An Itinerary For Christmastime In London
Why I packed my bags on a whim and booked a plane ticket ✈️
London at Christmas has always been on my bucket list. The lights everywhere you turn, the Christmas markets, hot chocolate stands everywhere, and the crisp, cold weather, was everything I wanted to experience and more. So when my sister told me she was going to London for work, she was like “Nic, why don’t you come with me?” At first, all I could think about was my workload, everything I had to film, how I would find childcare for two of my days away from the kids, etc. Basically I made every excuse NOT to go.
I woke up the next day and decided YOLO. When I was married, I couldn’t travel or really do anything I wanted because I had zero days to myself and the boys were very young. But now that I am divorced and only have my kids 50% of the time, I knew this was my TIME to stop overthinking everything and go LIVE MY LIFE. So I booked a ticket, and let me tell you—London was everything I imagined it would be and more.
I CANNOT WAIT TO GO BACK NEXT YEAR, but next year I will bring the love of my life because London at Christmas is so romantic! I think it might be time for a bf reveal, perhaps?!!?!?
Where We Stayed
The Covent Garden hotel—located in Covent Garden and in the best area IMO, the Covent Garden hotel is walkable to cute coffee shops, a new Korean matcha place, the Covent Garden Christmas Market, Neal’ Yard, and the Opera House. The service at the hotel was amazing and on the first floor, there is a library that you can go into at any time and sit by the fireplace and order cocktails or have a glass of wine. It was so cozy and cute. The room definitely was on the smaller side despite it being a junior suite, but it was very cozy and was giving total London vibes.
Where We Ate
Berenjak—an absolute MUST for the best Persian food you will ever eat in your life and I am not exaggerating. With a couple of locations in London, we went to the location in SOHO. Because we could not get a reservation, we got to the restaurant right when they opened at 5pm and put our name down on the list. They told us they would call us when a table was ready. That was fine with us, because we walked a few door down to SOHO HOUSE, where my sister is a member and had two margaritas lol. The restaurant called us at 7pm and we were transported to culinary heaven. You must go here no matter what.
Dishoom—another absolute MUST for the best Indian food in London. Like Berenjak, there are a few locations and we were only able to snag a 4:30pm reservation, so we took it! The Chili Broccoli salad is a must (so much so I recreated it and posted it on my Instagram), the Tandoori chicken, the curry dishes and the lamb chops were superb. The wine was meh, so skip it.
Claro—this was a stunning restaurant serving Mediterranean food with Middle Eastern vibes and I loved it. Growing up in an Armenian household, it was nice to see traditional dishes elevated for modern palates, and everything was incredible. Highly recommend the mezze platter so you can try a little bit of everything. The bavette steak was also perfectly cooked and amazing!
Afternoon Tea at Sketch—this was extremely expensive ($150/pp) and I was not prepared for that tbh, but it was the most beautiful afternoon tea I have ever experienced and would do it all over again. This is a must, especially at Christmas time and I have my best friend Nadia to thank for tipping me off to this place. No pics—I was way too busy living in the present moment.
Where We Caffeinated
Tokkia—the cutest Korean matcha spot where I had a persimmon matcha latte with oat milk. It also happened to be across the street from our hotel, which meant I got to go back several times.
Monmouth Coffee—no joke, one of the top 5 lattes I have ever had in my life and yes I am a coffee SNOB!!! The best part is that the coffee shop is across the street from the hotel and I went every morning. They encourage you to BYO cup, and if you don’t, you will need to buy one for 5 pounds!!!! But, they will refund your money if you bring the cup back. Of course, I never brought the cups back…sigh. Maybe one day I will stop being so lazy. And PSA, the pastries are incredible too. I had a croissant and the flakiness was unreal.
Cafe Kitsune—I had an excellent matcha latte with oat milk here and I would return if I had more time and try out other things on the menu.
Where We Drank
Connaught Bar—you MUST go here for a cocktail. Located in the Connaught hotel, it’s definitely swanky, dark and understated luxury. If you are a martini person, the martini cart is famous, where they bring a special cart to your table and make you a custom drink. It’s $$$, so we opted for regular martinis and thoroughly enjoyed our experience. Again, this is a must.
Where We Shopped
Liberty’s—you must go! This is a six floor department store that surprisingly doesn’t feel huge. You can find unique fashion, beauty, homeware, and an entire Christmas level in a mock-Tudor building. It feels like a luxurious home with grand rooms and fireplaces and definitely not what you’d expect from a department store (which is what makes it so magical).
Bond Street—so many luxury shops line the street, from big name international brands to local brands and the street has Christmas lights everywhere. It’s definitely worth going!
Harrod’s—Harrod’s is heaven especially if you love luxury goods like I do. I ended up treating myself to a Ralph Lauren cashmere bear sweater which I had my eye on for so long. It felt fitting to buy it in London!
Fortnum & Mason—festive and fun for the holidays. The store was packed and although it’s definitely touristy, it was still a great way to get into the holiday spirit. I took home some Christmas tea and it’s delicious!
Lillywhite’s Sports—I knew my boys would want soccer jerseys, so the concierge at the hotel told me to go to Lillywhite’s. It was sports galore. They had jerseys for every team under the sun and I scored big brownie points with the boys when I came home with Liverpool and Mann City jerseys for them.
Things We Did
Ralph Lauren Holiday Experience in Sloane Square—this was actually the highlight of the trip and it’s probably because I saw so many influencers posting about it on Instagram and TikTok. There were so many cute photo opps and the the hot chocolate with a roasted marshmallow on top was top notch. Be prepared to wait in line in the cold for a good 20 minutes for your drink, but it’s worth it!
Covent Garden Christmas Market—this was the cutest Christmas market with lots of arts and crafts, vendors serving hot chocolate and chestnuts, and live pantomime in the heart of the square.
Piccadilly Christmas Market—my sister and I checked out the Piccadilly Christmas market after eating at Dishoom, so we were too full to eat more here, but the vendors were serving up delicious street foods and we picked up some Christmas ornaments to bring home. Definitely worth checking out.
Where I Worked Out
Barry’s London, SOHO—the Barry’s Bootcamp in London is not for the faint of heart. The instructors meant business and pushed me to my limit, which is exactly what I wanted after indulging in all the things. A good sweat does wonders and I always workout when I travel. It’s essential for my mental health!
Where I Missed
I missed so many things. Isn’t it crazy how you can plan a vacation and make an itinerary with 10304757 spots and only hit like 5? Or maybe it’s just me, but gosh I am so tired when I travel. I wish I was the gal that was ready to go at 7am, but by the time I got my workout in and got ready for the day, I didn’t leave the hotel before 10am on all the days—maybe I will do better next time so I can see more and do more.
Books for Cooks in Nob Hill—I was seriously DYING to go here. It is a tiny cookbook shop in Nob Hill that also runs a restaurant in the middle of the store, where they cook up recipes from the cookbooks. I got there at 12:03pm (you need to get there by 12pm) and I couldn’t get into the store at all. I could have waited two hours to go in and browse the store (after they were done with the lunch service), but I got impatient and left. Next time, this will be my first stop in London because duh, I AM A FOODIE!!!
Drum Roll—Here Is The full list of London recommendations from the amazing Kalejunkie community!
Access the full list here!
Have you been to London during the holidays? If so, what was most memorable for you? And if you haven’t been, do you want to go? XO, Nicole