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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
Nuray Bulbul

What’s open on Christmas Day in London? Shops, restaurants and more to visit in the capital

London will be eerily silent on Christmas Day because many shops, restaurants and transportation services will be closed.

Planning is therefore essential if you need to buy something or eat in the capital. However, all royal parks (which includes the majority of the big ones in London) are open, affording the ideal opportunity for a brisk winter stroll.

Here is our guide to everything we know that is open on Christmas Day.

Restaurants

Restaurants open on Christmas Day are likely to have limited opening hours so it's worth double-checking with them directly. Here is a list of the places that will be open:

  • Sofra, Turkish, various locations

  • Strada, Italian, various locations

  • Bella Italia, Italian, various locations

  • Cinnamon Club, Indian, Westminster

  • Tayyabs, Indian, Whitechapel

  • Le Vacherin, French, Chiswick

  • Gaby’s Deli on Charing Cross Road, Middle Eastern, open from 12pm for lunch

  • Orrery, French, Marylebone

  • JOIA, Battersea

  • The Broadcaster, White City

  • Duck & Waffle, Liverpool Street

  • Penelope’s, Covent Garden

  • Zoom East, Aldgate

  • Bluebird, Chelsea

  • Riding House, Fitzrovia

  • Cadogan Arms, Chelsea

  • Tyburn Kitchen, Paddington

Pubs

  • The Owl and Pussycat, Shoreditch

  • The Pilot, North Greenwich

  • The Abbeville, Clapham

  • The Anchor Bankside, Southwark

  • Audley, Mayfair

  • The Bull’s Head, Barnes

  • The Canonbury Tavern, Islington

  • The Flask, Hampstead (12-4pm)

  • The Swan, Hammersmith

  • Wetherspoon pubs, Various locations

  • Founders Arms, Southwark (12-5pm)

  • The Hope Pub, Wandsworth

  • Horniman at Hays, London Bridge

  • The Queens Pub and Dining Room, Crouch End

  • The Roebuck, Richmond

  • Spaniard’s Inn, Hampstead Heath

  • Spread Eagle, Camden Town (until 4pm)

Hotels

  • Charlie’s at Brown’s, Mayfair

  • The Ritz, St James’s

  • Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester, Mayfair

  • RAILS Restaurant and Little Bar, King’s Cross

  • Sycamore Vino Cucina, Covent Garden

  • The Lanesborough Grill, Belgravia

Transportation

The tube, buses, TfL Rail, DLR, Overground, trams, river buses, Emirates Air Line and National Rail are all not running on Christmas Day.

Taxis, private hires, and Dial-a-Ride will be the only modes of transportation available.

Christmas markets

Unfortunately, these are unlikely to be open anywhere in the capital.

Supermarkets

Major supermarkets including Tesco, Morrisons, Aldi, Co-op, M&S, Asda, Lidl and Sainsbury’s are all closed on Christmas Day.

However, smaller shops may be open to help those in need of last-minute items.

Deliveroo

The online food delivery service is running throughout the Christmas period.

Post offices

Christmas occurs on a Monday this year, which means that all post office outlets in the UK will be closed.

Some branches will open on Wednesday, December 28.

Hospitals

Here is a list of the main hospitals in London that are open 24 hours, but hours might differ:

  • Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel Road

  • University College Hospital, 235 Euston Road

  • St Thomas’ Hospital, Westminster Bridge Road

  • Guy’s Hospital, Great Maze Pond, London Bridge

  • Homerton University Hospital, Homerton Row

  • Moorfields Eye Hospital, 162 City Road

  • St Bartholomew’s Hospital, West Smithfield

GP appointments

You can get an urgent appointment with a GP in north-east London from 8am to 8pm on Christmas Day. This includes practices in Barking and Dagenham, Havering, Newham, Redbridge, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, Hackney and the City of London.

If you have an urgent but non-life-threatening medical need, visit NHS 111 online or call 111.

Church

Christmas Day services will be held at a large number of churches and cathedrals in the London area, including St Paul's Cathedral and Westminster Abbey. St Martin-in-the-Fields in Trafalgar Square also hosts a Christmas Day service.

Hampton Pool

The heated pool will be open to daring souls who want to take a plunge. Make sure to reserve your tickets in advance.

Take a Thames boat ride

Book yourself in for a River Thames sightseeing tour.

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