My wife, daughter, and I are looking to go to England next Christmas. Any ideas on where to go? I've heard the Cotswolds are really nice but I'm open to anything at the moment, so please make any suggestions.


My only ask is for a few soccer matches, one with Arsenal and a lower level match. We could possibly get a few tickets from a friend at Old Traffird as well.

Jealous! The Cotswolds at Christmas is near the top of my own bucket list. if I could just get my siblings to stop shooting it down, I'd have gone, but they don't like to travel unfortunately.

For the Cotswolds, I'd look at Broadway, Stow-on-the-Wold, or Cheltenham, depending on what kind of experience you want. Broadway would be my first choice if you want the idyllic Cotswolds experience, it has a great high street with pubs and restaurants. Stow is a little more traditional and centrally located, so I'd choose it if you want to explore several of the surrounding villages. Cheltenham is a larger town on the edge of the Cotswolds, with more hotels, restaurants, shopping and Christmas activities. I'd choose Cheltenham if you want the convenience of a hotel and more going on around you, especially if you're there over Christmas itself.

I'd give yourselves 3-4 nights there rather than trying to squeeze it into a day trip (plus lots of places have minimums anyway). In December, I think the appeal is as much about enjoying the village, having a pub dinner, and slowing down as it is about sightseeing. If you're actually there over Christmas, I'd probably lean toward a hotel/inn with a Christmas package rather than a rental so you don't have to worry about meals and logistics.

In London, I recommend Covent Garden or West End for Christmas time stays. Mayfair is also good but tends to be a bit pricier.

I've booked a few England holiday trips like this for people, so feel free to reach out if you have any questions or are looking for help putting it together.

ETA: Another completely different option: if you're looking for a really memorable Christmas experience, look at the British Pullman. They run festive day trips from London to places like Blenheim Palace and Bath on the luxury Pullman train. It's definitely a splurge, but could be a really cool alternative to adding another hotel stop.

England is great at Christmas season as they do it much better than US. London is really nice, and so are many small towns with their Christmas markets. Went to Bath last year in early Dec and it was really great, would definitely recommend.

I appreciate all the feedback. Is there any other town north of London that does Christmas well?

York, is probably the option here. The Shambles and Yorkminster are pretty during the holidays. I don't know that I'd plan a trip around it though…London, Cotswolds, and/or Bath will give you the best UK Christmas experience, in my opinion.

Are you trying to get closer to Manchester for the soccer matches?

Kreg17 said:

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York, is probably the option here. The Shambles and Yorkminster are pretty during the holidays. I don't know that I'd plan a trip around it though…London, Cotswolds, and/or Bath will give you the best UK Christmas experience, in my opinion.

Are you trying to get closer to Manchester for the soccer matches?

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Possibly. I'm just checking to see what else is worth doing while there and possibly making it up to Manchester. The only reason we'd go up there is for the match. As an Arsenal fan I couldn't really care less except to say I've been to a match at Old Trafford. My original goal was to see a game at the Emirates and a lower level game like at Wimbledon or such.

Gotcha, makes sense. That's kind of the end of my UK knowledge though until you make it to Scotland but let me know if you've got any other questions!

Feel free to reach out.

We did christmas in London a few years back.
Note that generally most things including restaurants will be closed christmas day.... we ended up walking along the south Bank and there was plenty open there but it seems that was the only place.
Also check the tube schedule as generally if it runs there is reduced service.

That said, outside of that 1 day, everything was great.
Not peak tourist season so able to get around and gain entry to things fairly easily.

great suggestion. we were in York a couple years ago just before Christmas and it was really cool. plus, our hotel put a Christmas tree in our suite, which was a really nice touch