London · December
London in December with kids
| Place | Hours | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hyde Park Winter Wonderland | 19 Nov 2026 to 3 Jan 2027 | Closed 25 December. Every visitor aged 2 and over needs a booked slot. Some December weekdays open after 10:00. |
| Kew Gardens, daytime 12 Nov 2026 to 3 Jan 2027 | 10:00 to 15:15 | Last entry 14:30. Closed 24 and 25 December daytime. Christmas trail is a separate ticket. |
| Kensington Gardens, 2 Nov to 31 Dec 2026 | 06:00 to 16:30 | Official Royal Parks 2026 table. |
| London Zoo, 24 Oct 2026 to 12 Feb 2027 | Last entry 15:00 | Opens 10:00, closes 16:00. Under-16s need an adult. |
December in London is a booking slot and a 15:00 zoo cutoff. The London with kids page already covers TfL under-11 rules, free South Kensington galleries and Kew's Children's Garden price. This page is the 2026 winter clocks: Winter Wonderland, Kew's 15:15 close, Kensington at 16:30, the zoo's last entry at 15:00.
Operator pages for Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, Kew, Royal Parks, ZSL, the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum were opened on 14 October 2026. Other Christmas markets that Visit London still marked "expected" or "dates TBC" are omitted.
Winter Wonderland is a timed ticket, even when it is free
Hyde Park Winter Wonderland runs Thursday 19 November 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027. Closed Christmas Day. Every visitor, including a two-year-old, needs a booked entry slot. The site closes at 22:00, last entry 21:30. Off-peak (green) slots are free and still booked. Standard was 5.50 pounds. Peak was 8.25, fees included. The Royal Parks listing repeats the same date span.
December weekday openings often start late: 1 December from 14:00, 2 December from 12:00, 3 and 4 December from 11:00, then 11:00 for 7 to 11 and 14 to 18 December, and 11:00 from 28 December to 1 January 2027. Unlisted dates open at 10:00. Read the calendar before you promise a 10:00 ice skate.
Visit London listed ice-rink sessions 10:00 to 21:00, 45 minutes, skaters aged 3 and over, under-12s with an adult. Use that as the tourism page. The operator tickets guide is the entry rule.
Hyde Park pedestrian gates stay 05:00 to midnight. The Wonderland site is a fenced piece of the park, not the whole park.
Kew in daylight ends at 15:15
Kew's hours from 12 November 2026 to 3 January 2027 are 10:00 to 15:15, last entry 14:30. Daytime Kew is closed on 24 and 25 December. If you want trees in daylight, go before 14:30 on any other date in that window.
Christmas at Kew is a different ticket: Friday 13 November 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027, except 16, 23 and 28 November and 25 December. Trail 16:20 to 22:00, 21:00 on 24 December. Child 4 to 15: 20 pounds off-peak, 24 peak. Under 4 free and still needs a ticket. Under-18s need an adult. About 3 km, often more than two hours. Do not treat it as a toddler loop after a full daytime visit. Daytime Kew and the trail are separate.
Parks and the zoo shut earlier
Kensington Gardens from 2 November to 31 December 2026 is 06:00 to 16:30. That is the official 2026 table. A late playground does not exist.
London Zoo from 24 October 2026 to 12 February 2027: open 10:00, last entry 15:00, close 16:00. Under-16s need an adult. The year-round page had a later autumn last entry. December uses this clock.
South Kensington still works when it rains. NHM and the Science Museum are both closed 24 to 26 December. Otherwise the usual free galleries: NHM 10:00 to 17:50, Science Museum 10:00 to 18:00, last entry 17:15. Book the free ticket. The Science Museum also noted Wonderlab closing at 16:00 on 8 December 2026 and Who Am I? at 15:00 on 5 December. Read the visit page if those rooms matter.
A December day that holds: a booked Wonderland slot after the listed opening hour, or Kew before 14:30, or the zoo by 15:00. On 24 to 26 December the national museums are shut. On 25 December Wonderland and Christmas at Kew are shut. For April park light, use London in April. For TfL and the free galleries, stay on London with kids.
Two Kew tickets are two days
Daytime Kew and Christmas at Kew are not a stack. The trail is about 3 km and often over two hours, starting at 16:20, in the dark, in December air. A child who already walked the Children's Garden until 15:15 will not thank you. Pick daylight or the trail.
Under 4s still need a Christmas at Kew ticket even when it is free. Book it. Under-18s need an adult. Peak child tickets were 24 pounds, off-peak 20. Those are evening prices, not the 2-pound daytime child fare on the year-round page.
Winter Wonderland ice-rink prices on Visit London (17.05 pounds adult, 11.55 child) sit on the tourism page, not on the operator tickets guide. If you need an operator figure, buy from the Wonderland site and read the rink calendar there. Entry to the site and entry to the ice are different tickets.
TfL under-11 rules do not change in December. What changes is how early Kensington Gardens lock (16:30) and how early the zoo stops selling tickets (15:00). Leave slack.
Questions
Is Winter Wonderland free for children?
Off-peak entry is free but every visitor, including age 2, still needs a booked slot. Standard tickets were 5.50 pounds and peak 8.25 pounds. It is closed on Christmas Day.
Can you visit Kew Gardens on Christmas Eve?
Daytime Kew is closed on 24 and 25 December. Christmas at Kew, the evening trail, still runs on 24 December until 21:00. It does not run on 25 December.
What time does London Zoo stop letting people in during December?
From 24 October 2026 to 12 February 2027 last entry is 15:00 and the zoo closes at 16:00. That is earlier than the autumn clock on the year-round page.
Keep planning
London · April
London in April with kids
London in April with children: Kew interiors closed until spring 2027, Hyde Park gates, standing museum hours and why 2027 zoo clocks were not yet posted.
London · With kids
London with kids: things to do
A sourced first visit to London with children: TfL under-11 rules, free South Kensington museums, Tower and zoo prices, and Kew's Children's Garden.
Barcelona · April
Barcelona in April with kids
Barcelona in April with children: Sant Jordi on 23 April, official April temperatures, Natural Sciences spring hours and CosmoCaixa clocks.
Berlin · December
Berlin in December with kids
Berlin in December with children: confirmed 2026 Gendarmenmarkt and Rotes Rathaus dates, Zoo Berlin's 14:00 Christmas Eve close and winter weather notes.
Dubai · February
Dubai in February with kids
Dubai in February with children: Visit Dubai's 22°C February average, the October to April outdoor season, and why 2027 festival dates are not listed.
Munich · December
Munich in December with kids
Confirmed 2026 Munich Christmas market dates, Tollwood hours, Hellabrunn winter closing times and the Deutsches Museum holiday closures.
Sources
- Hyde Park Winter Wonderland: Tickets Guide (checked 14 October 2026)
Hyde Park Winter Wonderland runs Thursday 19 November 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027 and is closed on Christmas Day. Every visitor, including age 2, needs a booked entry slot. The site closes at 22:00, last entry 21:30. Off-peak entry is free but still booked. Standard tickets were 5.50 pounds, peak 8.25 pounds, booking fees included.
- Hyde Park Winter Wonderland: Tickets Guide (checked 14 October 2026)
December 2026 weekday openings at Winter Wonderland are often later than 10:00: 1 December from 14:00, 2 December from 12:00, 3 and 4 December from 11:00, 7 to 11 and 14 to 18 December from 11:00, 28 December to 1 January 2027 from 11:00. Unlisted dates open at 10:00.
- Kew: Opening and closing times (checked 14 October 2026)
Kew Gardens daytime from 12 November 2026 to 3 January 2027 is daily 10:00 to 15:15, last entry 14:30. Closed 24 and 25 December for daytime visits. Christmas at Kew still runs on 24 December.
- Kew: Everything you need to know for Christmas at Kew (checked 14 October 2026)
Christmas at Kew runs Friday 13 November 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027, except 16 November, 23 November, 28 November and 25 December. The trail is 16:20 to 22:00, and 21:00 on 24 December. Child aged 4 to 15 is 20 pounds off-peak or 24 pounds peak. Under 4 free but needs a ticket. Under-18s need an adult. The trail is about 3 km and often takes more than two hours. A daytime Kew ticket is separate.
- The Royal Parks: Kensington Gardens opening times 2026 (checked 14 October 2026)
Kensington Gardens from 2 November to 31 December 2026 is 06:00 to 16:30.
- ZSL London Zoo: Opening times (checked 14 October 2026)
London Zoo from 24 October 2026 to 12 February 2027 opens at 10:00, last entry 15:00, close 16:00. Under-16s need an adult.
- Natural History Museum: Plan your visit (checked 14 October 2026)
The Natural History Museum is closed 24 to 26 December. Otherwise daily 10:00 to 17:50. The Science Museum is closed 24 to 26 December, otherwise 10:00 to 18:00, last entry 17:15.