Christmas is most definitely on its way. The Christmas lights are turning on, Michael Bublé has nearly defrosted, Mariah’s ready to get her warble on, and London’s remarkable Christmas trees are starting to be unveiled. There’ll no doubt be plenty more unveiled within the coming weeks, so keep your eyes peeled here to see where you’ll be able to discover some Christmas trees that even Santa himself would approve of!
1. St. Pancras International
St. Pancras International’s highly anticipated Christmas tree has been unveiled for the 2023 festive season, and it’s doused with the magic of literature this year. Once again, they’ve gone for the slightly unconventional approach, after last year’s skyline resembling tower. Though it’s still being referred to as a Christmas tree, it might be fair to say it’s more a Christmas bookshelf (still resembling the shape of a tree, of course!).
Every year, the tree comes in collaboration with an outside friend, and this year’s effort comes in collaboration with the beloved London bookshop Hatchard Books (who actually also come from the inside the station this time too). Plus, throughout the whole festive season, you can spend your time taking part in a world-first event – actually sitting inside the St. Pancras International tree. They’ve treated us with a beautiful set of benches, sheltered underneath the tree, which obviously don the red and green colours of Christmas. What better way to get yourself into the Crimbo cheer than reading a copy of A Christmas Carol here then, hey?!
📍 Euston Road, King’s Cross, N1C 4QP.
🚇 Nearest station is, erm, St. Pancras International.
2. Covent Garden
Covent Garden is home to the largest hand-picked Christmas tree in the city at a whopping 60 feet tall! This show-stopping tree is from the same farm that the Royal Family get their tree from and it’s draped in twinkling lights and festive decorations. The tree forms just one part of their festive display, which features over 115,000 lights. In fact, the tree itself has more than 30,000 lights alone! There’s a whole heap of Christmassy cheer awaiting you at Covent Garden.
📍 Covent Garden Piazza, WC2E 8RF.
🚇 Nearest station is Covent Garden.
3. sketch
As London’s prettiest restaurant, it’s a no-brainer that sketch also has a stunning Christmas tree. As part of their winter dreamland makeover for the 2023 festive season, sketch debuted an inaugural surreal Christmas Tree by Tony Marklew. Within the venue’s three Michelin-starred restaurant, The Lecture Room & Library, guests will find a surrealist Christmas tree, embellished with a cascade of sparkling crystals, inspired by the likes of Dali and Magritte. Naturally the rest of sketch also looks incredibly festive, with a snow-capped tree wrapped up in an impressive snowglobe in The East Bar & Pods, and silver birch trees blanketed with feathered snow filling the Reception.
📍 9 Conduit Street, London, W1S 2XG.
🚇 Nearest station is Oxford Circus.
4. Coal Drops Yard
This lovely central London spot has always got something going on, and it’s full of fantastic shops and restaurants. And with Coal Drops Yard’s fairy lights, it always feels at least a bit festive, no matter the time of the year. But at Christmas time it gets properly cosy and festive. And their Christmas tree makes the place all the more of a must-visit London destination. Last year they had an alpine, après-ski-themed tree with neon ski accessories. This year they’ve gone a little more traditional, but no less gorgeous and festive, with a twinkling display.
📍 Coal Drops Yard, Stable Street, King’s Cross, N1C 4DQ.
🚇 Nearest station is King’s Cross St Pancras.
5. Glide at Battersea Power Station
Ever since it re-opened last year, it’s been clear that Battersea Power Station is not set to be doing anything by half-measures. Last year, for the festive season, they unveiled a gorgeous Christmas tree smack in the middle of a wonderfully large ice-skating rink. As if that wasn’t enough, there were also igloos, fairground rides, and plenty more to enjoy. This year, they’ve brought it all back again for another supersized Christmas tree display. It’s all fabulously festive indeed!
📍 Battersea Power Station, Nine Elms, Battersea, SW11 8EF.
🚇 Nearest station is Battersea Power Station.
6. Aqua Shard
Aqua Shard simply always has one of the capital’s best Christmas trees – providing stunning interiors to match the jaw-dropping views. This year is no different, with their Great Ormond Street Hospital benefiting ‘The Giving Tree.’ The 7-metre tall tree is adorably adorned with wooden toys, fluffy teddy bears, hot air balloons, wrapped-up gifts, and big red bows. Diners can support the Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity’s Christmas Appeal with donations that will “help get children one step closer to home this Christmas” as well as bringing “festive magic to the hospital for those whose treatment needs to continue over the Christmas period.” Who’s cutting onions in here?!
📍 Level 31, The Shard, St Thomas Street, SE1 9RY.
🚇 Nearest station is London Bridge.
7. Leadenhall Market
This magical market represented Diagon Alley in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, and it’s equally fantastical during the festive season. Leadenhall Market’s extraordinary tree is now illuminating the area with its dazzling lights and striking decorations. They’re also offering up all sorts of Christmas workshops, pop-ups, and events throughout the Christmas season. So, why not dial that festive feeling all the way up to a hundred with a trip to the market?
📍 Gracechurch Street, Langbourn, EC3V 1LT.
🚇 Nearest station is Monument.
8. The Connaught Hotel
The Connaught Hotel is not only home to one of the best bars in the world, you’ll also find a pretty spectacular Christmas tree waiting outside to greet you during the festive season. Previous years have seen the likes of Damien Hirst, Antony Gormley, Tracey Emin, Michael Craig-Martin, Suzy Murphy, and more designing the must-see tree. This year’s tree has been designed by London-based artist Rachel Whiteread, whose design is now bringing a touch of festive magic to Mayfair.
📍 Carlos Place, Mayfair, W1K 2AL.
🚇 Nearest station is Bond Street.
9. Shangri-La The Shard
London’s highest hotel has partnered up with Jo Loves and Warner House for an immersive fragranced Christmas Tree. Amidst a snowy scene of gifts wrapped in Warner House’s Starlight and Knotted Sash prints, the tree stands next to a super-sized perfume bottle that hides a mesmerising kaleidoscope of mirrors, lights, and clouds. The Shangri-La The Shard tree itself stands 14 feet tall and has been decorated with classic red and white Christmassy ornaments, as well as mini bottles of Jo by Jo Loves perfume. It’s not just a contender for the prettiest tree in London, it’s also sure to be the best-smelling one!
📍 31 St Thomas St, London Bridge, SE1 9QU.
🚇 Nearest station is London Bridge.
10. Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane
How to make a Christmas tree stand out from the rest, in a city where each installation seems to outdo the last? How about ignoring the tree itself and making a full-on forest of chandeliers instead? Sound a little too specific? That’s because it’s exactly what the Four Seasons Hotel have done this year, with snow-bedecked trees taking a background role to the fragile, yet stunning, display.
📍 Hamilton Place, Park Lane, W1J 7DR.
🚇 Nearest station is Hyde Park Corner Undergound.
11. Westfield London
Visitors to Westfield’s Winter Village were stopped short in their paths last year when confronted by Europe’s tallest Christmas tree on an ice rink. The all-new ice rink, covering 1,000 square metres, allowed revellers to skate their way around the towering festive instalment for a delightful experience. And they’ve (thankfully) brought it back for 2023 – except this time they’ve topped it with Willy Wonka’s top hat, instead of a star.
📍 1081 Ariel Way, Shepherd’s Bush, W12 7GF.
🚇 Nearest station is Shepherd’s Bush.
12. Claridge’s
Last year saw Claridge’s teaming up with Sandra Choi, Creative Director for Jimmy Choo, for their Christmas tree installation. And this year, they’ve gone even bigger by teaming up with none other than Louis Vuitton. Celebrating the ‘Art of Travel’, a driving inspiration for both names, the tree is another example of London’s, erm, abstract understanding of what a Christmas tree looks like. Surrounding the tree itself is a sculptural installation comprising two enormous wardrobe trunks, stacked on top of one another and reaching 5.2 metres tall. The tree is made up of “15 vertically placed chrome trunks of varying heights that tower to create the silhouette of a traditional Christmas tree.” The trunks themselves are bedecked by 21 Louis Vuitton Vivienne mascots, amidst a snowy landscape. It’s stunning, as expected from Claridge’s!
📍 Brook Street, Mayfair, W1K 4HR.
🚇 Nearest station is Bond Street.
13. The Londoner
Boutique hotel, The Londoner, has partnered up with fashion designer Huishan Zhang on a tree that uses offcuts from the designer’s most recent collection. Zhang’s 2024 Resort collection was shown in The Londoner Ballroom during London Fashion Week, and leftover materials from the pieces now decorate the lobby Christmas tree. Inspired by Eileen Chang’s novella ‘Red Rose, White Rose,’ the tree is adorned with black and white roses “to celebrate both the pure and dark side of a woman”.
📍 38 Leicester Square, WC2H 7DX.
🚇 Nearest stations are Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus.
14. Native Bankside
Aparthotel brand Native Places has popped up a Christmas tree in their Bankside location that takes visitors on a journey through history. The ‘A Nostalgic Tapestry of the Thames’ Christmas tree was designed in partnership with Christoper Mills and makes use of sustainable materials that stand out from today’s ‘typical’ decorations. The 12-foot tall tree is adorned with second-hand ornaments and family heirlooms and is crowned with a Victorian streetlamp. It feels like it’s stepped right off the pages of Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol.’
📍 Empire Warehouse, 1 Bear Gardens, SE1 9ED.
🚇 Nearest stations are Cannon Street and Borough.
15. Pan Pacific London
The traditional Christmas tree has been completely reimagined with a sculptural installation of recycled emerald-green glass and mirrored cubes. Found outside Pan Pacific London, on One Bishopsgate Plaza, the ‘MOSAIC’ Christmas tree was designed by award-winning artist Arnaud Lapierre and makes for an impressive illuminated display in the heart of the city.
📍 One Bishopsgate Plaza, 80 Houndsditch, EC3A 7AB.
🚇 Nearest station is Liverpool Street.
16. Cowcross Yards
Cowcross Yards turned to their resident artist, the Graffiti Kings, and the general public, for their newly unveiled graffiti Christmas tree. The collaborative artwork features recycled crates stacked up in a near-enough Christmas tree shape. The crates have been given a festive makeover thanks to designs painted on them by visitors who were able to add to the installation in advance of the big reveal.
📍9-13 Cowcross Street, EC1M 6DR.
🚇 Nearest station is Farringdon.
17. The London EDITION
For 2023, The London EDITION’s Christmas tree has seen the luxury hotel working in conjunction with Duncan Campbell and Charlotte Rey, the dynamic duo behind design practice Campbell Rey. Drawing inspiration from Schinkel’s ‘The Magic Flute’, the 20-foot tall tree is adorned with oversized, handblown Murano glass baubles, and hand-painted faux stone decorations. Crowning the whole affair is a hand-gilded star, adding an artisan touch to the traditional topper.
📍10 Berners St, Soho, W1T 3NP.
🚇Nearest station is Tottenham Court Road.
18. Tower of London
Two Christmas trees awaited visitors at the Tower of London last year as part of their 12 Days of Christmas-themed celebrations. This year, visitors will be treated to a coronation-inspired display of eighteen festively dressed Christmas trees lining the entrance to the Tower. And that’s just one of the many displays, each with multiple trees, that can now be found all around the grounds of the Tower of London. It’s a veritable Christmas tree treasure hunt – how many can you find?
📍 Tower of London, London, EC3N 4AB.
🚇 Nearest station is Tower Hill.
19. Hay’s Galleria
Just a short walk away, by London Bridge, you’ll find Hay’s Galleria’s Christmas tree nestled away under the building’s Victorian-style glass roof. It’s a pretty resplendent display, with 7200 LED lights, 750 recycled decorations, and 30 neon stars. It’s so large and intricate that it took over 20 hours to decorate the whole thing. But it sure was worth it!
📍 1 Battle Bridge Lane, SE1 2HD.
🚇 Nearest station is London Bridge.
20. Connaught Village
Over in Connaught Village, the iconic neon-lit tree has received a love-ly makeover that hopes to inspire people to Give a Little Love. The tree is adorned with neon hearts and stars, as well as messages of love in all manner of languages. Talk about a heart-warming display!
📍 Connaught Village, W2 2AA.
🚇 The nearest station is Marble Arch.
21. The Ritz
In a manner befitting its location, the recently unveiled Christmas Tree at The Ritz is suitably, well, ritzy! It’s so densely and incredibly decorated that it’s almost hard to see the green Christmas tree underneath the forest of red and gold ornaments. But then, it’s not really about the tree itself, is it? It’s about how gorgeous it is – and The Ritz sure has put up a gorgeous display.
📍 150 Piccadilly, St. James’s, W1J 9BR.
🚇 The nearest station is Green Park.
22. 45 Park Lane
45 Park Lane is leaning into their Art Deco reputation with a Christmas tree that deftly merges pop culture and Christmas traditions. The tree, the first of the hotel’s Arists’ Christmas trees, was designed by British collage artist and author Hormazd Narielwella. Take a close look at the tree and you’ll discover that the anthropomorphised ornaments are modelled after British music icons. The likes of David Bowie, Elton John, and more can be found scattered across the branches. It’s music to our ears eyes ears senses.
📍 45 Park Lane, W1K 1PN.
🚇 The nearest stations are Green Park and Hyde Park Corner.
23. The Ned
Over at The Ned, a touch of sophistication and old-world charm awaits. The hotel recently unveiled its 21-foot Christmas tree, adorned with more than 6,000 traditional fairy lights and over 1,600 decorations, and an accompanying giant halo wreath (it’s there in the back, behind the tree itself). The wreath hangs in the middle of the hotel’s Christmas decor, courtesy of in-house florists Grandirosa, and it’s all just very charming. If a Christmas tree could be said to be sauve – it would be this one.
📍 27 Poultry, EC2R 8AJ.
🚇 The nearest station is Bank.
24. Brown’s Hotel
The Rocco Forte Hotel in Mayfair has partnered up this year with Britain’s oldest chocolatier, Charbonnel et Walker, for a properly chocolatey Christmas season. As part of the partnership, Brown’s Hotel is offering up the likes of a chocolate trolley, chocolate cocktails, and even chocolate spa treatments! And, of course, the tree has also been decorated with plenty of chocolate touches – with the ribbons and baubles “guarding a treasure trove of Charbonnel et Walker truffle boxes.”
📍 33 Albemarle Street, W1S 4BP.
🚇 The nearest station is Green Park.
25. Waterloo Station
Over at one of London’s busiest train stations, kate spade new york has unveiled a 10-metre tall ‘tree’ made out of branded gift-boxes. The festive sculpture marks the first time that a fashion brand has displayed a Christmas tree at Waterloo, and they’re going all out for the ocassion. The display comes to life with animations, a working model train set, and a spectacular light display. How chic!
📍 Waterloo Road, SE1 8SW.
🚇 Nearest station is erm… Waterloo.
26. Television Centre
Television Centre’s impressive Christmas tree stands tall and proud in the middle of the courtyard decked out in a gorgeous display of ribbons, baubles, and plenty of fairy lights. It’s a properly pretty sight, and at night it shines bright enough to dispel the S.A.D. that’s afflicting everyone on these cold winter nights.
📍BBC Studios, 101 Wood Ln, White City, W12 7FW.
🚇Nearest station is Wood Lane.
27. Piazza Italiana
Piazza Italiana has accented its gorgeous setting, inside Grade II-listed former Linen Bank, with a towering Christmas tree for all the festive feels. To add even more festive sparkle, the restaurant has also got an all-new menu of special Christmas cocktails. They’ve got it all, pasta, cocktails, and trees. It’s the trifecta that guarantees a good time out, right?
📍 38 Threadneedle Street, EC2R 8AY.
🚇 Nearest stations are Bank and Liverpool Street.
28. Battersea Power Station
Over at Battersea Power Station, they’re commemorating the holidays with multiple impressive Christmas trees. The first can be found right in the middle of the Battersea Power Station ice rink, Glide. The second, courtesy of the legendary David Hockney, takes the form of two Christmas trees that light up the London landmark’s two washtowers on the building’s north facade. Entitled ‘Bigger Christmas Trees‘, the “10-minute animation transforms the iconic 100-metre-high chimneys that overlook the River Thames”. (Fun fact: he designed the display on an iPad!)
📍 Circus Road West, Nine Elms, SW11 8DD.
🚇 Nearest station is Battersea Power Station.
29. The Landmark London
Head to the Winter Garden in The Landmark London and you’ll find one of London’s tallest Christmas trees sheltering inside the eight-storey-high glass Atrium. The absolutely stunning tree is flanked by palm trees and has been made up with gold and teal decorations. It’s a gorgeous centrepiece for the room. In a stunning setting, it doesn’t distract from the room’s other beautiful touches, but it sure doesn’t shy away from being noticed either.
📍 222 Marylebone Road, Marylebone, NW1 6JQ.
🚇 Nearest station is Marylebone.
30. Trafalgar Square
There aren’t many things you can guarantee in life, but Trafalgar Square‘s festive tree making a return over Christmas is definitely one of them. Every year since 1947, Norway has donated an eye-catching tree as a ‘thank you’ for helping them out in WW2. This year’s tree may have been unveiled rather later than London’s early openings and illuminations, but we love it nonetheless! (Not everyone loves it as much as we do, though – as you can see here.)
📍 Trafalgar Square, Westminster, WC2N 5DX.
🚇 Nearest station is Charing Cross.
31. The Goring
You know what every single Christmas tree has been missing on the list so far? A pony turning them on. Fortunately, The Goring knew full well what we wanted this Christmas – stunning sights and Christmas trees with a side of adorableness! Just check out Teddy the Shetland turning on the hotel’s light display, and illuminating the tree.
📍15 Beeston Place, Belgravia, SW1W 0JW.
🚇 Nearest station is Victoria.
32. Platform 9 3/4 at King’s Cross
Now, there’s no need to run your way through a solid wall to see this Christmas tree because, despite the Harry Potter influence, it’s not actually found on the mythical Platform 9 3/4. Instead, it’s located right in the middle of the King’s Cross station terminal. Perched above stacked luggage, the tree is decorated with presents, letters, baubles, owls, lights, and a large Platform 9 3/4 stamp.
📍 Euston Road, N1 9AL.
🚇 Nearest station is King’s Cross St Pancras.
33. Kimpton Fitzroy London
Another snazzy hotel – another stunning Christmas tree; some of these displays make me almost consider moving into one of the hotel rooms for the festive season! Designed by Steven Duggan Events, the Christmas tree at the Kimpton Fitzroy London stands an impressive 16 feet tall. It’s adorned with decorations inspired by the hotel’s own decor and architecture, making for a wonderful display that speaks to its surroundings.
📍 1-8 Russell Square, WC1B 5BE.
🚇 Nearest station is Russell Square.
So there you have it – a roundup of the best Christmas trees in London in 2023. Which one is your favourite?