Planning a Winter Wonderland day out in London with your family? Antonia Windsor visited with her three kids and has lots of great tips on getting the most out of your visit.
Antonia’s youngest daughter gravitates towards a hook-a-duck stall
Go early and wrap up warm for a Winter Wonderland day out
The winter sun hung low in a pale blue sky as we walked through the gates of Hyde Park. We had layered up with coats and woolly hats, but were also quietly smug that we picked a dry clear day in a week of wet weather.
If you’re visiting with small children it’s a good idea to arrive at Winter Wonderland in daylight as it lets you get your bearings and gives you a chance to explore the park before the crowds and flashing lights create a sensory surge. It’s also really exciting to see the transition from day to night.
But our main reason for arriving early was to give ourselves enough time to pack everything in. A Winter Wonderland day out now is unrecognisable from the modest open-air market with a smattering of rides that I first visited in 2007. There are now more than 150 rides and attractions, including the largest free Santa’s Grotto experience in London. My three children – 13, 12 and 9 – darted ahead, drawn by the tinny jingle of festive music and I realised that my plans for how we would navigate the park would soon dissolve into wide-eyed spontaneity.
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The Giant Wheel, Winter Wonderland day out
Ride the Giant Wheel for a park-wide view of Winter Wonderland
We made a beeline for the Giant Wheel before queues built to get an overview of the different areas.
Winter Wonderland, which runs until January 1, is divided into eight areas. Starting in the north east corner and working clockwise you have: Santa Land; Thrillville (with the big rides, including the Munich Looping rollercoaster, the world’s largest transportable roller coaster); Show Town (where you’ll find the circus tent); Skater’s Corner; Market Square; Bavarian Village, and Arctic Circle (for the ice bar and ice sculptures).
The Giant Wheel pod was large enough for our family of five to travel together and we rose high above Hyde Park so, not only could we see the different areas spread out below, but could see as far as the Shard on the South Bank and even make out the faint silhouette of Wembley in the distance.
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Braving a seat on a sleigh carved out of ice, Magical Ice Kingdom
Don’t miss the sculptures in The Magical Ice Kingdom
Back on solid ground, we headed straight to the Arctic Circle. The Après-Ski Lodge Explorer’s Rest with its fur-covered benches enticed us in for a hot chocolate with marshmallows before we braved the -10° of the Magical Ice Kingdom – although my eldest sensibly pointed out that we should have had our drinks after to warm up.
The theme for 2025 is “A Mystical, Mythical Fantasy World” with the four realms of Earth, fire, air and water sculpted from more than 500 tonnes of ice and snow. The cold air was instantly stinging on the skin and my youngest wrapped her scarf around her mouth and dug her hands in her pockets. The kids rushed ahead, marvelling at the frozen landscape of ice-carved mythical creatures, crystalline archways and frosted thrones. I trailed behind, admiring the craftsmanship: translucent wolves mid-howl; an ice carriage that seems ready to glide away, and an elaborate throne where we posed for photos.
We all begin to get cold, but my youngest refuses to leave without sliding down the ice slide twice, squealing each time she lands. When we came out we spotted the Real Ice Slide, which is much bigger than the one in the ice kingdom, but we all felt too chilly for that, and headed instead to warm up in the Big Top.
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Zippos Circus, Winter Wonderland ©Piet Hein Out
Zippo’s Circus is a must-do on a Winter Wonderland day out
Inside the big canvas circus tent we grabbed boxes of popcorn and found some good seats near the stage. You can book tickets for Zippos Circus in advance but it’s free seating so best to arrive 10-15 minutes early.
The red velvet curtains at the entrance and the neon lights makes it feel like we’d stepped into a scene from the Greatest Showman. The acts were well paced, starting with a daredevil trapeze act and moving through juggling, clowning and a quite extraordinary “human flyer” act in which men launch themselves high off a pendulum swing. I intermittently moved my gaze from the stage to the children’s faces, enjoying their wide-eyed concentration.
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Winter Wonderland after dark ©Joshua Atkins
When the lights come on, it’s time for the rides
When we walked back outside the day had quietly surrendered to evening and the park was transformed. Lights had come on everywhere: strung between trees, dancing across the stalls, lighting up the skyline as the rides rose and fell.
With dusk the atmosphere changed too; it felt like everything became louder and busier. This was when we were drawn to the rides, now lit up in full festive colours. My middle child dragged his older sister onto the twisting Munich Looping, while I watched from the ground. The youngest chose the more tame Euro Coaster, and we all enjoyed bumper cars. Both my daughters emerged from the Haunted Mansion satisfyingly scared. Afterwards, we headed to the stalls, tempted by the scent of bratwurst. We shared German sausages, warm pretzels and a portion of churros with melting chocolate.
With mulled wine in hand, we wandered the Christmas Market, browsing woolly hats and handcrafted wooden toys and trying to resist the allure of snow globes and baubles. As we made our way out of the park through the pretty lit walkway of Luminarie Lane the entrance queues were snaking for several metres and we were glad to be ending our Winter Wonderland day out before the night-time crowds.
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Make It Happen
How to get there
Nearest stations: Bond Street and Marble Arch
When to go
Open 7 days from 10am to 10pm, now until 1 January 2026. Closed Christmas Day
Good to know
Free off-peak entry (you still need to book tickets)
Standard Tickets from £5 per person
Peak Tickets from £7.50 per person
Remember to pre-book rides and attractions to avoid disappointment, and save
