Things to note if you are heading to the UK to celebrate Christmas and NYE!
Its actually Thye’s and my first time celebrating Christmas and NYE overseas and I am very excited that its to…. LONDON!
Not only that, we also planned a short trip(2D1N) to Manchester, mainly to catch the live Man Utd match for Thye, and also cause we have about 12 days which everyone is telling me that its more than enough for London haha.
Of course, I planned 2 day trips out to places like Oxford and Bath too. Kind of regretted not going out of UK to other countries like Paris or Edinburgh… will recommend you guys to do so if you have enough time!
As usual, if you are lazy to read, click on the video to watch what went on the entire trip! You can also scroll all the way down to download the itinerary.
As always, here are some tips to take note of:
- There are 3 telco in London which you can choose from. I got mine from 3 Sim Card cause of the infinity data. However, most of them do not have data in underground(i.e MRT) or certain places. Download your offline map beforehand!
- There are NO train or public transport service on Christmas Day itself. For the train to other cities, they will NOT be running on Christmas and Boxing Day itself. So, best to book your accommodation in town area or prepare to uber around if you wish to head out.
- You HAVE to pre-book and buy the NYE countdown tickets if you want to catch the fireworks. The police will block off the routes or area nearby due to safety reasons.
- Many cafes/restaurant are selling their menu at 1.5times on Christmas Day so its better to just cook and dine in.
- Make reservations for all the restaurant/cafes you are thinking of trying, especially the famous ones. They do not take walk-ins.
- GET THE OYSTER CARD as the transport fares are actually cheaper.
- Its actually pretty easy to take the bus around(cheaper than the train) as their bus stops are labelled via alphabets. Just use google map and board at the correct bus stop! Get the oyster card, like Japan & Taiwan, you can use the oyster card for both trains and buses.
- As the metro fares aint really cheap, sometimes its cheaper to take uber if you are travelling in group of 4. Check beforehand!
Day 01
Landed in London after a close to 16hrs flight with 1 transit in between- yes I actually got a pretty good deal from Emirates. But not so good thing is that you have to stop over Dubai for a short while.
Stayed near Shepherd Bush area & I would say, it’s not the most convenient but its ain’t too bad either. There are 2 different “train station”– one overground & one underground near our Airbnb which makes the travelling pretty easy. But the bad point is that we got to walk about 10-15mins which sometimes, it can feel like a dread after an entire day of walking and your legs are aching badly.
I also like that we got our own “concierge security” and you can even order deliveries to be placed at the concierge if you are going to be out.
Link of our airbnb: https://www.airbnb.com.sg/rooms/30141613?source_impression_id=p3_1600505085_FvsS73FQpDgB%2F6W9
Met up with Thye’s sis and mum & its off to lunch- FIRST RESTAURANT IN UK IS ACTUALLY CHINESE FOOD LOL.
Had the much raved Gold Mine and yeah, their food is really good esp the duck!!!
Headed over to Knightsbridge area to shop and walk around before our dinner(yes, we are forever eating in London) at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal. Overall, I would say its so-so only.. you can try for the experience & their famous meat fruit but food wise, pretty normal like other fine-dining places.
Went over to Hyde Park Winterland after that & if you are there during Christmas, do take a walk there if you can. Its absolutely different (atmosphere, food, rides etc) as compared to SG’s Winterland.
Back to the Airbnb after that.
Day 02
Breakfast at the Muffin Man Shop!!!! One of my fav-est food place cause I love scones and their scones are really good. But I think the rest of the food are damn normal so you can just order the scones only. Save your tummy for other food!
Did touristy stuff after that like catching the change of guards at the Buckingham Palace, take photo at the iconic telephone booth, see Big Ben(STILL UNDER RENO) as well as Westminster Abbey.
Mayfair Chippy for lunch and the fish&chips are not bad. Then, we started our mini shopping before another Christmas Market(Leicester Square) in the night. Yes, there are at least 4-5 Christmas Markets and we went all during our trip lol. Anw, its quite boring so we went back to Hyde Park. I will say the Hyde Park’s Winterland is the most worthy to go.
Mulled wine is a must try in Winter!!
Back to our airbnb after that.
Day 03
Its CHRISTMAS DAY & NTH IS OPEN! LOL.
No public transport, no cafes and restaurants are closed. The only food places that remain open are the Hotel’s(which you need to make advance reservation), Chinatown’s cafes and tourists’ restaurant like Haidilao WHICH they charge 1.5x on that day…..
Thankfully, I manage to book a Christmas Day Tour with 3-course Christmas Lunch (TURKEY!) so the day isnt kind of wasted.
Thye and his sis made our breakfast for the day! Which we got the ingredients from the supermarket the night before.
Spent a day in Oxford, Cotsworld & Strathsmore. The day tour is so-so but the Christmas Lunch is pretty heartwarming as the pub that we had the lunch was super cosy.
The architecture of the buildings in the outskirt are very gorgeous too.
Happy that we manage to spend a day out instead of just lounging around in the apartment.
However, the dinner restaurant which I booked in advance actually DO NOT open on Christmas day…. so we had to find alternative last min and ended up buying food from petrol kiosk’s mart. Even the supermarkets are closed on Christmas Day..
But its okay! We made our own dinner(pizza and roasted chicken) & it’s a good thing that we get to rest early for the night too cause we have a day flight to catch the next day.
Day 04
Took a flight to Manchester to catch the MAN UTD VS ARSENAL football match! Yes, train services are closed on 25th & 26th Dec so we had to take a domestic flight there = $$$. Also, we missed the boxing day sales.. WHY do they plan matches on boxing day huh?!
Anw, booked a night stay at the airbnb there cause I reckon its way too rushed and tiring to travel to and fro especially w/o the train service. I think we were pretty lucky this trip cause both our airbnbs are decent and nice + the owners are all very friendly.
Our Manchester airbnb owner even picked us from the train station, drove us to our airbnb to put our things and then drove us around the city!!
Here’s the link for our Manchester Airbnb: https://www.airbnb.com.sg/rooms/36202311?source_impression_id=p3_1664697677_nP4Ueyv%2Fb%2B%2FCsMdG
I would say Manchester is a pretty small city, its almost like Singapore I think. You can actually walk from one place to another and there are even free buses around the city!!
Had our lunch and did a lil boxing day shopping in the city area before catching the cruise to the match. Yes, for the Man Utd match, they actually have a Man Utd CRUISE just for the fans and it will bring you over to the stadium. The even better thing is.. the boarding area is just somewhere near our airbnb!!
However, the new docking point is like a 20mins WALK from the stadium so we kind of regretted not taking an Uber instead haha. But if you are someone who loves to walk, you will enjoy the cruise.
*TIP AT YOUR OWN RISK- I bought our soccer tickets from those online reseller platform(way cheaper & actual tickets are sold out) and initially it came off as a real scare cause of the bad reviews online(some commented that they didn’t receive the tickets on time or some even receive them only 1-hr before the match etc). I chose self collection on the day itself because I don’t know how to get the tickets delivered to us in London.. AND, the seller will not contact you until ONE week before the match as that’s when they get their tickets too. So imagine, everything is UNSTABLE even till the day I fly- I don’t even know if I will receive them in the end.
But thankfully, our airbnb owner is so nice that she helped us to collect the tickets from the postman(eventually, I manage to change to delivery as I am afraid its too rushed to meet the seller) before the match day. Whew! So yeah if you are thinking of getting from reseller, you will need to bear with the risk that the tickets may not even reach you. I will still suggest buying the actual tickets from the actual Man Utd website if you can.
Here’s the link for the cruise ticket: https://manchesterrivercruises.com/
Anw, we enjoyed the match cause its 4-1!! Imagine the no. of goals and excitement throughout the match! I’ve been to matches whereby its 0-0 so I really think we are quite lucky this trip. Oh, DO head to the stadium earlier as you will need to queue to place your bags(cant carry anything except ur wallet and hp) in the locker area before they allow you to enter the stadium.
We stayed behind to shop for merchandise and it was way too many people that we decided to take a Uber back to our apartment. *Do note that it may be hard to grab one due to the crowd, be prepard to pay a premium fare unless you can afford to wait!
Day 05
Explored a day in Manchester but some of the places we had bookmarked are actually closed due to the festive season. So please do check in advance as some touristy place/cafes/restaurants (both Manchester & London) actually closed for 1 week due to Christmas. Its a very big occasion for them like our Chinese New Year.
Breakfast at The Koffee Pot Cafe– one of the breakfast places in Manchester.
Then its just more shopping and exploring the Christmas Market there before heading to the airport in the evening for our flight back.
Oh yes, for the transport to and fro the airport, just take uber. I pre-book transport to and fro and the driver actually didnt turn up. Also, uber is cheaper than those booked transport lol. So, my mistakes your gain!
Day 06
Off to Maltby & Borough Market today but sadly, Maltby is closed for Christmas (sigh). Yeah, I checked online beforehand but yeah, cause its a local market so they just decide to close without notice. But, they have a donut shop which apparently is famous that is open so its not like a wasted trip.
Borough Market for the famous oysters after that which we had no regrets BUT, WE GOT FOOD POISONING THE NEXT FEW DAYS. HAHAHAHA. Yes all of us that ate the oysters. But its so HUGE & FRESH so no regrets!!
Anw, I will say you can skip Applebee’s fish & chips & the scotch eggs they are so-so only. There are also a toasted cheese sandwich stall which has SUPER LONG queue but for me, I find it so-so too. The coffee- Monmouth Coffee is good.
Off to Tower Bridge after that & we manage to catch it in action due to a ship passing by. Then its to Where the Pancakes Are(which according to a friend’s recommendation, best pancakes in Town) but for me, I will say dont bother. Its damn normal.
Holborn dining room for dinner & food is not bad. They are famous for pies and the pies are quite good. But I didnt expect it to be a fine dining kind of place I thought of it more as a pies cafe.
Back to our airbnb after that to call it a night as its another day tour the next day.
Day 07
Went on the famous day trip to Windsor Castle, Stonehenge & Bath. Its like one of the must do when you are in London.
Well, the trip is pretty interesting as we get to explore the interior of the castle and there may even be a chance to bump into the Queen if she is there. However, they are away for Christmas. I will say its still a pretty eye opening experience.
Made our own breakfast in our Airbnb before the full day trip!
Stonehenge is unfortunately, a waste of time to us cause its just stones lor.. Yeah sadly we aint really into such historical sites. Also, its being cordoned off so you can only view it from far.
I love Bath cuz the city itself looks sooooo pretty and serene! Wish I have more time to spend there instead. I think I wouldnt mind stopping over for 2-3 days next time so if you actly have time to spare, please spend more days in Bath!!
Took the iconic bath shot but please DONT try the fountain water IT SUCKS no joke!! I almost puked – if you watch the video.
Back to London and its dinner at one of Gordon Ramsey’s restaurant but sadly, thats where my food poisoning start(yes I am the first to get it) and I was having diaheria + vomiting throughout I didnt get to enjoy the food at all. Also, we tried the beef wellington but its a huge disappointment. None of us like it.
Day 08
Woke up feeling slightly better but then its Thye’s turn to experience his food poisoning. Breakfast at Dishroom which was one of the cafes I was really looking forward to due to all the good reviews but we cant enjoy it as I was still suffering from mild food poisoning. Also, Thye’s mum start to experience it too later part of the day.
So, we cancelled all plans and just shopped around in Oxford circus and Regent street area.
Thankfully, I was feeling so much better in the night cause we had Duck and Waffles and its hands down the BEST restaurant in London. Everything on the menu is good. So far, we find all the restaurants in London is super overrated. This is really good!!!
A MUST TO TRY IF YOU ARE IN LONDON!
*Also, do note that you will have to RESERVE in advance else there wont be seats!
Day 09
Thye’s mum was still feeling sick so we went out on our own. Luckily Thye and I were starting to recover already but we still keep the itinerary chill so there are a few places we had cancelled out. You can download and follow it accordingly.
Camden Market & Shoreditch area are nth spectacular but if you are someone who is into local trinkets or handmade stuff, you may like it here. What attract me there is the famous Cereal Killer Cafe & the Beigel Bake where almost everyone who had been to London in my IG dm me to try their salted beef bagel! *Note that these 2 aint in my itinerary.
Singapore did not have FIVE GUYS during the time we were in London so we were quite excited to try this lol!
Back to the airbnb to fetch Thye’s mum after that cause its NYE today & we are catching the Phantom of the Opera Musical + going for countdown!!
I love Phantom Of the Opera & I caught it in SG years ago so I pretty much enjoyed the musical. However, people like Thye who is not into such thing was so bored to death cause he cant understand what they are singing so he is falling asleep LOL. I will suggest for you to watch it with someone who loves and appreciate musicals!
HDL for dinner after that cause we were all craving for Chinese and soupy food. DONT GO unless necessary cause its SUPER ex as compared to SG. Imagine SG’s price but x 1.8 cause pounds. Yup you got it.
Off to countdown after that but I didnt know they actually cordon off the area near all the fireworks place (i.e London Eye) so unless you got the countdown tickets, you cant enter anywhere near it. So we ended up at a square area which we saw tons of people sitting around so we follow suit. However, the fireworks were blocked 3/4 by the buildings infront of us. Sadded.
Its still an experience I will say cuz the people there are DAMN ENTHU on countdown! They were singing, shouting, dancing and some even brought champagne out to pop!!! The experience and feeling is very different from SG so I am glad I manage to experience it as its my first time spending Christmas & NYE overseas.
Our view the entire countdown LOLOLOL
The entire place was SO smokey due to the fireworks!
Oh, but do note that heading back is a horror cause even though its indicated that the trains/buses operate till 4am on NYE, the station aint open till 1.30am-2am?? Also, most of the bus routes are closed you have to walk till out of the city area. Even for Uber, the driver cant really drive in due to blocked road…
So yeah, plan ur countdown event properly & do all the necessary research/bookings beforehand.
Day 10
Its the first day of Jan 2020! Luckily, most shops are still open for the day. I feel that Christmas > New Year in the UK.
Flat Iron for breakfast & we managed to skip the queue as we got there before the opening hours. Food wise, I think the steak is so-so. Singapore’s Feather Blade is nicer not kidding.
New Year Day shopping the entire day(yes we left the shopping for this day cause of the New Year Day discounts). However, I think Boxing Day has much more discounts but a pity we missed it as we were in Manchester.
London Duck for dinner as everyone is missing Chinese food. Personally, I prefer Gold Mine’s as the side dishes are good too. For London Duck, only the duck is good.
Spent the day shopping cause we havent really shop the entire trip so not much photos.
Oh, if you are intending to get branded items, do shop at the department stores like Selfridges as we can do the tax refund in the mall itself and its credited back into your credit card! You do not need to queue at the airport to file the tax refund!!
Day 11
Thye’s Mum and Sis are heading back to SG today so we had breakfast at the nearby mall- Westminister Mall. Its a mega huge mall with tons of shops too.
Did all the last min shopping before they head to the airport.
Then, its just the 2 of us for the rest of the trip!
To Convent Garden and more shopping in the night.
Chinatown Old Town 97 for dinner as recommended by a friend and OMG, ITS ONE OF THE BEST CHINESE MEAL IN LONDON! You must try the LSE Fried Rice(not in the menu). I think Thye’s super happy with this meal hahaha. And we felt that its a pity his mum and sis didnt get to try this!!
Back to our apartment after this cuz my bf’s a scaredy cat and he dont really dare to roam around at night with just the 2 of us haha.
Day 12
Last day of our trip!
Pulled Thye to the famous Platform 9 3/4 cause how can a Harry Potter Fan like me miss this right?! Poor him had to queue for 2hrs just for me to take a stupid photo at the platform hahaha.
But no regrets for me! I really wanted to do the Harry Potter studio day tour but there aint enough time for it 🙁
Eat Tokyo for lunch as recommended by his cousin and man, food is good. Its like suddenly the food for the last 2 days of our trip are good. Honestly, I feel that the food in London is so-so only thus far, even those popular ones.
Back to our apartment to pack for the night before we left for the airport. Anddddd that’s the end of our first ever UK trip!
My conclusion? I think London can be a stopover for 3-4 days if you’re travelling to other countries nearby and its more than enough. Also, I find that food in SG are way nicer than London’s.
For full detailed itinerary, click the link below:
