After leaving Liverpool, we continued our Christmas break in London, with just three days packed with prebooked activities. The first day’s activities concentrated around Notting Hill and Hyde Park area, and our itinerary included:
- A self-guided walk around Notting Hill
- A visit to the Natural History Museum and Frameless exhibition
- Dinner at Mayfair 34
- Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park
- A Christmas lights walk
In the morning, we headed to Notting Hill. This charming neighborhood is home to a long list of famous residents, past and present—Alan Rickman, Stella McCartney, David Beckham, George Orwell, Hugh Grant, Freddie Mercury, so on.
Its picturesque streets have also served as the backdrop for many iconic movies like Notting Hill, Paddington, and Love Actually.
The houses here are super adorable and super expensive, and attract so many tourists. Some streets were packed with people that it felt overwhelming especially after calm Liverpool. It would be better to visit at a quieter time—early morning, a weekday, or perhaps outside peak tourist seasons.
The neighborhood turned out to be much larger than I expected, and with time ticking, we had to cut our exploration short to make it to our next booked events. Our group split up—some headed to the Natural History Museum, while I made my way to the Frameless exhibition.
I’d been dreaming of visiting this exhibition for awhile, and as soon as we planned the London trip, I booked it immediately. I have to say, it turned out to be the best thing I experienced in 2024. It exceeded all my expectations.
Years ago, I went to the Imagine Van Gogh exhibition when it came to my city, but this was on an entirely different level. Frameless features four galleries, each with a distinct theme and mesmerizing visual representation of art. The paintings come alive around you, and you find yourself stepping right into them. Paired with powerful music, it creates an unforgettable experience.
I spent about two hours completely immersed in the exhibit, and by the end, I was already making plans to return before we left London, even if it meant canceling something else on our itinerary.
Our next stop was Mayfair 34, a restaurant I’d read about in travel blogs, all of which came with glowing recommendations—especially during the Christmas season.
Mayfair 34 is known for its fabulous Christmas decor, so our group reunited there for lunch/dinner. The decor was nice—festive and cozy. The food was fine, nothing bad but nothing memorable either. Fish of the day turned out to be a small fillet of pretty average taste, came in at £50. The rest of the dishes were similarly just okay. They looked great on the plate—definitely Instagram-worthy.
For someone who regularly dines out with a £200 budget, it’s a comfortable and stylish spot. But if your budget is under £100 and you’re hoping for something truly special, this place might leave you feeling a bit disappointed. It’s nice, but not quite the “wow” I was expecting after all the hype.
Daylight hours during Christmas are pretty short—by 4:30, it’s already dark outside. After dinner, we planned to visit Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, but found out that we couldn’t just stroll in; tickets were required. After assessing our energy levels and factoring in our planned Christmas lights walk, we decided to skip the Winter Wonderland adventure.
The Christmas lights in central London, though, more than made up for it. The streets were dazzling—shiny, sparkly, festive, and absolutely beautiful. It’s one of the best reasons to visit London during the holiday season. After soaking up the holiday atmosphere, we ran out of energy and made a quick stop at a donut shop to grab treats for an evening tea before calling it a day.
