geologist Guides Bedrock Tour of Westminster

Yabba-dabba-doo! This is a two-hour London Walks tour Fred Flintstone would dig. Several times a year a geologist provides a unique look at the City of Westminster, examining the bedrock it's built on, the pedestals renowned figures stand on and the stones that hold up buildings that house much of the history of the world. Visit http://walks.com for information about upcoming "Westminster Rocks" tours.

Brunel's London is a Boat Trip, a River Walk and a Journey into the Heart of London

Brunel’s London is a boat trip, a river walk and a journey into the heart of London. A little man with a big hat and cigar, Brunel was England’s foremost engineer. He built railways, steam locomotives, bridges, ships, dock systems, tunnels and made the today’s world cities possible. Brunel’s London is one of London Walks daily tours, departing from Embankment Tube Station at 10:30 a.m. and ending in Rotherhithe at the The Mayflower, the oldest pub on the River Thames. 

London Walks | Victoria and Albert Museum

The numbers are staggering: 5,000 years of art history, 2.27 million objects in 145 galleries spanning 12.5 acres. A visit to the Victoria and Albert Museum in London can feel like a monumental undertaking. Fortunately London Walks offers expert guided tours of this massive museum founded in 1852 and named after Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

No need to travel to Florence, Michelangelo's masterpiece is available for viewing at the V&A in London, too. A cast of David was given to an unamused Queen Victoria who insisted a fig leaf be added. That fig leaf eventually fell away.

Small Town London | West Hampstead Farmers' Market

Fresh produce, meat, cheese and fish may be on the shopping list, but it's a sense of community that draws vendors and customers back each Saturday to the West Hampstead Farmers' Market. David Tucker of London Walks gives us a look at the real London few tourists see. | http://walks.com

London Walks | The Best Way to See the Cotswolds

See the Cotswolds with London Walks. No need to book. Just show up at Paddington Station for a stress-free guided journey to England's achingly beautiful land of storybook villages, stone bridges, unmatched flower gardens and historic churches. 

London Walks | Undiscovered London Explores Bermondsey

Undiscovered London is a two-hour walking tour exploring Bermondsey, the Victorian warehouse district on the capital's south bank that was heavily bombed during World War II. Today it is a highly desirable place to live with trendy shops, restaurants and galleries.   

The Crown Walk is as Epic as the Netflix Series

Four top-flight London Walks guides have created a walk as audacious and epic as the Netflix series upon which it’s based. The Crown Walk at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesdays and Sundays makes its way through the Royal neighborhood from Buckingham Palace to Clarence House to Westminster Abbey. Along they way, fact and fiction lead to fascinating discoveries about Britain’s royal family. 

London Walks | A Village in Piccadilly

The royal family, upscale shopping, art, literature and gems of all kinds hide in plain sight near Piccadilly Circus. “A Village in Piccadilly,” the London Walks tour, guides you right to them.

In the heart of London, Little Venice. This is why London Walks.

London Walks offers several canal walks, but Little Venice to Camden Town along the Regent’s Canal is one of the most beautiful walks in the British capital. Led by expert guides, members of the Inland Waterways Association, this walk focuses on canal design and use, its history, inspired poets and the the famous and fortunate who have called Little Venice home. 

London Walks | ‘Hello London’ — A Superb Introduction to the British Capital

The Hello London Walk is the British capital's highlight reel. In just two hours, you'll see the famous landmarks: Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, St. James's Park, Buckinham Palace and, weather permitting, the changing of the guard. London Walks offers this quintessential tour twice weekly on Wednesdays and Sundays at 10 a.m. 

London Walks Knows Secrets and Shares Them

From a virtually hidden 300-year-old courtyard to a church housing a forgotten Norman crypt, the Secret London Walk weaves its way down back alleys and through a millennium and more of history to reveal hidden mysteries of the British capital. London Walks offers the Secret London Walk on Tuesdays at 10:45 a.m. at the Chancery Lane Tube Station. | Produced by Jim Albritton

London Walks | The Blitz

Thursdays at 2:30 p.m. | St. Paul's Tube | The dome of St. Paul's seemed to ride the sea of fire like a great ship. Ludgate Hill was carpeted in hosepipes. Two hundred people died that night. On the north side of the cathedral 63 acres became a waste of smoking ash and rubble. Another 100 acres were completely devastated in other raids that autumn. At the finish, out of the City's tight-packed 461 acres, 164 were reduced to ruin. And this was just 1940. Learn more about London Walks.