We took a rollicking ride through the TfL website to help you travel from ice rinks to Christmas markets to relatives on the other side of London, and everything in between. So, for your convenience, here’s how to travel around London over Christmas.
🚇 Tube
December 23 – Night Tube to operate as normal, but there is no service on the Waterloo & City line.
December 24 – A normal Sunday service will operate across most lines. There will be reduced services from 8pm onwards, with trains due to finish up at standard Sunday hours. Again, The Waterloo & City line is closed, and there will also be no service on the District line to Kensington Olympia after 8pm.
There’s no Saturday night tube, and services are expected to end slightly earlier than normal, so be sure to check before travelling. You are also advised to finish any journey between Queen’s Park and Harrow & Wealdstone on the Bakerloo line, and Wimbledon & Parsons Green and Richmond & Turnham Green on the District line. The Waterloo & City line is closed.
December 25 – No London Underground services running on Christmas Day.
December 26 – There’s a Sunday service today, with the first trains running at 7am and the last trains running at Sunday times. There are a few line closures to be aware of; the Waterloo & City line is closed, the District line has no service to Kensington Olympia, and no service is expected all day between Queen’s Park and Harrow & Wealdstone on the Bakerloo line. Canada Water on the Jubilee line will also close for two 30-minute (maximum) spells between 10:40am-11:10am & again at 3:40pm-4:10pm.
🚆 Overground
December 23 – Running as normal, but no service between Clapham Junction and Surrey Quays.
December 24 – The Gospel Oak-Barking Riverside route will be running a reduced service all day, with Barking Riverside station closed and all services ending by 9:30pm. Euston-Watford Junction services end at the same time, but routes from Watford Junction and Kilburn High Road will only run until midday. Richmond/Clapham Junction-Stratford and Liverpool Street-Enfield Town/Cheshunt/Chingford also finish at 9:30pm, but there is no service between Clapham Junction and Surrey Quays.
December 25 – No London Overground services running on Christmas Day.
December 26 – Highbury & Islington-West Croydon/Clapham Junction/Crystal Palace will run a limited service between 8:15am and 10:15pm, with trains running from Crystal Palace to New Cross Gate. Trains between Clapham and Shepherd’s Bush will also run on a limited service between 9am and 8pm. There is no service on the rest of the London Overground.
🚝 Elizabeth line
December 24 – no service between Ealing Broadway and Paddington, and a reduced service on the rest of line. Complete your journey by 11pm.
December 25 – no service on the Elizabeth line on Christmas Day.
December 26 – no service on the Elizabeth line on Boxing Day.
🚌 Buses
December 24 – buses will run on a normal Sunday timetable, with passengers advised to complete journeys by 12am, which is when services that are usually 24-hours are due to end. Eight services will also be affected by a strike, which you can find information on here.
December 25 – there will be no bus services on Christmas Day.
December 26 – bus services will a normal Sunday service, with standard Sunday night services running, though there are no night services in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
🚃 DLR
December 23 – the DLR will run, but with no service between Canary Wharf and Westferry/Poplar.
December 24 – trains finish around 10:30pm.
December 25 – no DLR services running on Christmas Day.
December 26 – first trains start at 8:30am and a normal weekday service will resume, but trains between Canary Wharf and Westferry/Poplar aren’t running.
🚉 Trams
December 25 – no trams are running on Christmas Day.
December 26 – a Sunday service will be running on the trams.
🚲 Cycling & E-Scooters
December 24-26 – The Santander hire bikes will be available as normal throughout the festive period. Time to work off that Christmas dinner! Meanwhile, e-scooters will be available in the London boroughs taking part in the private hire trial.
🚕 Taxis
December 24-27 – From 8pm on Christmas Eve until 6am on December 27, each cab journey will cost £4 extra. There may also be extra charges for private hire vehicles like Uber, Bolt, and Lyft – expect some hefty surge pricing!
🏎 Driving
December 25 – There will be no Congestion Charge or ULEZ charges today, but the LEZ charges still do.
December 26 – The Congestion Charge doesn’t apply today, but ULEZ and LEZ charges do.