It’s an inexplicable surprise every year – which really shouldn’t be the case for an annual event – when winter rolls into London. Were those languid evenings on Primrose Hill sipping rosé from a can just a fever dream? A frosty breeze as you walk through the city, rugged up in scarf, coat and gloves, will get you wondering.
Somewhere between the Christmas of Coca-Cola adverts and advent calendars and the bitterly cold reality of winter is the sweet spot when it comes to bona fide cockle warming things to do. Stay clear of Oxford Street, swerve Hyde Park’s uber-Xmas wonderland to find genuinely enjoyable spots in which to hunker down.
Hotels where you can linger fireside, restaurants that serve the heartiest of meals, and wonderfully wintry things to do before you pile into the pub: here’s how to lean into winter in London.
Read more on London travel:
Winter attention-grabbers
What to do
Lighting up
Hardly an off-grid find but enchanting all the same. Wrap up snug and head to the city’s south-west, and the UK’s original festive light trail. Held annually, Kew Gardens can be seen in a whole new light, with this year’s theme “nature by night”, which promises to bring the site’s natural architecture to life – over 12,000 trees and botanical elements will be accentuated. One new installation for 2023 features Snapper, the Venus fly trap and wannabe Christmas tree starring in this year’s John Lewis Christmas advert. kew.org
Experience ‘nature by night’ at Kew Gardens
(Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew)
Crypt crooning
Escape the Christmas songs you’ve heard ad nauseum for some winter music sessions in an unexpected setting – the crypt of a magnificent baroque church. St John’s Smith Square, in Westminster, has turned its underground into a café that plays host to live performances, with a series of jazz and classic sessions over the colder months. Highlights include students from the Royal College of Music Artists (30 November) and The Hot Club of Jupiter (14 December), with not a drop of Mariah Carey to hit your ears. sjss.org
Going underground: Soothing sounds in an unlikely place
(St Johns Smith Square)
Wonderland swap
This year, think beyond the crowded extravaganza that is Hyde Park Winter Wonderland. Battersea Power Station, a London landmark reborn from the depths of industrial decay, offers a similar festive feel…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at The Independent Travel…