A Festive Evening in London, Hour by Hour
One evening is enough to see most of Christmas lights in London, if you plan it round the dark. The sun sets before four in December, the displays glow from about half past four, and by nine the crowds thin. This guide walks you through one evening, hour by hour, in three versions: on a bus, on foot and in a black cab. Pick the one that fits your party and change the hours to suit.
When should the evening start?
Later than you think in November, and earlier than you think in December. In the week of 16 November the sun sets at 4:11pm and it is dark by about 4:48pm. By the week of 7 December sunset is 3:53pm and dark comes at about 4:33pm. Plan to be under the first display by the time it is dark, and not an hour before.
The displays go up through the first half of November. In 2025 Oxford Street's came on on 3 November and Regent Street's on 6 November. The 2026 dates are not announced, so book from mid-November to be safe. Week-by-week times are on the best time to see the lights.
Where should you be at dusk?
Near your start, with a hot drink. Dusk is the half hour when the sky still has colour and the lights are already on, and it is the best time for photos. On a walking evening, spend it at the meeting point. On a bus evening, spend it close to the stop, and arrive 15 minutes before your departure.
| Time | A bus evening | A walking evening | A cab evening |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4pm | Tea near the stop | Meet by the station | Wait at the hotel |
| 4:30pm | Board, top deck | Walk under the displays | Pickup at your door |
| 6pm | Back at the stop | Into the lanes | Short stops on foot |
| 6:30pm | Walk the closed street | The walk ends | Past the palace |
| 7:30pm | Dinner | Dinner | Dropped back, then dinner |
| 9pm | Market or bed | Market or bed | Market or bed |
The table is a sketch for a December evening; every time is yours to move. In November, push each row back by half an hour or more, because the dark comes later.
Where does a bus evening begin?
At one of four stops. The open-top bus boards in front of the great wheel at stop 4 on Belvedere Road, two minutes from Waterloo. The Routemaster leaves from outside the Grand Hotel on Northumberland Avenue, by Charing Cross. The vintage double-decker boards at Gate 0 inside Victoria Coach Station, and the bites bus at stop 40B on the Embankment.
Each ride runs about 75 minutes to two hours, so an evening that boards at half past four is done by half past six. Then walk the closed stretch of Oxford Street yourself, because no bus can use it this season. Every stop is on the meeting-point map, and the buses are compared on London Christmas lights bus tours.
Where does a walking evening begin?
At a Tube station in the West End, in most cases. The group walk and the markets walk meet at Covent Garden, the lights and bites walk at Embankment, and the Christmas Carol walk at Temple. The silent-disco walk meets on Rathbone Street in Fitzrovia, a few minutes from the shopping street.
A walk of 90 minutes to two hours that starts at half past four ends by half past six, near the lights and the restaurants. The walks are compared on London Christmas lights walking tours.
What about dinner?
Eat after the tour. A lights tour finishes in the early evening, in the middle of the West End, where you are spoilt for places to eat. Book a table for half past seven and you have a spare hour either side.
If you would rather eat as you go, the lights and bites walk includes snacks, a light meal and Christmas cake over two and a half hours, for $133.49 per person. It is not suitable for coeliacs. On wheels, the bites bus serves a hot drink and festive snacks on board.
How do markets fit in?
As a stop on the way, or the end of the night. The markets walk runs from Covent Garden to the square in 90 minutes, with a glass of mulled wine at a market, for $60.68 per person, adults only. The lights and bites walk ends at the riverside market.
The riverside market below the footbridge ran from 3 November 2025 to 4 January 2026, 11am to 10pm, closed on 25 and 31 December. Its 2026 dates are not announced yet. Hyde Park Winter Wonderland runs from 19 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, every day except Christmas Day. More is on things to do at Christmas.
Where does each route end?
The buses bring you back where you boarded; the open-top bus returns to the great wheel. The group walk from Covent Garden ends on Carnaby Street, five minutes from Oxford Circus. The private walk from the opera house ends by Piccadilly Circus station, and the walk from Bond Street at Covent Garden station.
The markets walk ends in the square, and the lights and bites walk at the riverside market. The Christmas Carol walk finishes at Leadenhall Market, in the City, with the guide ready to point you to the nearest station.
How does a cab evening run?
From your door. The cab collects you at your hotel at the time you chose, and drives the displays for two and a half to four hours with stops where you ask. The four-hour cab drops you back at your hotel; the three-hour cab lets you finish anywhere in central London, so you can end at your restaurant.
A cab cannot drive the closed stretch of the shopping street, so ask to be dropped at one end, walk it and be collected at the other. The cabs are compared on private London Christmas lights tours.
What if it rains?
The tours run in the rain, so the plan holds; only the order changes. On a bus, sit downstairs, where the lower deck is covered, and save the top deck for a dry night. On foot, wear a waterproof and shoes that grip, because the pavements shine and the crowds push. A cab is the dry choice, and the rain makes the lights look brighter through the glass.
💡 Useful Tip: Rain thins the crowds. A wet weekday is the calmest evening you will get on the busiest streets, and the reflections double the lights. See which displays are where on the lights street by street.
Can you add a light trail to the evening?
Yes, but it makes a long night, so choose one. The trails are ticketed and timed, and they sit away from the West End displays.
- Chelsea: the winter village and light trail in Ranelagh Gardens runs from 25 November to 28 December 2026, closed on Christmas Day. Gates open from 4:30pm to 8pm or 8:30pm, the trail is about 1.5 km and takes 45 to 75 minutes, and adult tickets cost £18 to £29.95.
- Kew: Christmas at Kew runs on selected dates from 13 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, 4.20pm to 10pm, with last entry between 7pm and 8pm by gate. Tickets start at £25.50 and are timed.
- Hampton Court: the Winter Palace is indoors, in palace admission, with late openings to 7:30pm on selected December dates.
The easy pairing is a lights walk at half past four, then Chelsea by eight. Kew is further out, so give it an evening of its own. Dates, gates and prices for each are on the light trails.
How late do you stay out?
Until you are cold, which is usually by nine. The street displays stay lit through the evening, and no display publishes a switch-off time for 2026, so go in the evening rather than late at night. The light trails keep their own hours: Christmas at Kew runs from 4.20pm to 10pm on selected dates, and the Chelsea trail's gates close by 8:30pm.
How do you get back?
By Tube, taxi or on foot. Most walks end near a station, the buses return to their stops, and a cab takes you home. If you stay in Soho or Covent Garden, you can walk back from every finish in the West End. Areas a walk from the displays are on where to stay, and getting around is on the visitors guide.
Frequently asked questions
What time should a lights evening start?
When should we eat on a lights evening?
Can we do a bus and a walk on the same evening?
Where do the tours end?
What happens if it rains?
What should I wear?
Tours for an evening under the lights
Christmas Lights and Markets Guided Walking Tour with Mulled Wine
Ninety minutes on foot from Covent Garden to the tree in the square, with a glass of mulled wine at a market; adults only.
From $60 per person
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The Christmas Lights and Bites Tour
Two and a half hours on foot with snacks, a light meal and Christmas cake, over the river to the South Bank's market.
From $133 per person
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London Christmas Lights Tour by Vintage Double-Decker Bus
A restored vintage double-decker from the coach station at Victoria, with a live guide; the upper deck is not promised and the ride runs up to two hours.
From $43 per person
Check AvailabilityNext: Choose the version of the evening that suits your party, then book its start for just after dark. Every fare sits side by side on London Christmas Lights Tours.