Christmastime in England
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Christmastime in England


December 07-16, 2025
Double Occupancy: $6150 per person
Single Occupancy: $6650 per person
Airfare is not included.

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Overview

We invite you to join us for ten unforgettably festive days during the 2025 Christmas season. There is nowhere in the world quite like London at Christmastime. The city dons its best holiday attire and throws a Yuletide party all during the month of December—seasonal concerts, plays, markets, and exhibitions that spill out of theatres, churches, museums, and pubs right into the squares and streets. This is the city of Dickens, after all! So bundle up and join Jane and Tim as we revel together in sights, sounds, and tastes selected specially to dazzle and delight you—and get you back home with plenty of time to open presents around your own Christmas tree.

Know Before You Go

Filled with one-of-a-kind visits and experiences, this trip will leave you happily tired. It includes days exploring London as a group and some late nights of theatre performances, and the pace is brisk. We average 4-6 miles (approximately 10,000 steps) of walking and 100 stairs per day. Travel is by public transportation (included in the price of the trip), and participants should be able to board Tube trains and buses independently, though we will always lead the way in group activities. The group comes first, so participants who wish to travel by taxi must make their own independent arrangements and expect to pay about $600 extra.

Christmastime in England is considered a Level Two out of three physical ability levels on the Go Learn scale. Learn more about our .


Christmas lights in Mayfair, London

Christmas lights in Mayfair, London

Tour Highlights Include:

We inaugurated Christmastime in England in 2023, and this, our second Yuletide adventure, is designed to appeal to all our wonderful Go Learn friends, old and new. Here are some of the events we’re planning now—because some need to be scheduled right away to guarantee reservations:

  • Theatre is our core value, so we’ll be booking excellent seats at great, thought-provoking plays, including the best A Christmas Carol you’ll ever see in a new version at the Old Vic Theatre. Also, an evening of theatrical wonder at London’s only candlelit theatre, the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse.
  • There are so many seasonal concerts in all venues at this time of the year that we’re (as the British say) spoilt for choice. We’ll pick a couple of the best at memorable venues such as the Festival of Lessons and Carols at St. Michael’s Cornhill, a Christopher Wren-designed church in the heart of the old city of London.
  • The dazzling Christmas light show at Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew. Really, you’ve got to see this to believe it. Each year Kew comes up with new, spectacular effects throughout its 300 acres of ancient trees and giant glass houses.
  • A silent Yuletide tour of the wonderfully eccentric Dennis Severs’ House.
  • London boasts among the best Christmas markets in the world. Which to pick? Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park? Covent Garden Christmas Market? The inelegantly named but fabulous Spitalfields Market? How about the market at Trafalgar Square (with its iconic Christmas tree donated by Norway every year since VE Day), or Christmas by the River at London Bridge? So many choices! Plus, we’ll visit the fancy Fortnum & Mason Christmas Shop.
  • What about a spot of art? London is justly renowned for its world-class museums and galleries, all done up in festive finery at Christmastime. We’ll go on a private tour of the fascinatingly eclectic Wallace Collection and attend a special exhibition at the Tate Britain dedicated to two of England’s greatest artists, JMW Turner and John Constable.
  • The house of Charles Dickens, 48 Doughty Street. Dickens=Christmas. Enough said.
  • A walk down Regent Street. Lots of streets in lots of cities decorated with lights at Christmas. But Regent Street has 300,000 of them. Not to be missed.
  • Drumroll please. We’re taking Christmastime in England on the road in 2025, making plans for a royal outing to Royal Windsor! We’ll take a private tour of St. George’s Chapel, where most recently Queen Elizabeth II was laid to rest. After lunch, we’ll go on a private—just us and our guides—after-hours exploration of Windsor Castle—all done up for Christmas. It all ends with champagne or grape juice.
  • Our Own Christmas Lunch (or Dinner). We’re booking a private room for a traditional English Christmas feast, complete (of course!) with crackers—not to eat but to POP and extract the crown, prize, and joke. And we’ll do our own must-be-under £10 gift exchange—which will give us Purpose at the markets.
  • What about Learning? We’ll have daily history and culture chats featuring English Christmas traditions, as well as our usual theatre, concert, and art chats—because, remember: “To learn gives the liveliest pleasure” (Aristotle, Poetics). Also, “Mint hot chocolate gives the second-liveliest pleasure” (Aristotle, Poetics, conjectural supplement).

Daily Itinerary

Important Note: This itinerary is provisional. Times and dates of events are subject to change.

Sunday, December 7: Season’s Greetings (😀)

We'll arrange your transportation from Heathrow Airport to The Rockwell, our charming boutique hotel in South Kensington—where complimentary breakfast is served every morning. After you're settled in, we'll bundle up and stroll along Regent’s Street, a glitzy shopping thoroughfare spangled for the festive season with some 300,000 holiday lights. Then we’ll head to a great restaurant, and while there, we’ll each draw the name of a fellow-traveler from a suitable receptacle and be issued a crisp £10 note, which will be the strictly enforced ceiling for a small Christmas gift, to be purchased at a Christmas market and bestowed at our Christmas Feast toward the end of the trip. All clear?

Hotel: The Rockwell opens a new window
Meal: D

Christmas tree in London
Christmas tree and lights in London

Monday, December 8: Seasonal Traditions

After our culture and theatre chat, usually held upstairs in a private room at the King’s Head Pub around the corner from our hotel, we’ll attend a fabulous gallery. Free afternoon, and then we’ll get together in the evening for our first play.

Hotel: The Rockwell opens a new window
Meal: B
Activity Level: Moderate to Strenuous (lots of walking)

King’s Head Pub
King’s Head Pub

Tuesday, December 9: Dickens Day

Today is all about Mr. Charles Dickens, author of, among other masterpieces, A Christmas Carol. We’ll visit his house, part of which is also a museum, for a private tour—and learn how he lived and worked and wrote. Did you know Dickens was also active in advocating social reform to benefit the poor? Makes sense for someone who did some of his growing up in a debtors’ prison. Talk about contrasts: our next stop is one of London’s exalted hotels for a really special treat: High Tea (it’s really a meal), Christmas style. That night we’ll make our way to the Old Vic Theatre to see their renowned version of A Christmas Carol. Each year some celebrated actor takes on the role of Scrooge. Can’t wait to find out who it will be in 2025!

Hotel: The Rockwell opens a new window
Meals: B, L
Activity Level: Moderate to Strenuous (lots of walking)

Old Vic Theatre
Old Vic Theatre

Wednesday, December 10: Splendors of the Wallace Collection

This is one of London’s lesser known museums, and it’s a jewel! Our brilliant artist and arts educator Kent Christensen will lead us to some specially curated masterpieces of painting and sculpture, as well as some surprises—as in, did anyone actually fight in this armor?! A visit to see the windows and mercantile gorgeousness of Fortnum & Mason store on Piccadilly is a must at this time of the year, so we’ll go pay homage. F&M’s various teas—black, green, white, and herbal—are world renowned. (Plum, Apple, & Cinnamon is my favorite seasonal infusion.) That night after a delicious dinner, we’ll attend a seasonal concert at beautiful Cadogan Hall.

Hotel: The Rockwell opens a new window
Meals: B, D
Activity Level: Moderate to Strenuous (lots of walking)

Cadogan Hall
Cadogan Hall

Thursday, December 11: Shakespeare Day

When we think of Christmas, do we think of Shakespeare? We should: “Some say that ever ‘gainst that season comes/Wherein our Savior’s birth is celebrated,/This bird of dawning singeth all night long;/And then, they say, no spirit dare stir abroad,/The nights are wholesome, then no planets strike,/No fairy takes, nor witch hath power to charm,/So hallow’d and so gracious is the time.” See? By special arrangement we’re going to have a private visit to Middle Temple Hall, the Elizabethan masterpiece where the Bard’s Twelfth Night premiered. And that’s also where we’ll have our theatre chat that day. Lunch at a great pub in the area, followed by a quick browse at the South Bank Christmas Market, and then a Shakespeare play at the Globe Theatre’s intimate Wanamaker Playhouse, the only candlelit theatre in London.

Hotel: The Rockwell opens a new window
Meals: B, L
Activity Level: Moderate to Strenuous (lots of walking)

Shakespeare's Globe
Shakespeare's Globe

Friday, December 12: Windsor Day Trip

Queen Elizabeth II called Buckingham Palace her “office,” but Windsor Castle her “home.” If you’ve never been, this is the time to experience this remarkable palimpsest of 700 years of royal history. If you have, it’s time for you to see it in its Christmas finery. We’ll skip the crowds by going with our own private guides just after the castle closes its doors to the public. Before that adventure we’ll have lunch together in a great Windsor eatery, and before that we’ve booked a private tour of St. George’s Chapel, a sacred gothic wonder where the late queen is interred with Prince Philip and other of the Windsor royal family.

Hotel: The Rockwell opens a new window
Meals: B, D
Activity Level: Moderate to Strenuous (lots of walking)

St George's Chapel
St George's Chapel

Saturday, December 13: This Earth, This England

Our business today is to encounter two 19th Century landscape artists who passionately loved their native England—and painted it so differently that they could never see eye to eye. Kent will prepare us for this amazing experience in our morning chat, and then we’re off to the Tate Britain for the Turner and Constable Exhibition. Surprised they didn’t call it Turner VERSUS Constable… Free afternoon, and then we’ll meet for dinner and a play or concert.

Hotel: The Rockwell opens a new window
Meals: B, D
Activity Level: Moderate to Strenuous (lots of walking)

Tate Britain
Tate Britain

Sunday, December 14: Treasures of the Tower and the Imagination

Our first treasure at the Tower of London is a beautiful choral matins service at St. Peter ad Vincula. The second we’ll see when we stroll into the vault next door to examine the Crown Jewels (including Cullinan I, the largest clear cut diamond in the world, which sits atop the Sovereign’s Scepter with Cross). And now for something completely different: Dennis Severs, a Californian ex-pat, bought a run-down, condemned Georgian townhouse on Folgate Street and over many years restored it and turned it into an immersive historical fantasy. Especially magical at Christmas, Dennis Severs’ House is indescribable; you just have to go. Properly charmed, we’ll walk the short distance to Spitalfields arts and crafts Market, all decked out for Christmas, where food trucks also await. Free evening.

Hotel: The Rockwell opens a new window
Meal: B
Activity Level: Moderate to Strenuous (lots of walking)

Tower of London
Tower of London

Monday, December 15: “The Meaning of Life Is to Find Your Gift; the Purpose of Life Is to Give It Away”- Pablo Picasso

After our morning chat, we’ll visit the splendidly decorated Leadenhall Christmas Market with its iconic 18ft high live Christmas tree. Then it’s off to beautiful, Old London City church, St. Michael’s Cornhill for their annual Festival of Lessons and Carols. By now we will have found our absolutely-strictly-£10-or-under-no-cheating gift for the fellow traveler whose name we drew back at the beginning. Be sure to bring it along to our own private Christmas Feast and Gift Giving. There will be traditional English seasonal food and drink; there will be Christmas crackers; there will be jollity and reminiscing and relaxing. Hurrah! And then in the early evening, as twilight turns to darkness, we’ll be entering the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, for the breathtaking Christmas at Kew light and music display. You might want to slip off to Father Christmas’s Grotto to speak to him if you’ve been good; perhaps just grab some mulled wine or cider if you’ve been naughty.

Hotel: The Rockwell opens a new window
Meals: B, L
Activity Level: Moderate to Strenuous (lots of walking)

Christmas at Leadenhall Market
Christmas at Leadenhall Market

Tuesday, December 16: Season’s Partings (😢)

We’ll get you back to the airport, or wherever you’re going next, with good Yuletide London memories and best wishes for a very Merry Christmas!

Meal: B


Tour Leaders: Tim Slover and Jane England

Tim and Jane

Tim and Jane bring their expertise and enthusiasm to Go Learn from also directing the University of Utah's Beacons of Excellence Award-winning Theatre, Fine Arts and Humanities in London Learning Abroad student program—for fifteen years and still going strong.

Tim is a Professor in the Department of Theatre, where he teaches Playwriting, Dramatic Literature, Shakespeare, and Contemporary Drama. Tim is also a produced screenwriter, a published novelist, and an award-winning playwright with plays produced off-Broadway and in the US, Britain, and Canada.

Jane teaches Introduction to Theatre and Dramatic Literature in the Department of Theatre and administers London Learning Abroad programs for both the Theatre and English Departments. She attended the London School of Economics for post-graduate studies and, in addition to her many London and UK tours, has led travel programs in Bali and Japan.


If the logistics of a trip are right, travelers don't even notice them. That's my job."
— Jane


She does her job really, really well. Can we talk about the play now?"
— Tim

Details and What to Expect

Christmas TreePre-Departure

Like all Go Learn journeys, the adventure begins at home. We'll make sure you have all the information you need before you arrive in London—we'll answer questions about what to pack, how to get around, and our daily itinerary. We want you to arrive in London ready to learn!

A trip reunion about a month after returning will be the perfect conclusion to our journey. We will exchange pictures and stories while remembering the highlights of our tour. Go Learn expeditions are designed to be small, boutique experiences where one returns with a group of friends. Good food, drink, and company await us at this reunion.


About London

It’s hard to fit what London is into one sentence, but let's give it a shot: London is the capital of the United Kingdom (and hence has all the Washington D.C.-type buildings), and it also has hundreds of historical sites from a Roman temple to Jimi Hendrix's apartment, and it's also the biggest city in the European Union (8.5 million) with the most diverse population (270 nationalities and 300 languages—imagine what that means for restaurants, yum), and it’s also one of the world’s premiere financial and commercial hubs (um, shopping), and it has the most museums in the world (173, with 11 of them national museums, and unlike other European cities, they're mostly FREE); it also has the most restaurants in the world (37,450), 5,000 acres of parks (8 of them Royal) and 214 theatres to which 14.2 million people flock each year (including us); plus it has fourteen football clubs, including 6 Premier League teams, is home to the tallest building in the Britain (the Shard) and has hosted the Olympic Summer Games 3 times. Whew! But it isn't all about bigness and most-ness. London is also home to quiet nooks and curious crannies—truly adventure around every corner.

Weather: The temperature range in December is 38º-46º, and there is always a good chance of rain. Bring a warm coat, winter scarf, hat, boots, warm clothing, and an umbrella to be ready for British weather. Snow is unlikely but always possible. The days will be short but all the better to see the thousands of Christmas lights adorning the city.

Activity levels and restrictions

Filled with one-of-a-kind visits and experiences, this trip will leave you happily tired. It includes days exploring London as a group and some late nights of theatre performances, and the pace is brisk. We average 4-6 miles (approximately 10,000 steps) of walking and 100 stairs per day. Travel is by public transportation (included in the price of the trip), and participants should be able to board Tube trains and buses independently, though we will always lead the way in group activities. The group comes first, so participants who wish to travel by taxi must make their own independent arrangements and expect to pay about $600 extra.

Christmastime in England is considered a Level Two out of three physical ability levels on the Go Learn scale. Learn more about our .

Starting in 2025, U.S. travelers will need a UK ETA 'visa' for travel to or through the UK, including transfers and layovers. In the last quarter of 2026, U.S. travelers will need an ETIAS 'visa' for many European countries.

Dates
December 7-16, 2025

Size
Group Size is limited to 20 participants

Cost
Double occupancy: $6,150 per person
Single occupancy: $6,650
Payment options are available upon request. Contact golearn@utah.edu for information.
See for payment and cancellation details.

Included

  • Pre-departure courses in history, theatre, culture, and tour logistics
  • Small group size to maximize learning, comfort, and flexibility
  • Two lead guides for the entire classroom experience and tour
  • 10 nights accommodation at comfortable and centrally-located hotels
  • Entrance fees of scheduled sightseeing
  • Festive holiday activities at some of London’s most iconic locations, a special and in-depth tour of the world of Charles Dickens, and personalized play analysis by our lead guides
  • Local guides and experts, including their fees and tips
  • Daily breakfast, as well as 7 hand-picked culinary highlights for lunch or dinner
  • Transportation to and from daily destinations and activities
  • Comprehensive trip insurance, including sick and/or emergency evacuation insurance

Not included

  • Airfare to and from London
  • Meals that are not specifically noted in itinerary
  • Cancellation and lost luggage insurance
  • Any costs outside of the itinerary

Ornaments


Helpful Links

Visit London

christmas london street sceneBorough Food Market

Westminster Abbey

British Museum

Kensington Palace Orangery
(English afternoon tea in the garden next to the palace)

Tate Modern

Portobello Road Street Market

Tower of London

National Gallery of Art

Kew Gardens

London in 1927: a color-tinted film