A friend of mine told me of clients from Tokyo, who visited London as tourists for just three days over Christmas. I wonder if they enjoyed it? I hope they did, but if you are planning similar, beware:
December 24th, Christmas Eve: incredible, crowded, nightmare shopping frenzy in town (as locals panic re: Christmas presents)
December 25th, Christmas Day: shops and all public transport shut down. The city is a ghost town!
December 26th, Boxing Day: incredible, crowded, nightmare shopping frenzy in town (for the sales). And this year, tubeworkers strike.
I guess if you have a good hotel, you would get a nice meal on 25th. But you won't get to experience London at its best on any of these days. I'd recommend earlier in December for a Christmas feel (see Festive Arcades entry) when other attractions are open, and queues still bearable. OK, perhaps compared to Tokyo, it's all still pretty sedate, but that is my advice!
Meanwhile: I had my regular Japanese language lesson yesterday (28th) and found that I was once again almost pushed under a tube train by overcrowding, AND had to use advanced combat skills to get a seat in our usual quiet cafe. *sigh*
OK. I lied. Apparently on Dec 25th this year, the Angus Steak House was open, and the West End was full of tourists.(Angus Steak House? Still not sure this really qualifies as 'London at its best'^^)
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