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Christmas Wreaths in London: Where to See the Prettiest Front Doors

Writer: Ina
Ina
Dec 9, 2023
5 min read

Updated: Sep 28

Have you ever walked down a London street in December and stopped at every single front door?


A white front door in Connaught Village with a red-berried wreath, climbing greenery and a black and white tiled step

From late November, the white stucco terraces of west London start competing: wreaths, garlands, giant bows, and sometimes a pair of nutcrackers on the steps.


A white stucco house at night with a red wreath on the black door and greenery along the railings

These are the streets where I find the best Christmas wreaths in London, with my own photos from December 2024 and 2025.


A blue front door with a wreath, between white columns wrapped in red and white stripes under a giant red bow

A front door with a red wreath, columns wrapped in red and green baubles and a nutcracker soldier on each side

Where Can You See the Best Christmas Wreaths in London?


In the residential streets of west London. Notting Hill, Chelsea, Kensington and Belgravia have the most decorated doors, because their painted terraces and porches make a perfect frame.


In Mayfair, one private members' club dresses its whole facade. And in Covent Garden and on the King's Road, shops and restaurants turn their entrances into arches of greenery.


A pale green front door with a small wreath, bare climbing stems and a potted plant on the step

All of it is free to look at from the pavement.


When Do the Christmas Wreaths Go Up in London?


The first ones appear in the last week of November, and by the second week of December most streets are done. My Chelsea photos are from 29 November 2025, and the Notting Hill ones from 14 December 2025.


Most come down around Twelfth Night, in the first week of January. The best time to go is a weekday morning in mid-December, when the light is soft and the streets are quiet.


Which Notting Hill Streets Have the Prettiest Christmas Doors?


Start on Elgin Crescent, which curves west from Portobello Road across Ladbroke Grove. Then walk to Pembridge Place, near Notting Hill Gate, where the porches are wide enough for serious garlands.


A deep red front door with a wreath of dried flowers and berries, between two potted plants on stone steps

Notting Hill does colour. Front doors here are red, green, yellow and blue, so the same simple wreath looks different on every house.


A bright green front door with a round green wreath, above steps tiled in a green and white zigzag

Some houses go much further. On my December walk, one porch had garlands spiralling up both columns, dotted with red and gold baubles.


Green garlands with red and gold baubles spiralling up the white columns of a porch around a wooden door

The quieter doors are just as good. A yellow door on a mint-green house needs only one small wreath.


A yellow front door with a small wreath, set in a mint-green terraced house with white columns

Where Should You Look for Christmas Wreaths in Chelsea?


Walk the King's Road first, then turn off into the side streets. Sydney Street, Carlyle Square, Glebe Place, The Boltons and Tregunter Road all have beautiful doors.


Chelsea is also good for small details, like a pink door with a delicate wreath above tiled steps.


A pale pink front door with a small wreath, above steps covered in red and orange patterned tiles

The shops and restaurants join in too. The Chalk had an arch of greenery and berries over its door, with Christmas trees in pots on either side.


An arch of greenery and red berries over the grey double doors of The Chalk, flanked by potted Christmas trees

The Chelsea Green Grocer framed its entrance with red flowers, white branches and a huge red bow. No. Fifty Cheyne, the restaurant by the river, is worth the walk down to the Embankment.


A shop entrance framed with red flowers, white branches and a giant red bow under a Chelsea Green Grocer sign

What About Belgravia and Sloane Square?


Belgravia is tidier and grander. Elizabeth Street and Ebury Street have boutiques and cafés that decorate their fronts to match.


Around Sloane Square, look at Duke of York Square and Pavilion Road. Both are short walks from the King's Road, so they fit easily into a Chelsea loop.


Which Kensington Streets Are Worth a Detour?


Edwardes Square, off Kensington High Street, is a quiet Georgian square with a private garden in the middle. Nearby, Argyll Road, Phillimore Gardens and Upper Phillimore Gardens have tall houses with deep porches.


South Kensington has its own stars. On Onslow Square, a black door had a wreath of cream and gold that looked almost frosted.


A glossy black door with a cream and gold wreath beside the painted sign for 41 Onslow Square

Why Does the Arts Club in Mayfair Put a Wreath in Every Window?


It is a Christmas tradition at 40 Dover Street, the home of the Arts Club. The club was founded in 1863 by a group that included Charles Dickens, Anthony Trollope and Frederic Leighton.


It is a private members' club, so you can't go in, but the facade is the point. Every window gets its own wreath, and the design changes each year.


In 2024 the wreaths were tied with deep pink bows, with a huge garland over the door.


The brick facade of the Arts Club on Dover Street with a wreath and a pink bow in every window

In 2025 they had navy rosettes with gold centres. I took these photos on 21 December 2024 and 20 December 2025.


Wreaths with navy rosettes and gold centres hanging in every window of the Arts Club's brick front

While you are in Mayfair, walk along Audley Street and Brook Street, and look in at the McQueens flower shop.


Where Else Can You See Christmas Wreaths in London?


Covent Garden's shops and restaurants frame their doors with foliage every year. And on any walk through a Victorian terrace, you will find doors that go all in.


A shopfront with grey-blue doors framed by red and green winter foliage and a small Christmas tree in the window

The most dramatic one I found had a giant velvet bow over the porch and two life-size nutcrackers guarding the steps.


Two life-size nutcracker soldiers at the foot of steps below a porch with a giant red velvet bow

Others went for scale in a different way, with a matching wreath in every window of the house.


A yellow-brick terrace with a matching red-bowed wreath in each window and garlands along the railings

And some doors need only one good wreath. A thick ring of red berries on a sage-green door is enough.


A thick wreath of bright red berries on a sage-green front door

Dried oranges, cinnamon sticks and pine cones are the other classic, and they smell as good as they look.


A wreath of dried orange slices, cinnamon sticks and pine cones hanging from a ribbon on a green door

How Do You Plan a Christmas Wreath Walk in London?


Pick one area and walk it slowly. Notting Hill and Kensington join up well: from Elgin Crescent, walk south through Notting Hill Gate to Phillimore Gardens and Edwardes Square.


Chelsea, Sloane Square and Belgravia make a second loop. Allow two hours for either, and go on a weekday morning for empty pavements.


Remember these are people's homes. Take photos from the pavement, don't climb the steps, and move on quickly if someone is at the door.


A bright blue door with a wreath of greenery and dried fruit, framed by ivy and potted plants

Combine it with the best Christmas lights in London after dark. For more ideas, see my guide to things to do in London in winter.


In Chelsea, the Christmas Fair at Chelsea Physic Garden runs in late November. And in January, the same Notting Hill streets are lovely on a New Year's Day walk.


Visiting London's Christmas Wreaths: Practical Notes


📍 Where: Notting Hill (Elgin Crescent, Pembridge Place), Kensington (Edwardes Square, Phillimore Gardens, Onslow Square), Chelsea (King's Road and side streets), Belgravia (Elizabeth Street, Ebury Street) and the Arts Club, 40 Dover Street, Mayfair.


📅 Open days: Wreaths go up from late November and come down around the first week of January.


🎫 Admission: Free. Everything here is seen from the street.


🚇 Getting there: Notting Hill Gate for Notting Hill and Kensington, Sloane Square for Chelsea and Belgravia, and Green Park for the Arts Club.


☕ Food: Cafés on Kensington Church Street, the King's Road and Elizabeth Street.


⏳ How long: About two hours for one area on foot.


📷 Best time: A weekday morning in mid-December, when the decorations are complete and the streets are empty.


🗺️ Nearby: The Christmas lights on Regent Street and Bond Street, and the Christmas windows at Fortnum & Mason and Harrods.


♿ Access: Pavements throughout. Notting Hill has some gentle hills.


Which London street has your favourite Christmas door? Tell me, and I might add it next December.


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All photos were taken by Ina/WithinLondon, unless stated otherwise.

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