Christmas in the City of London: The Royal Exchange, St Paul's and Spitalfields

In the week after Christmas the offices in the City of London shut, and the streets empty out.

The City is London's financial district, the old Square Mile, and fewer than 10,000 people live in it. It doesn't try to compete with the West End at Christmas, and that is the point of it. The decorations are fewer, but they are grander, and you can look at them without a crowd.

Most are paid for by the businesses and building owners themselves, so each street does something different. The medieval street plan survives almost everywhere, even under the towers, so you are always turning into alleys and courtyards.

I went on Christmas Eve, at the end of November and in the quiet days between Christmas and New Year. This is my guide to Christmas in the City of London, from the Royal Exchange to Spitalfields.

Why Visit the City of London at Christmas?

Because it empties. On a weekday in early December the City is full of office workers, but from Christmas Eve to New Year most of them are gone. The lights stay on, and in the quiet days after Christmas the streets are almost empty.

Many City pubs and cafés close for the holidays, so check before you go, and plan to eat at Spitalfields or Leadenhall. There is no public transport on Christmas Day, so to see the City that day you will need to walk in. Sundays are quiet all year round.

That makes it the best part of London for photographs at Christmas. The buildings are big, the streets are narrow, and there is no one standing in front of the tree.

My route starts at Bank, with the Royal Exchange, and runs east to Leadenhall Market. From there I walk north to Liverpool Street and Old Spitalfields Market. St Paul's is a separate stop, ten minutes west of Bank.

What Are the Royal Exchange Christmas Lights?

In 2025 the studio Fier & Folk wrapped the eight giant columns of the Royal Exchange in vertical bands of light. Each column is about 30 metres tall, and the installation used more than seven kilometres of LEDs.

In front of the portico stood a Christmas tree from Fortnum & Mason, and real spruce and pine lined the entrances. The display stayed up until 4 January 2026.

The building has a long history. Sir Thomas Gresham founded the Royal Exchange as a trading hall in the 1560s, and it opened in 1571. The present building, by William Tite, was opened by Queen Victoria on 28 October 1844.

The bronze Duke of Wellington on horseback stands in front of it, and the Bank of England is just across the road. Look up at the tower, too: the golden grasshopper on top was Gresham's family emblem. On the third corner is Mansion House, the Lord Mayor's official residence, built in the 1740s and 1750s.

Walk inside, too. The covered courtyard is open to the public, with shops and Fortnum & Mason's bar under a glass roof.

Across the junction at Bank, the streets towards the towers had their own lights. Trees wrapped in warm white bulbs lined the pavement, with the glass of the new skyscrapers turning blue behind them.

Is St Paul's Cathedral Open at Christmas?

Yes. Wren's cathedral, finished in 1710 after the Great Fire, has a Christmas tree outside the west front every year. On Christmas Eve 2024 it stood lit at the top of the steps, below the floodlit dome. From the south side, the Millennium Bridge crosses the river to Tate Modern, and it is a lovely walk at dusk.

The Christmas services are open to everyone. The Midnight Eucharist on Christmas Eve is free and needs no ticket, and so do the Christmas Day Eucharist at 11am and Evensong at 3pm.

The 4pm carol services on 23 and 24 December need tickets, which are given out by a free ballot. For the services without tickets, queues form well before the doors open, so arrive early. The café and shop in the crypt are open to everyone, with or without a ticket.

Many of the City's smaller churches also hold carol services in December. Look out for the notices on their doors as you walk. The City is where London began, and many of these churches were rebuilt by Wren after 1666.

Ten minutes north of St Paul's is Guildhall, the City's town hall, with a wide stone yard that is almost silent at Christmas. Under the Guildhall Art Gallery are the remains of London's Roman amphitheatre, which you can visit for free.

What Is Leadenhall Market Like at Christmas?

It is the prettiest place in the City in December. The market was built by Sir Horace Jones in 1881, with a painted iron and glass roof, and at Christmas it gets garlands, a tree and stalls selling mulled cider.

The Monument to the Great Fire, with 311 steps to the top, is five minutes away. The market stands on the site of the Roman forum, the heart of Londinium, and it appeared as Diagon Alley in the first Harry Potter film. The Lamb Tavern, a Victorian pub in the middle of the market, is the place to warm up.

In 2025 artificial snow fell twice a day, at 12pm and 6pm. Come for the evening snowfall, when the market is lit and the offices are emptying. I have a longer guide to Leadenhall Market and its history.

Christmas in the City of London at Spitalfields and Liverpool Street

Livelier. Old Spitalfields Market is just outside the City boundary, a few minutes beyond Liverpool Street station. It is open every day, including Christmas Eve. Charles I licensed a market here in 1638, and the present buildings date from 1885 to 1893.

Opposite the market is Christ Church Spitalfields, Nicholas Hawksmoor's white stone church, finished in 1729. In 2025 the market hung what it called London's biggest wreaths from its roof, each tied with a long red ribbon.

One of the red phone boxes in the market was filled with presents and a Christmas tree, with garlands tied in red bows around it. On Thursdays the market is given over to antiques, and on Wednesdays to makers and designers.

Come hungry. The food stalls were piled with sugared jam doughnuts when I went on 30 November 2025.

Around Liverpool Street station, the glass office buildings join in. One entrance near the station had a giant wreath hung between its columns, with a red bow at the top.

Liverpool Street station opened in 1874, and outside it a tall tree stood behind a white picket fence painted with Merry Christmas 2025, framed by the towers of Bishopsgate.

Where Can You See the City From Above at Christmas?

From one of its free viewing platforms. In December the sun sets before 4pm, so a mid-afternoon slot gives you the city in daylight and then lit up.

The Sky Garden, at the top of the Walkie Talkie, is free with a booked ticket, and I have a guide to visiting the Sky Garden. One New Change, next to St Paul's, has a free roof terrace with a close view of the dome.

On 26 December 2022, a tall gold tree of lights stood at the foot of the curving staircase inside One New Change, with the dome of St Paul's framed between its glass walls.

The Lookout at 8 Bishopsgate is free too, and Horizon 22, on level 58 of 22 Bishopsgate, is higher still. All of them need booking, and December weekend slots go quickly, so book as soon as they are released.

Tower Bridge and the Tower of London are a fifteen-minute walk from Leadenhall, and both are lit up after dark.

For the West End lights, see my ranking of the best Christmas lights in London.

The City is one of eight Christmas area walks on this site. The nearest is Covent Garden, west along Fleet Street and the Strand.

Visiting the City of London at Christmas: Practical Notes

📍 Where: The Royal Exchange, Bank, EC3V 3DG. St Paul's Cathedral, EC4M 8AD. Old Spitalfields Market, Horner Square, E1.

📅 Open days: The decorations are up from mid-November to early January. Old Spitalfields Market is open every day, including Christmas Eve.

🎫 Admission: Free. The St Paul's carol services on 23 and 24 December need a ticket from the free ballot.

🚇 Getting there: Bank for the Royal Exchange, St Paul's for the cathedral, and Liverpool Street for Spitalfields.

☕ Food: The food stalls at Old Spitalfields Market, and the pubs and cafés in Leadenhall Market.

⏳ How long: Two to three hours on foot.

📷 Best time: The quiet days between Christmas and New Year, from about 4pm, when the lights are on and the streets are empty.

🗺️ Nearby: Leadenhall Market, the Sky Garden, the Monument and Tower Bridge.

♿ Access: The main streets are paved, though some slope, and Leadenhall Market is cobbled in places.

My favourite photo from 29 December 2025 has no one in it at all. The Royal Exchange columns are wrapped in light, the Fortnum's tree stands in front of the portico, and nobody is in the way.

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