Feel the Christmas spirit at Hyde Park Winter Wonderland in London during the festive season. This place is amazing and perfect for a day out with your family, friends and loved ones.
Find out more about things to do in Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, practical tips on how to get there, opening times and our top tips for the perfect visit.
What is Winter Wonderland?
Hyde Park Winter Wonderland is the ultimate Christmas destination in London during the festive season. See Hyde Park transformed into a Christmas village where you can feel the Christmas spirit and kickstart the festive season.
This is your one-stop shop for Christmas fun suitable for the whole family with rides and attractions for all. The festive village is home to over 200 rides, market stalls, attractions, games, and themed food and drink options.
We have been visiting Winter Wonderland almost every year since 2014 and absolutely love the atmosphere, decorations and the beautiful lights in the evening. It makes for a nice day our with friends and family.
How to get to Winter Wonderland?
Winter Wonderland is located in Hyde Park which is easily accessible from all parts of London. The nearest tube stations are Marble Arch, Hyde Park Corner and Knightsbridge and within walking distance are Bond Street, Green Park, Paddington and Victoria. The map above shows the entrances and closest tube stations.
There are a number of bus routes as well, so you can hop on the bus and enjoy London’s Christmas decoration on your way to Winter Wonderland. This is what we did.
If you are planning a visit to London, make sure to check our recommendations for top things to do in London.
Winter Wonderland Opening Times and Tickets
Winter Wonderland is open every day from 10am to 10pm (except Christmas Day). Please note the last entry is at 9:30pm. You can visit between Thursday 21st November 2024 and Sunday 5th January 2025.
To visit Winter Wonderland, you need to buy a ticket. You can get your ticket online or you can buy it on the spot. We went after a work event and weren’t sure when exactly we will get there, so we didn’t book our tickets in advance and queued for around 15 minutes.
There are three types of tickets:
- Off-Peak
- Standard
- Peak
They range from free to £7.50 depending on the day and time of your visit. Having said that, if you spend £25 per person on attractions, rides, games and food in advance, you receive a free admission, so worth planning your trip!
Check Winter Wonderland prices here for more information.
Top Activities at Winter Wonderland
There are so many activities to enjoy, no matter if you visit alone, as a couple, as a family with children or with friends or work colleagues. There is something for everyone.
If you missed going on London Eye, you can enjoy a ride on The Giant Wheel whilst enjoying Winter Wonderland from above and some sights of London. This is 70 metres high and the tallest transportable wheel in the world!
You can enjoy a traditional carousel or if you are brave enough, you can ride one of the nine different roller coasters at the fairground. Some years ago we did the Ice Mountain indoor spinning roller coaster which we totally enjoyed and it wasn’t that scary.
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Another activity could be the Magical Ice Kingdom with ice sculptures where you can slide on an ice slide. Although we didn’t visit it, the photos from this place look cool.
A great activity for everyone to enjoy would be the circus. You can choose between Zippos Christmas Circus or Cirque Berserk depending on the time of your visit.
At Hyde Park Winter Wonderland you can find the biggest outdoor ice rink in the UK. So get your skates on and have some fun on the ice.
There are a number of other cool attractions, rides and multiple games where you could win prizes and try your shooting skills. All of these are Christmas-themed and certainly there to cheer you up.
Most (if not all) of these activities are paid, so make sure you budget accordingly. You can find more about individual activities, prices, opening times and more on the Winter Wonderland’s website.
Winter Wonderland’s Christmas Markets
There are a lot of Christmas Markets scattered across London during this time of the year. At Winter Wonderland you can also find a Christmas Market with vendors selling unique gifts such as Christmas tree decorations, chocolates and confectionary treats, candle tea holders and a lot more.
Christmas markets are a good way to do some shopping and find hand-made Christmas presents. If you can’t find the right present for your loved ones, why not see our recommendations for gifts for travellers and travel lovers?
Food and Drinks at Winter Wonderland
You can enjoy a good selection of food and drinks at Winter Wonderland including sausages, burgers, crepes, churros, mulled wine, hot chocolate and other hot and cold drinks.
We really enjoyed the Bavarian Village where you can find cosy chalets, outdoor seating, bars, cafes and restaurants. To add to the atmosphere, there is live music or DJs keeping the spirits up. Paul enjoyed a traditional bratwurst with all the trimmings.
Opposite The Giant Wheel, you will find the Street Food stalls. They seem to offer a range of sweet and savoury food options catering to all dietary requirements, so you can definitely find a suitable stall to grab a bite to eat.
We wanted to warm up and went to Thor’s Tipi but the whole place was booked for a big party. We bought some mulled wine and stood a bit at the Fire Pit bar to get warm but ultimately decided to have a proper sit down at one of the bars near the Christmas Market.
You can even enjoy a drink at a carousel styled bar that will take you on a slow 360-degree spin. Nice idea!
Top Tips for Visiting Winter Wonderland
- Dress warm – this is an outdoors area and the weather in London is rather cold at this time of the year, so make sure you are dressed accordingly. Thankfully I had my winter jacket on but Paul was feeling cold.
- Budget well – most activities are paid so check these in advance and if you think you will spend £25 per person, you can pre-book your tickets and receive free admission to Winter Wonderland. For example, if you plan to go ice-skating, attend a circus performance and have some food, then most likely you will qualify for a free admission.
- Pick the best time to visit to save some £££ – ticket prices vary and once you are at Winter Wonderland, you don’t have a limit on the time spent there. For example, if you plan to visit in the early afternoon, you can buy a standard ticket 12-2pm instead of buying a peak ticket 2-4pm to save some money on the admission price.
- Have fun and enjoy – there are so many activities you can do or you can simply walk around and enjoy the atmosphere. Have fun!
Final Thoughts
Hyde Park Winter Wonderland is the Christmas destination in London during the festive season. You can really feel the Christmas spirit and enjoy the lovely atmosphere during your visit.
There is something for everyone with so many activities to enjoy, no matter if you are visiting alone, as a couple, as a family with children or with friends or work colleagues. This place is absolutely amazing and you can easily spend a full day there.
If you are visiting London and would like to combine Winter Wonderland with other points of interest in the capital, make sure to check our recommendations for top things to do in London.
Ready to book? Below are some recommendations to get your trip started:
- Flights – we use flight aggregators such as Skyscanner and Google flights to find the best options. You can find more information about finding cheap flights here.
- Accommodation – would recommend booking your accommodation through an aggregator such as Booking.com, Trip.com or Agoda to get the best rates. We also use TripAdvisor to read reviews.
- Transport – consider Rentalcars.com for car renting or if you rely on public transport, you can use Omio for trains, coaches, ferries, airport transfers and even flights.
- Activities – a great option is GetYourGuide, Klook or Viator for tours, excursions, experiences and tickets to many tourist attractions.
- Travel money – we have Starling Bank accounts (UK residents only) with 0% fees on FX and a good Mastercard exchange rate. Revolut is another good option.
- Internet abroad – with Airalo or Nomad you can access a wide range of eSIMs (digital SIM cards) available for different countries and regions.
- Luggage storage – if you need to store your bags whilst exploring the destination, you can use Radical Storage to find your closest luggage storage and enjoy your journey until the very end.
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