Rover Saga

As soon as Halloween is over the Christmas lights start appearing all around London city. Some will be up the day after, some not before December has almost arrived. Even so, the festive spirit is arriving to London before December has arrived.

These are my must-see stops for Christmas lights and storefronts for 2026, but do not worry if you see this guide in 2027, I assure you the lights will still be coming up. If it is one thing I know, London does not hold back when it comes to Christmas lights.

Affiliate Disclosure: This post has affiliate links, so when you click on the links, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The Christmas lights are of course best viewed in the late evening and night. Here are my picks for the must-see Christmas lights in London.

Oxford Street 🕯️

The ever iconic street even without the Christmas lights, but this is a must walk street for Christmas lights. Each year there is a different theme. In 2025 it was Sky Full of Stars and this year (2026) it is Harry Potter.

I am already excited to see the theme of the lights in 2027. You do not need to walk the whole of Oxford Street as it is similar in both directions from Oxford Circus. The main difference will be the storefronts and the shopping malls.

Regent Street ✨

This is one of the classic stops, specially by the arch of the road which is located closer to Piccadilly Circus.

There are often many people here during the evening and it can get quite crowded. If you are staying close to Piccadilly, I would definitely go to the street later in the evening when there are less people there. But make sure you visit.

Carnaby Street 🎁

I always enter through Regent Street and onto Foubert`s Place when going to Carnaby Street or from Soho, but from Regent Street is my favorite. As it seems more official for me.

They go all out with colorful street light decorations, even during the daylight it looks good. But you want to see it in all its glory during the night.

Covent Garden 🔔

They have decorated the inside of the market halls with large bells while outside you can see a grand looking Christmas tree.
Outside of the market there are also often small carts that fits the season. Since Christmas is coming there is hot chocolate and mulled wine options for you to enjoy.

Make sure you go around the whole market, so you don`t miss anything.

There are bus tours that takes you to see the Christmas lights:
Christmas Lights Bus Tour – Check availability here
Christmas Lights Tour by Vintage Bus – Check availability here
Christmas Lights and Bites Bus Tour – Check availability here

If you want to go with a group, you can join walking tours here:
Christmas Lights Walking Tour – Check availability here
Christmas Lights & Markets Tour including Churros – Check availability here
Christmas Lights and Markets Tour – Check availability here

The great thing about walking through the lights by yourself or whomever you are with is that you can enter stores and warm up. Of course if you are going by bus, you will not have to worry about it at all, but while on a walking tour you are following the schedule and can not stop to warm yourself up if needed.

If you want the best of both worlds then you can go on a private tour. They still have a schedule, but if you want a detour to a storefront or to warm up, it becomes more possible with a private tour.

If you are on a budget while in London it is of course better to walk around by yourself. Who knows maybe by doing so you will find a cute shop window with the cutest Christmas decorations you would not have seen by joining a tour.

The storefronts and windows are as amazing as the lights and some stores really do go all out. Some might be hard to avoid during the day, but they are best to be seen at night with all the lights on. Though some of the windows really are just as stunning in the day as when the dark has fallen.

Selfridges 🦌

The windows are amazing and it is a great starting point to see the Christmas lights. They have decorated all of the windows and they all look great, so definitely take a look.

If you are in London during a weekend in November or December, have a look at if they are doing their Christmas show while you are there and at what time. When I was there it was on at 12pm and it is only possible to see on Saturdays and Sundays, but please double check.

If you get to see the show, here are my tips:
– Do come half an hour before to find a good spot
– Do not stand by the escalators that are going down
– If you are eating at the lower level, be prepared to open an umbrella to protect your food and also having everybody filming you
✨ Enjoy the show ✨

Liberty London ⛄

Close to Oxford street lays this small luxury department store in a building built in 1922. It was never the place I thought of for Christmas, that was Harrods, but the outside is always so well decorated as is the inside. There is even a Christmas store there. It is worth the stop between all the Christmas Lights.

New Bond Street 🥂

On the street where all the luxury brands are, including the Dior store, the lights are beautiful. However all the luxury brands are displaying all their Christmas decorations and competing for your attention. My favorite is still Dior and this year (2026) I only saw it during daylight.

The street can get very crowded after the sun has set as everyone stops to take photos. So you might have to plan on spending a bit more time here than you initially thought. Though if you are coming in the day there are less people.

Dior 🎄

This is probably the main store I think of when it comes to Christmas. It should in reality be Harrods or Hamleys, but for me it is Dior.

It is always well decorated and a lot of people come here just to take pictures and see the decorations. Same for me. This year (in 2026) the nutcrackers were standing by the entrance door and the whole building was decorated. I think my favorite might have been the rocking horse. The window is also very nicely decorated and worth going closer to have a better look at it.

Fortnum & Mason 🍪

This was unexpectedly cool. I knew they would do some grand decorations on the building, but the first thing I saw was the big numbers of 2026, then when I got directly in front of the building it was an advent calendar.

Please go inside the building and look at all of their Christmas decorations for sale as well. Some of it was great while some I felt lacked something or maybe I just wanted more sparkles. It was still great inside, but it was the outside of the building that blew my mind away.

Harrods ✨

Harrods is one of the places that are known for their Christmas lights and decor. Their windows are always amazing to look at, no matter if it is your first time seeing it or your eleventh time.

Hamleys 🎁

You might wonder why you should stop by a toy store. The outside is just decorated that amazingly that you have to see it. Even if you head inside with no mind of purchasing a toy, all seven floors are decorated with Christmas decorations. They also have a Meet Father Christmas and the employees are dressed as elf.

I would probably enter the store during the day, specially if I was traveling with children. This would let them look at everything and when you are seeing the Christmas lights during the evening you can focus on the storefront. Or purchase something that you regret not getting during the day.

What route should you do to see all the lights? ⛄

If you are at Selfridges on the weekend in the day for the show, you will have to return for the lights later on, but please enjoy the storefront while you are there. You can do some shopping while waiting for the lights. If you are not there in the day, start at Selfridges instead of Tottenham Court Road Station.

Start at Oxford Street, maybe walk from Tottenham Court Road Station towards Oxford Circus.
Start walking down Regent Street and do a detour to Liberty London. You can return to Regent Street and walk a bit down to Carnaby Street or walk on Kingly Street. I would suggest going back to Regent Street, just so you see the entrance to Carnaby Street and all the lights there.
Cross Regent Street and head for New Bond Street before going down the street for the Dior store. Return to Regent Street and make a stop at Hamleys before enjoying the walk down Regent Street properly.
Enjoy Piccadilly Circus and maybe see the Eros statue that has been made into a snow globe. Make your way to Fortnum & Mason, head inside after enjoying the storefront to look at their Christmas decorations and cookies.
Harrods is a 30 minutes walk from Fortnum & Mason, but you can also take bus number 14 or 19 to Harrods and enjoy the storefront. Of course to see the inside of the mall as well.
If you went to Harrods you can take The Tube to Covent Garden with the Piccadilly line, if not you can walk from Fortnum & Mason to Covent Garden, this should take you just under 20 minutes. You will pass through Leicester Square where they will be having a Christmas market, if you decide to venture inside it will of course take you longer to Covent Garden.

This is the route I would go by, hope you enjoy it and if you get cold on the way you can warm up with a hot chocolate or just by entering the stores.

London is filled with Christmas lights and the stores are very serious about decorating the front of their stores. Many pubs also join in on the festive spirit. No matter where you go or turn to, you will see some sort of Christmas spirit in the months of November and December in London. But these are the must-sees.

✨ Merry Christmas ✨

Related article