Amy Houghton

Boxing Day might not get all the glory of Christmas Day, but if you ask us, in many ways, it’s far superior. It has all the magic of the big day, but without the stress of cooking and the pressure of keeping the whole family happy. But one of the best bits? While everything shuts down on Christmas Day, things start to tentatively open up on Boxing Day, meaning you can get up from your Quality Street-induced stupour on the sofa and get out and about on December 26.  The day after Christmas, London is mostly free of its usual crowds (except for shopping districts like Oxford Street packed with bargain hunters). That means that, should you leave your house, large parts of the capital city are yours for the taking. There are the parks and riverside paths for frosty winter walks or the Christmas lights to admire while you brave the Boxing Day sales. The city’s pop-up ice skating rinks are normally open, pantomime season is still in full swing, and there are even a few parties lined up. Here are some great ideas for how to spend your day off. RECOMMENDED: Find more festive fun with our full guide to Christmas in London.

Every week, a frankly silly amount of brilliant new restaurants, cafés and street food joints arrive in London. Which makes whittling down a shortlist of the best newbies a serious challenge. But here it is. The 20 very best new restaurants in the capital, ranked in order of greatness and deliciousness. All of them have opened in the past year and been visited by our hungry critics. So go forth and take inspo from this list, which is updated regularly. Check in often to find out what we really rate on the London restaurant scene. And look here for all the info about the best new openings in November. London's best new restaurants at a glance: 🍛 Central: Adoh!, Covent Garden 🍠 North: Belly Bistro, Kentish Town 🥟 South: Doma, Sydenham 🍝 East: Legado, Shoreditch 🥗 West: The Lavery, South Kensington November 2025: New additions include Sri Lankan fast food at Adoh! in Covent Garden, Chingford chophouse Gina, Filipino freshness at Belly Bistro in Kentish Town, indie disco turned gastropub the Macbeth in Shoreditch, Spanish smashers at Legado in Shoreditch and Balkan comfort food at Doma in Sydenham. Hungry yet? Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. RECOMMENDED: The 50 best restaurants in London. The hottest new openings, the tastiest tips, the spiciest reviews: we’re serving it all on our London restaurants WhatsApp channel. Follow us now to tuck in.

There are few things that we’d willingly brace the cold for during winter in London. But ice skating is one of them. From early November each year, ice rinks decked out towering Christmas trees and twinkly fairy lights start to fill London’s squares and courtyards, hosting everything from DJ takeovers and kids’ skating lessons to date nights and family outings over the festive period. Pretty soon you’ll get to pretend you’re in a festive London rom-com, as you romantically glide (or awkwardly stumble) with your loved ones under the backdrop of landmarks like Somerset House, Battersea Power Station and Hampton Court Palace.  Keen to flaunt your best ice moves? Determined to skate at least one lap without clinging onto the wall for dear life? We recommend you book a spot at your chosen rink as early as you can. We’ll be topping up this list as more rinks for the 2025/26 season are confirmed. How much does it cost to go ice skating? The cost to skate at London’s various permanent and pop-up ice rinks varies quite significantly. So far, this year’s cheapest option is Queens Skate Dine and Bowl, where adult tickets are available from £8 (during off-peak hours). The most expensive adult ticket in 2024 was £26 for peak hours at Skate at Somerset House. For cheaper tickets, consider visiting at less popular times.  London’s best places to go ice skating this winter: ⛸️ Best for the biggest rink in town: Winter Wonderland, Hyde Park 💃 Best for ice dance parties: Somerset House, Ald

  We all know travelling with the kids can be tricky, so finding a hotel that keeps everyone happy is key. From splashable pools to free breakfasts for little ones, London has plenty of spots that make family life on the go a whole lot easier. Here’s our pick of the best family-friendly hotels in the city, where parents can relax and kids can be… well, kids. The hotels we’ve selected all make travelling with kids as smooth possible. We look for places that are close to London’s top attractions, so you can zip from Hamleys to the park, without having to spend your whole day on public transport, as well as having the resources to keep the whole family entertained. How we choose our family-friendly hotels A family-friendly hotel is about thoughtful touches for children. Perhaps, there are extra cots, kid-friendly menus, splashable pools, and little surprises that make young guests feel welcome. These are hotels that go the extra mile, from milk and cookies at bedtime to a designated kids concierge services. We include luxury stays and budget-friendly finds. Finally, we consider atmosphere and accessibility: helpful staff, close to attractions and safe play spaces, and a vibe that makes both little ones and grown-ups feel at home. London’s family friendly hotels at a glance 💰 Best for a cheap deal: Good Hotel 🗓️ Best concierge service: The Berkeley 🧠 Most iconic: The Ritz ☕ Best afternoon tea for kids: Park Plaza County Hall 🖼️ Most dramatic design: The Mandarin Oriental M

Do you smell it? That faint waft of pumpkin spice latte in the air? Summer’s sunny days and balmy nights may be behind us, but now it’s time to embrace all the wonderful, cosy things autumn has to offer.  For some, this time of year is all about spooky season, for others it’s about candle-lit evenings in front of the telly with a steaming mug of hot chocolate. For others, it’s about pumpkins galore – a golden excuse to get picking, carving and cooking. As the weather drops, farms in and around London become gourd wonderlands, littered with bright yellow and flaming orange pumpkins. Often there’ll be photo opportunities, craft workshops and spooky goings on thrown in so you can make a real outing of it. Just make sure you book in advance to make sure you get a decent pick of the crop. So, whether you want to stock up on pumpkins to carve into Halloween lanterns or to make masses of soup and pies, here are our favourite places near London for pumpkin picking in 2025.  London’s best places for pumpkin picking at a glance: 🎃 Pumpkin smashing fun: Rogate Pumpkin Patch, Petersfield 🪄 Magical village vibes: Marsh Farm, Chelmsford 🧙🏻‍♀️ Best for witches on a budget: Cobbs Farm, Essex 🦇 Best for spooky night-time picking: Foxes Farm, Chelmsford ⚡️ Best for little adventure-seekers: Hobbledown Heath, Hounslow  RECOMMENDED: The best things to do in London in October 2025

Whatever your vibe (and whatever your budget), London’s got it all – and anyone will find something they love here. Historic pubs, leafy parks and gardens and an unmatched restaurant scene make this city worth visiting year-round, but before you’ve booked anything in London, you kind of have to know where you’re going to be based. To get you started, we’ve rounded up the city’s best Airbnbs available to book right now, with expert tips from our local editors.  Should I choose an Airbnb or a hotel in London? London is not short on lovely hotels, ranging from budget to luxury and just about everything in between. But it’s fair to say that even the cheaper options cost a pretty penny – and you’ll often find them in more central, touristy areas in the city. If you want to live like a Londoner, an Airbnb can allow you to properly immerse yourself in a more residential area of London – and all the locally-loved bars, pubs and restaurants that come with it. You’ll find lots of our local tips below, but for a detailed breakdown of the best neighbourhoods to stay in London, check out our ultimate area guide. More of a hotels guy? No problem. Here’s our list of the best hotels in London.  📍 RECOMMENDED: Ultimate guide to the best hotels and Airbnbs in London Who makes the cut? While we might not stay in and review every Airbnb featured, our writers have based our list on expert knowledge of the destination covered, editorial reviews, user reviews, amenities and in-depth research to

It’s no secret that London can be very, very pricey if you’re not careful. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t any options if you’re on a budget. Both big chains and beloved independents offer some very affordable rooms in the Capital – you just have to know where to look. Obviously, being ‘on a budget’ is pretty subjective, but every hotel on this list has rooms for under £200, with many starting under £100 – and even some shared dorms for £12 per person.  Every hotel highlighted here by Time Out’s experts is good value; whether that be because of its location, design, or quite simply, the price. Staying in one of these will give you the kind of buzz only a good deal can deliver. So get booking and then use all the cash you’ve saved on more important stuff. Like, erm, going to the pub.  🛌 Our guide to the best Airbnbs in London Which area is best to stay in London for a good price?  Honestly, it depends on what you’re looking for. There’s cheap options in Shoreditch, just off the South Bank and even in the heart of the West End – so you can save and still be in walking distance to Theatreland or London’s best museums. Or, go further afield to find deals that way, in more residential areas further out. To get a better grip on your options, here’s our handy guide on where to stay in London.  How we curate our hotel lists Headed up by editor Joe Mackertich, our team at Time Out London spend their time reviewing hotels all over the Capital – new openings, old classics and ever

The final stretch of 2025 is upon us. And now that we’ve said so long to summer, London’s institutions have begun to enter full festive planning mode. In a matter of months, the city’s skies will be sparkling with Christmas lights, its venues will fill up with classic Christmas tunes and its streets will be lined with colourful Christmas markets. Of course, December isn’t just about Christmas, and there’s plenty more brilliant things to do besides all the festive stuff. Notably, the acclaimed Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo is making its UK debut, it’s the first full month of the Design Museum’s hotly-anticipated Wes Anderson exhibition and the last full month of the bonkers jukebox musical Titanique. Plus, there are the ice-skating rinks, the winter pop-ups and the chilly winter walks followed by cosy pub hangouts. And that’s before we even get on to New Year’s Eve!  Here’s our guide to the finest events, parties, cultural happenings and things to do in London over December 2025.  London’s best things to do in December at a glance: 🧀 Best for foodies: Future of Food, Science Museum 🎭 Best for thespians: Ballet Shoes, National Theatre 🎬 Best for cinephiles: Backyard Cinema, Bermondsey 🎨 Best for aesthetes: Wes Anderson: The Exhibition, Design Museum 🧛 Best for night owls: Christmas lights, citywide 📚 Best for families: Winter Funland, Kensington RECOMMENDED: Time Out’s definitive London events calendar.

When someone utters the word ‘Wimbledon’, we’d bet big money that the first thing you think of is tennis. Normally a quieter part of town, SW19 erupts with energy every summer when it hosts the mighty Wimbledon Tennis Championships (one of the oldest and most prestigious sports tournaments in the world), with thousands of people queuing for tickets from four in the morning, roaming around in their all-white fits and guzzling down plastic cups of Pimms. When the crowds disperse, Wimbledon is once again demoted to simply being somewhere very, very far away from the rest of London.  🏘️ Ultimate guide to where to stay in London But we’re here to assure you that Wimbledon is actually worth the trek year-round, and it has loads more going for it beyond racket sports. There’s the homely pubs, the locally loved restaurants, the underrated theatres and the lush green plains. Yes, it feels a world away from the cool hordes of Hackney and the hectic hubbub of Camden, but when you need a little breather from the city without actually leaving the city, there are few places better. Go on – venture to the end of the District line and discover the best of what Wimbledon has to offer.  RECOMMENDED 🍽️ The best restaurants in Wimbledon🍺 The best bars and pubs in Wimbledon⬅️ The best things to do in west London📍 All of Time Out London’s area guides

Greece is, quite simply, king of the holidays. It’s a country full of sprawling cities, beautiful islands and some of the best beaches in the entire world, and the food? Don’t even get us started on the food. There’s a hell of a lot of islands, and our editors have been to a hell of a lot of them, but for the on-the-ground knowledge that only a local has, we’ve roped in our Greece expert Demetrios Ioannou, who grew up in Athens but has travelled all over the country. Whatever you’re looking for, here are the best places to visit in Greece.  Where should I go for my first time in Greece? We’re firm believers that everyone should go to Athens at least once in their lives. So if it’s your first time visiting the country, you should probably start there. But the good news is that in Greece, you can pretty much do it all. So don’t stay in Athens for a full week – spend a perfect weekend there before heading out on a ferry to Aegina, Poros, Hydra and more. If you’ve ticked off Athens already, consider Greece’s latest destination dupe, Paros, which is set to this year’s ‘new Santorini’ (just without the crowds).  📍 RECOMMENDED: Discover our ultimate guide to Greece Which is the best Greek island to visit? If we’re talking most popular, Santorini and Mykonos are always going to be top of the list. But Greece has more than 6,000 islands and islets, each with its own unique vibe and all worth visiting for entirely different reasons. Crete is Greece’s biggest island, in the south of th

It’s hard not to fall in love with Wales. This nation may be small but best believe it is crammed with irresistible Celtic charm, spectacular wilderness and vibrant culture. Even after growing up in Bannau Brycheiniog and spending family holidays up north and along the coast, I still cannot get enough. It’s the perfect place to rejuvenate, to give your mind a rest and to bathe in the warm hospitality of Welsh people. It’s also a hugely overlooked arts and music hub. From Michelin-star establishments, to gorgeous hikes, an official book town and several critically acclaimed festivals, whatever kind of getaway you're after, this is the very best of Cymru.  RECOMMENDED: 📍 The best places to go in Wales 🍴 The best things to do in North Wales 👀 The best things to do in Cardiff🌤️ The best things to do in the UK This article was recently updated by Amy Houghton, a writer from Bannau Brycheiniog, Wales. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. This guide includes affiliate links, which have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines. 

August 2025 update: There's new songs being added to karaoke machines on a regular basis, so we see it as our duty to keep this list bang up to date. Our latest additions include a modern British classic from Lola Young, as well as the bounciest anthem to emerge over the past 12 months from Blackpink's Rosé and Bruno Mars. Whether you’ve got the voice of an angel or you’re totally tone deaf, karaoke unites us all. But heed our warning: choosing the right song is crucial (aka, don’t opt for that Whitney Houston tune if you haven’t the range. And if you don't have good enough flow, steer clear of rapping. Kapeesh?) So we thought we’d help out a little bit. In our list of the best karaoke songs ever, we’ve got everyone from Adele to Toto, and from Frank Sinatra to Ricky Martin. There's even recent singalongs from Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan. Something for everyone. So down that shot, grab that mic and take to the stage. Your audience awaits you. Here are the best karaoke songs ever.  RECOMMENDED:❤️ The best love songs☀️ The best summer songs🎉 The best party songs🕺 The best albums of 2025 so far  

Adoh! (Sri-Lankan for ‘oi!’) is loud.  Sat on Maiden Lane in frenetic, tourist-packed Covent Garden, this Sri Lankan spot from Kolamba duo Eroshan and Aushi Meewella fits right in. While Kolamba and its sister restaurant on Liverpool Street are sleek, sophisticated haunts, this is a maximalist whirlwind. Chopped roti gets more heavenly with each chewy bite Adoh’s goal is to emulate the rapid, chaotic energy of Colombo and its street food culture. The decor is raucous – the tables a striking shade of red and the walls busy with storybook murals depicting hand-painted trucks of South Asia. As for service, it’s full speed ahead. You can very easily be in and out within an hour, and fully satisfied. In the throbbing heart of the theatreland that’s no bad thing.  The menu features a blend of authentic bits (isoo vadai, mutton rolls or roti and curry) and some milder hybrid dishes (fried chicken and curry leaf waffles are best suited to less adventurous members of your party). Shiny squares of prawn toast dolloped with tamarind sauce start us off, swiftly followed by a supple dosa spread with smoky masala, alongside a rather dry coconut roti with eye-wateringly hot lunu miris chilli paste.  The must-order main (which at £17 is the priciest item on the menu) is crab kothu, a late-night classic in Sri Lanka. The bronze mountain of chopped roti, egg and stir fried crab meat (mutton, chicken or jackfruit kothu are available too) isn’t particularly pretty, but drenched in curry sauce (p

One hundred years ago, a strange curtained box appeared on Broadway in New York City. If you went inside and slotted in 25 cents, you’d emerge with eight sepia tinged photos of yourself in a matter of minutes. It was the Photomaton – the world’s first fully automated photobooth. Fast forward to the 21st century and photobooths are in bars, train stations, cinemas, record shops and on streets all over the world. The Photographer’s Gallery is marking a century of the machines with Click!, an archival exhibition exploring their imperfections, their quirks and their most famous fans. Naturally, there’ll be a working photobooth for visitors to take their own snap.

The UK’s first major retrospective of acclaimed Ukrainian artist Boris Mikhailov is coming to the Photographers’ Gallery. A ‘kind of proto-punk’, Mikhailov has been capturing and commenting on life in Ukraine since the 1960s – from the everyday consequences of the collapse of the Soviet Union to the realities of people living on the edges of society – through photography, conceptual work, painting and performance art. Ukrainian Diary brings much of that work together to illustrate the tumultuous social and political changes that have shaken Eastern Europe over the past fifty years.

In 1978, Zofia Rydet decided that was going to photograph the inside of every Polish household. Aged 67, she began knocking on doors and asking occupants if they’d be willing to partake in her project. She continued to knock on doors for the next three decades, collecting everyday stories and creating ‘one of the most important achievements in 20th century Polish photography’. More than 100 of Rydet’s prints will be on display at the Photographers’ Gallery alongside books and personal letters offering extra insight into her sociological mission.

When a place rates itself as assuredly (in huge bold letters, no less) as Good Hotel does, it’s natural to feel a little sus. But it’s true: Good Hotel really does make you feel good. Service is cheery and laid-back without being overly casual, the food leaves nothing to complain about and – maybe it’s the luxurious silence of the area or perhaps the proximity to gently lapping water – I visited in 2024, and I don’t know if I’ve ever had a better night’s sleep in the city. Aside from all that, guests can walk out of Good Hotel feeling extra gratified by virtue of its ‘do good’ DNA. Why stay at Good Hotel? As you walk along Royal Victoria Docks, this huge black shipping container is impossible to miss. Originally built as a Danish prison, this floating hotel docked in London in 2016 after sailing across from Amsterdam. Its founder, Marten Dresden, had come up with the Good Hotel concept four years prior while travelling in Guatemala. Now, each night you spend there pays for a week of school for a child in South America, with profits also going towards hospitality training for long-term unemployed locals (lots of whom become Good Hotel employees).  The hotel also hosts regular community workshops and events that guests can attend. There are comedy nights, yoga classes, salsa classes, kids art clubs and, if you’re in the mood to be extra good, litter-picking around the local area. What are the rooms like at Good Hotel? Throughout the hotel, the interiors are slick, earthy-toned

One of the more recent additions to Wimbledon Village, Good Fortune Club is bright and buzzy with a sprawling menu of Cantonese dishes, the best known of which is its handmade dim sum. Stop by with a large, hungry posse to pack your table with bamboo steamers and sample har gau (shrimp-filled dumplings,) xiao long bao (pork soup dumplings), cuttlefish cake and more.

Of its four south-west London outposts, DropShot’s Leopold Road location serves up hefty brunches on the daily. The portions here are breathtakingly generous, and the tennis-themed menu goes well beyond the standard eggs benny or avocado on toast; think mozzarella and chilli jam-filled potato pancakes andbig fat slices of French toast laden with monterey jack cheese and fresh pesto, or loaded with tiramisu cream and berries. The coffee is fantastic, too.

Crack Comedy Club brings pre-party laughs to Tunnel 267 – Wimbledon’s only nightclub – every Saturday night from 8pm to 10pm. For standup sets from four or five comics, tickets are £25 for general admission on the door or £21.50 if you book online in advance. You can also buy tickets that include dinner from a local restaurant beforehand, and if you stick around afterwards you’ll get free entry to Tunnel’s clubnight. Three in one. 

This quirky, tiki-themed minigolf course first popped up in Dalston's Efes in April 2015. A decade later, that debut site is no more, but you can now find Plonks outdoors in London Fields and under the arches at Borough Market. The Hackney course, which recently got a big ol’ refurb, takes you through a ‘Polynesian themed putt paradise’ complete with a tiki forest, a volcano canyon and octupuses. There are plenty of satisfying holes that fire your ball onto tricksy little mechanisms, a loop the loop, and a lot of impossibly steep ramps. All in all: it’s a great place for a plonking party. Prices start from £9.35 per person per play. 

There's a real sense of fun to this deliberately rough-around-the-edges course. Party tunes blare from speakers, graffiti jazzes up the walls and it's made from ‘twisted junk, car booty and charity shop shizzle’. Junkyard Golf Club has four courses – Gary, Pablo, Dirk and Bozo – that are all fabulously chaotic and mildly freaky. Depending on which challenge you take on, you’ll be putting past pirate pigs, dishevelled nightclub urinals, terrifying giant clown heads and a UV rave room. There's also a second location in Camden for more of the same.  Prices start at £12 for nine holes at off-peak times (Sunday to Thursday) and go up to £21 for 18 holes on busier days (Fridays and Saturdays). And as any good crazy golf should, Junkyard has a menu of themed cocktails to keep lubed up before, during and after your game. 

What is it?  Technically several adjoining markets, this sprawl of stalls stretching from Camden Town tube to the Regent’s Canal is London’s fourth most popular visitor attraction. In its recent heyday, around 250,000 people came here every week to shop, sample street food and soak up the distinctive, still-grungy atmosphere. Camden Lock Market is an arts-and-crafts haven while the Stables Market is a trendy spot for everything from quirky furniture to fetish clothing. Nearby Buck Street Market on Camden High Street has had a shipping container revamp. As you saunter through the different markets, don’t be surprised to see grungy teenagers and old punks on the street corners. Camden feels more mainstream than it did in the ‘90s, but it’s still one of London’s most rock ‘n’ roll neighbourhoods. Why go?  To get lost in a one-of-a-kind maze of art, garms, antiques, accessories, books and endless street food.  Don’t miss The Cheese Bar – London’s only fully fromage focused restaurant – for all manner of gooey, cheese-based delights in a classy, low lit space in Stables Market.  Ticket info  No tickets needed.  When to visit  Camden Markets are open everyday of the week from 10am until late.  Time Out tip If you find the lunch queues and options a bit too much in the main Camden Lock Market, cross the road to Buck Street Market where you’ll find food that is just as great and are more likely to find a free spot to sit.  RECOMMENDED: London’s best markets

What is it?  In business for over 300 years, Fortnum & Mason is as historic as it is inspiring. A sweeping spiral staircase soars through the four-storey building, while light floods down from a central glass dome. The iconic eau de nil blue and gold colour scheme with flashes of rose pink abounds on both the store design and the packaging of the fabulous ground-floor treats, such as chocolates, biscuits, teas and preserves. A food hall in the basement has a good range of fresh produce; Fortnum’s Bees honey comes from beehives on top of the building. There are various eateries, including an ice-cream parlour. The famous hampers start from £60 – though they rise to a whopping £6,000 for the most luxurious. A sweeping spiral staircase soars through the four-storey building, while light floods down from a central glass dome. The iconic F&M eau de nil blue and gold colour scheme with flashes of rose pink abounds on both the store design and the packaging of the fabulous ground-floor treats, including chocolates, biscuits, teas and preserves. What does it sell?  A food hall in the basement has a good range of fresh produce; Fortnum’s Bees honey comes from beehives on top of the building. There are various eateries, including an ice-cream parlour. The famous hampers start from £60 – though they rise to a whopping £6,000 for the most luxurious. The first floor is for homewares: china- and glassware as well as finishing touches such as silver scoops for stilton, F&M coloured linen

The Science Museum has been handed a enormous wad of cash and it’s planning to use it transform its largest gallery space.  Thanks to a whopping eight-figure donation from the Serum Institute of India (the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer), the museum’s 20-year-old Making the Modern World gallery will be transformed and re-open in 2028 as Ages of Invention: The Serum Institute Gallery. We don’t know that exact amount of money that’s been injected into the museum, but it’s apparently the largest international donation in its history.  At the moment, the Making of the Modern World gallery has six different zones presenting some iconic and everyday items that have shaped how we live today. Among the fascinating stuff on the display, there’s the first Apple computer, a porcelain bowl salvaged from Hiroshima, penicillin from Ian Fleming’s lab, the world's oldest surviving steam locomotive, ‘Puffing Billy’, and Tracy, one of the world’s first transgenic sheep.  Photograph: Science Museum Group The refurb is being designed by Lawson Ward Studio. Led by architects Hannah Lawson and Georgina Ward (who are also currently working with the Courtauld Institute of Art, the Wallace Collection and the Natural History Museum), the new and improved gallery will ‘draw on the existing architectural features of the space, utilising natural light, the double height and the largest gallery space in the museum’. Like the Making of the Modern World gallery, it’ll span 250 years of inventions an

With the arrival of Storm Claudia, there’s no doubt that most of the UK is going to be battered by heavy rain and strong winds over the next few days. The Met Office has issued yellow warnings for wind and amber warnings for rain on Friday, November 14 and a yellow warning for rain on Saturday, November 15, with many train services expected to be disrupted.  But there are some rumours swirling that once that all settles, there could be some snowfall across the country. Before you get your hopes too high though, different forecasters are predicting slightly different things, and it doesn’t look like there’ll be a huge blanket of the stuff. So, will there be snowfall in the UK next week? Here’s what weather forecasters have to say.  UK snow forecast November 2025 Met Office  In its outlook for Sunday November 16 to Tuesday November 18, the Met Office said ‘sleet and snow showers possible, mainly focused towards north facing coasts and hills’. Looking at Wednesday through to Friday, it predicts some snow showers and hill snow in northern parts of the UK with some dropping to -1C, and the ‘first frosts of the season for many parts of the south’.  BBC Weather  BBC doesn’t mention snowfall in its UK forecast for Sunday to Tuesday. It said: ‘Monday will see bright and sunny conditions for much of the UK, with just a few showers in the north. Cloudier and wet in Northern Ireland. Tuesday will see scattered showers, wintry for many in the north.’  However, it does add that if rain fal

The longer you leave Christmas shopping, the more it feels like a chore, and the less likely you are to find presents that you’re happy with. There’s still more than a month to go until the big day, so this is your sign to start thinking about what to get your loved ones right now. Our top tip for finding the best present? Bypass high street chains and browse one of London’s hundreds of brilliant indie shops instead.  Of course, the shop that’s best for you really depends on the type of gift you’re after. London Graphic Centre, for example, is our favourite place for quality art supplies, while Next Door Records is one of our top picks for vinyl and Daunt Books in Marylebone is one of the finest places to find brilliant reads. But if we had to pick one shop to crown the best in all of London, we’re going with Spitalfields Market’s The Goodhood Store. Every east London trendy worth their salt knows Goodhood. Opened in 2007 by streetwear obsessed couple Kyle Stewart and Jo Sindle, it originally lived on Coronet Street for seven years, then moved to Curtain Street before relocating to a larger space by Spitalfields Market.  Now, the 5,500 square ft shop sells a deftly curated collection of clothes, shoes, accessories, beauty and grooming products, homeware, audio equipment and fancy camping gear from brands like Stussy, TEKLA, Studio Arhoj and Tabi. If you’ve got a friend of family member that’s far cooler than you, this place will make shopping for them easy. If you don’t get a

The third Thursday of November might not mean much to you, but for the wine world, it’s one of the most exciting days of the year. It marks Beaujolais Nouveau Day – the day that the first vintages of wine produced in the Beaujolais region of France are released.  Beaujolais Nouveau is a simple, fruity red known for being the world’s ‘fastest’ wine. It’s a ‘vin de primeur’, best consumed as soon after harvesting as possible . It’s illegal to sell ‘Bojo’ before 12.01am on Beaujolais Nouveau Day, so when that time finally does roll around, wine lovers rush to get their hands on a bottle and festivities erupt all over France and beyond. And in recent years, London’s wine-lovers have started celebrating too. Every year, some the capital’s finest restaurants and wine bars host tastings, suppers and parties to welcome the newest batch of Beaujolais. This year, Bojo Novo falls on Thursday, November 20. Here are all the best places in London to celebrate.  The best places in London to celebrate Beaujolais Nouveau Day 2025 The Plimsoll Atmospheric north London gastropub The Plimsoll is taking on a subtly Lyonnaise flavour on Tuesday November 25. There’ll be a Beaujolais Nouveau bottle menu including Château Cambon and Magnums from Jean-Claude Lapal. Pair their rich and fruity flavours with dishes inspired by the flavours of the region – think beef tartare with chips and John Dory meuniere – from Head Chef John Swinney. 52 St Thomas's Rd, N4 2QQ. Prices vary.  Noble Rot This year, the

Few nations do Christmas markets quite like Germany. As the birthplace of the Weihnachtsmarkt, with its crafts, glühwein, gingerbread and bratwurst, it hosts up to 3,000 markets each festive season and sets the bar very, very high.  Lucky for us in the UK, you don’t have to travel to Germany to get a taste of a traditional Weihnachtsmarkt. You can head to Time Out’s second best Christmas market in the country in 2025 – Birmingham’s Frankfurt Christmas Market.  Brum’s sprawling Christmas bazaar (which came second only to Manchester’s ginormous Xmas markets) is one of the largest authentic German markets outside of Germany or Austria. Running from Victoria Square, down New Street and up to the Bullring, it has several themed bars serving up gallons of hot glühwein and huts handing out tonnes of schnitzel, Berliner doughnuts and more, as well as handcrafted gifts, toys, decorations and jewellery.  Here’s everything you need to know if you’re tempted to check out Birmingham’s Frankfurt Christmas Market for yourself this festive season.  When is Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Market?  Birmingham’s 2025 market launched on November 1 and is around until December 24.  What are its opening times?  The market’s opening times are as follows:  Monday-Thursday: 11am to 9pm Friday: 11am to 9.30pm Saturday: 10am to 9.30pm Sunday: 10am to 9pm What are the main attractions? The traditional stalls are worthy attractions in themselves, but if you’re after some extra entertainment there’s the

It’s always a good idea to have a solid travel plan before you go away on holiday. But if you’re catching a flight from Heathrow this weekend, planning ahead is going to be particularly important. That’s because Heathrow Express and Elizabeth line services won’t be running to the airport, thanks to planned engineering. Don’t stress – there are still plenty of options for getting to Heathrow. They’re just likely to be a lot more in demand than usual, meaning you’ll need to leave yourself ample time ahead of boarding.   Whether you’re jetting off for some winter sun or embracing that start of festive season with a snowy break, the last thing you want is to miss your flight. So, here’s everything you need to know about getting to Heathrow Airport from London this weekend.  RECOMMENDED: London travel disruption this weekend, November 14-16. When are the Elizabeth line and Heathrow Express closed? Lizzie line services between Hayes & Harlington and Heathrow, and Heathrow Express services won’t be running on Saturday, November 15 or Sunday, November 16.  How to get to Heathrow Airport Tube You can still catch the Piccadilly line to all Heathrow terminals, but it’s expected to be much, much busier than usual and to take longer than scheduled. Train The Heathrow Express is the only train that goes direct to Heathrow. If you take the train into London King’s Cross you’ll be able to change onto the Piccadilly line.  Coach Alternatively,  National Express and FirstBus both run coach

It’s now much less than two months until Christmas. And while we’ve only just got past Halloween and Bonfire Night, London is fully preparing for the festive season. Pantomimes are almost lifting the curtain, ice rinks are open for bookings and choirs across the capital are warming up their vocal cords ahead of some magical carol concerts. But Christmas doesn’t truly start in London until its thousands of glimmering Yuletide lights are set aglow. Now, the switch-on date of one of the city’s most iconic Christmas light displays has been revealed – Covent Garden has confirmed when its lights will dazzle for 2025. And it’s a matter of hours away.  More than 300,000 lights will dazzle across the Piazza, Seven Dials, Neal’s Yard and surrounding streets. The shining golden bells lining the roof of the Market Building will be back, as will the sparkling 55ft British-grown Christmas tree.  Covent Garden is also bringing back its Christmas-themed cocktail bar Miracle at Henrietta Experimental for the occasion. Stationed at 10 Henrietta Street, it’ll be double the size of last year’s bar, with cocktails like the Christmapolitan and Snowball Old Fashioned on offer. It opens for business on November 10 and is available to book right now.  RECOMMENDED: Time Out’s guide to Christmas in London 2025.  Covent Garden Christmas lights switch-on date You can watch Covent Garden’s Christmas lights come to life on Wednesday, November 12. When does Covent Garden’s Christmas market start? Covent G

Time to embrace the darker nights, colder days and cosy evenings, and look forward to everything London in winter has to offer. Christmas is just around the corner, and to help you get in the festive mood, Winter Wonderland is coming back for 2025 this week. Yep, this week.  London’s largest Christmas festival is returning in a matter of days, lighting up Hyde Park with a thrilling lineup of rollercoasters and fairground rides, dazzling light installations, the UK’s largest open-air ice rink and Alpine bars warm with the scent of mulled wine.  Starting to feel some of the Christmas spirit? Dust off your cosiest festive jumpers and get practicing your carols – here’s everything you need to know about Winter Wonderland 2025. RECOMMENDED: Get ready for Christmas 2025 in London with our complete guide.  Winter Wonderland 2025 dates Winter Wonderland will be open from Friday November 14 until January 1. Location As ever, Winter Wonderland is taking place across 350 acres of Hyde Park.  When do tickets go on sale?  You can get your hands on tickets right now on the Winter Wonderland website. Ticket prices There are three types of tickets for Winter Wonderland: free off-peak entry, £5 during standard time entry and £7.50 for peak hours entry.  Visitors have to pay extra if you want to check out any of the major attractions –  access to to Bar Ice and Magical Ice Kingdom costs £15.50-£18, tickets to Cirque Beserk’s show are £12.50-£18, a ride on the Giant Wheel is £8-£11 and the ic

At the grand age of 207, Cleveland Pools in Bath is the oldest public swimming pool in the UK and the country’s only surviving Georgian lido. Over more than two centuries, it’s gone through its fair share of hardships, and just two years after the pool was brought back to life it’s been revealed that it may have to say goodbye for good.  First, a small history lesson. Cleveland Pools was built on the banks of the River Avon in 1815 and was used by bathers until 1984 when public funds were redirected to a local sports centre. It was out of action (besides a brief stint as a trout farm) for the next 40 years. Then, a trust was formed to rescue the pool in 2004 and a £9.3m was raised for an enormous renovation project. The pool finally reopened in September 2023, but its return turned out to be short lived.  Just four months later, flooding caused substantial damage to the plantroom (the room containing all the pumps, filtration systems and chemical dosing equipment need to run the pool), and the Cleveland Pools was forced to close again. It hasn’t been able to reopen since.  Now, a new financial report on Companies House has warned that repair and permanent reopening of the beloved Cleveland Pools may not be possible. The report said that trustees went back to the National Lottery Heritage Funding asking for more money to ‘carry out investigations to assess the cause and extent of the damage’. It stated: ‘The risk that the cost to repair the pools and the plantroom will be subs

Hotel chains can do a lot more than providing you with a comfy bed and functioning bathroom. Just because they run loads of hotels across the country, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t hold them to a high standard. And the chain that has just been named the best in Britain proves it. Consumer choice group Which? has released it’s annual ranking of all of the UK’s large hotel chains. It asked more than 4,600 customer reviewers to rate each company on eight different criteria, including cleanliness, breakfast, bed comfort and how well the description of its hotels matches reality. Then it factored in how likely people were to recommend the chain to give each an overall score out of 100. And with that, the best large hotel chain in Britain for 2025, according to Which? is The Coaching Inn Group (CIG). If you’re not familiar with CIG, it might be because it doesn’t plaster its logo all over its hotels like other chains. It’s branches tend to be in historical building in market towns or villages, like the Manor House in Blakeney, a 17th-century manor house and the Castle of Brecon in Wales, which was once a Norman fortress.   Photograph: The Coaching Inn Group Which? gave CIG an overall customer score of 81 percent and five stars for customer service and description matching reality. It got a solid four stars in every other category. At an average of £128, we think that’s a pretty good deal.  Adam Charity, Chief Operating Officer at The Coaching Inn Group, said in response to the

Nearly every year since 1995, the small Yorkshire town of Beverley has transformed into an enormous festive paradise. We’re not just talking about the standard Christmas markets and fairy lights you get in towns across the country – the Beverley Festival of Christmas is the UK’s largest one-day market and one of the most anticipated events in the winter calendar. In 2024, the festival had to be cancelled last minute due to Storm Darragh, when 34 flood warnings were issued across the country, but now, it’s coming back.  Beverley Festival of Christmas will return on Sunday, December 14. Once again, the town will fill up with 120 market stalls and heaps of festive entertainment, including fairground rides, birds of prey displays, carol singing and a big brass band.  A parade will kick off the occasion, travelling the length of the town with an appearance from Santa and his reindeer as well as live music, comedy acts, steam punks and, so we’re told, an adorable troupe of Bernese mountain dogs. The day of the festival will also be the last chance to see the 150 trees decorated by local organisations at Beverley Minster's annual Christmas Tree Festival.   RECOMMENDED: The best Christmas markets in the UK. Photograph: East Riding of Yorkshire Council Nick Coultish, the local cabinet member for culture, tourism and leisure, said: ‘Beverley Festival of Christmas is the flagship tourism event for our region and is an important date in the calendar for businesses and traders. ‘It is a

What do aspirin, Dennis the Menace and Grand Theft Auto all have in common? They all originate from a city that fancy travel magazine Condé Nast Traveller (CNT) just named one of the most underrated in all of Europe – Dundee.  Normally overlooked for Edinburgh or Glasgow, Scotland’s fourth largest city has major design credentials and is the UK’s first and only UNESCO City of Design. CNT gave it a shoutout in its list of Europe’s most underrated places for being ‘a city that genuinely surprises’. In 2018, the city became home to the V&A Dundee, Scotland’s first design museum in and the only Victoria and Albert museum outside of London. Designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma to evoke area‘s coastline, it has currently has exhibitions exploring Palestinian embroidery and garden design and next year will open shows on design and disability and the art of the fashion show.  Dundee’s UNESCO designation also celebrates numerous other innovations that have come from the city, including aspirin, Beano and Dandy comics, orange marmalade and video games like Lemmings and Grand Theft Auto (yes really, it was designed by Dundee-based company DMA Design in 1997).  Photograph: Shutterstock The RRS Discovery, a ship that carried Robert Falcon Scott and Ernest Shackleton to the Antarctic in 1901,  is another of Dundee’s most acclaimed attractions, alongside the McManus Art Gallery and Museum, a Gothic building with eight gallery spaces of art and artefacts spanning 400 million years of