England, Europe


Winter Wonderland Madness: London

England Europe

So, I crazily agreed to visit Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, London yesterday evening – what a wrong decision that was. It was absolutely rammed, people everywhere, like little sardines. Winter Wonderland looks amazing in pictures, with all the pretty lights, cute German markets and international food – but when you get there, it’s a whole different story. Thousands of people flee to Winter Wonderland during the Christmas and New Years period – Londoners and visitors from different countries getting pissed on expensive beer and mulled wine. The atmosphere is amazing but prepare yourself for getting barged out of the way.

Here are some top tips of mine if you’re visiting Winter Wonderland:

  1. If you can, try to visit on a weekday around 4 or 5pm, it’s starting to get dark at that time in London – you’ll miss all of the rush hour traffic too. If you stay until closing time (10pm) – well good luck getting on the tube, that’s all I’ll say. Or just visit during the day when it will be less busy.
  2. Wrap up warm; it’s getting really really cold now in London. Make sure you wrap up warm when visiting – bring a hat, some gloves and wear super warm socks.
  3. You will spend a lot of money – yes, it’s free to get into Winter Wonderland, but everything inside is super expensive! £5 for a beer, £4.50 for some chips and £6+ for a German sausage. Be wise with your money.
  4. Don’t take children when it’s late – bless them; they will just get squished
  5. Be careful with your phones and personal items. Of course you need to be careful when in any city, but being in Winter Wonderland is a hot spot for pick-pockets. Since everyone is so close to each other when walking around, it would be difficult for you to spot if someone had taken your phone.
  6. Pre-book ice skating and any tickets for the circus; you probably won’t get tickets if you just turn up on the same day.

I hope you liked this story about Winter Wonderland – it was mad there from my personal experience, but definitely worth going to if you’re visiting London this time of year! I hope some of these tips may help you when you go to this magical event.

img_1086_opt
I only took one photo because it was so busy and overwhelming!