Christmas lights London

[Illjusthavethebreadsticks]

Any recommendations of nice places in London to look at the Christmas lights apart from the obvious. Daughter is autistic so we want something not too manic, nice places to eat nearby is a bonus ! She wants to go to Sephora.

Where are you already planning? How about sitting on the top deck of a bus that goes on a good route, that way you avoid the crowds on the pavements & get a cosy view?
I don't know of a specific route but sure a londoner could recommend one.

Open Top Bus Tour - they are brilliant
I love the lights but you never get to see them properly on foot .

Wrap up well if you're on the top deck

Pop into Claridges and see the Christmas trees. It’s a different designer each year and I think this year is Paul Smith. It’s spectacular.

Do you live in London- do you often ride the buses?
I do, I do, and frankly I can’t think of a worse way.

this would be pretty magic way to navigate the crowds, cover plenty of ground, and have great views of the lights

https://pedalme.co.uk

this company has cargo bikes that take passengers, and it is not like the dodgy rickshaws you see in central London.

I have had magical journeys with them

Haha no I don't, but I did once do this & it was fun😂 Maybe times have changed!

@Longhotsummers can you just go there to only see the tree? without booking anything?

@nearlylovemyusername yes, you can. It’s in a public area. It’s always spectacular!

@Illjusthavethebreadsticks

I was in Sloane Square earlier this week and it's looking very sparkly!

https://www.cadogan.co.uk/chelsea-christmas-lights-switch-on-saturday-16-november-2024/

You could make your way from there round to Sephora at Westfield.

https://www.westfield.com/en/united-kingdom/london/retailers/sephora/78693

Battersea power station is lovely and no so hectic, you can then walk down or get the bus to kings road or Knightsbridge. If your daughter doesn’t like crowds then I would avoid Covent Garden, it’s unbelievably busy this year, I’ve lived in London most of my life and very used to crowds but even I found it a bit much.

Bond Street & New Bond Street look beautiful and sparkly. Not just the street lights which are much nicer than Oxford St, but all the shops as well. Mayfair generally is very pretty at this time of year, so you could wander over to Claridges from there to see their trees.

www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/event/48988586-christmas-lights-bus-tour

Seven dials area is one of my favourite places. Nothing fancy but looks pretty.

Previous poster added these routes for good lights.

Carnaby street lights are seriously underrated. It will be very manic, everywhere. Sephora and Westfield are bad enough and worse in the run up to Christmas. You'll likely be queuing to get into Sephora

We had a black cab trip to look at the lights in Covid, that was great. Not sure if anyone is still doing it though.

DD and I went to Covent Garden two weeks ago , there were problems with the Piccadily Line so we walked from Bond Street (not far)

CG was so busy , we didn't even see half the shops .