Much like our annual trip to the pantomime, ice skating feels synonymous with Christmas. The Christmas lights, the ice rink and the post-skate hot chocolate make ice skating a truly fun way to celebrate the festive season even if, like me, you are not terribly graceful on skates!
If you are wondering where to go ice skating in London at Christmas then we’ve rounded up the best ice rinks in London for a skate session. See you on the rink!
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Where to go ice skating in London at Christmas (2024)
There are lots of places to go ice skating in London at Christmas, from historic locations to modern pop ups. Sadly, the festive favourite at the Natural History Museum has been closed for a couple of years, as has the ice rink in the moat of the Tower of London.
Another ice rink not returning for Christmas 2025 is Skate West End and it doesn’t look like the Kingdom of Winter ice rink at ExCeL London is making a return this season either. I’ll update this if I hear differently
In the meantime, here’s where you can get your skates on this Christmas in London. Be aware that many of the venues listed below get very busy over the school holidays so it’s a good idea to book your tickets in advance. Note that most ice rinks add additional booking fees to tickets booked online.
Skate Leicester Square
New for Christmas 2025 is the ice rink at Leicester Square. This central London hub is already home to a merry Christmas market and this year, Skate Leicester Square will be welcoming skaters to the ice from November 1.
Created by the live entertainment company Underbelly, the ice rink will encircle the Shakespeare statue at the heart of the square and will stay open until January 4, 2026.
Sessions will start every 15 minutes and ticket prices start from £14.50 for adults and £9.50 for children.
Queen’s House Ice Rink
I’m thrilled to see that the Queen’s House Ice Rink is back for Christmas 2025. It did not open last year but fortunately this pop-up ice rink in the heart of Greenwich is back for this festive season.
Set in front of Queen’s House and with views of Canary Wharf, this is one of the prettiest ice rinks in London. It also offers special sessions for toddlers (perfect for young families) as well as students and quiet skates.
The Queen’s House Ice Rink is open from 21 November 2025 – 4 January 2026.
Skate sessions are available every day except Christmas Day. The on site Zero Degrees restaurant is a good place to enjoy a hot chocolate – or festive cocktails – once you come off the ice.
Ticket prices start from £17.10 per adult and £14.85 per child. Family tickets from £11.24 per person (£44.96 for a family of four).
From 22 November, a Nutcracker-inspired Santa’s Grotto will be open inside Queen’s House with colourful installations, storytelling sessions, performances from tin soldiers and a visit with Father Christmas.
Skate at Somerset House 2025
If we had to choose just one place to go ice skating in London it would be Skate at Somerset House. Somerset House’s ice rink sits in the Fountain Court behind an enormous 40 ft Christmas tree covered in twinkling fairy lights. It’s a beautiful setting and the perfect place to enjoy some festive fun.
This year, Somerset House has partnered with Virgin Atlantic Holidays meaning that you might win a prize while you spend time twirling on the ice.
As in previous years, Somerset House is hosting Skate Lates on selected evenings when the rink turns into a disco dance floor (if you’ve never tried dancing on ice skates then know that it is harder than the professionals make it look!).
There are pop-up restaurants and bars including the pop-up Alpine restaurant, The Chalet by Jimmy Garcia (the perfect spot for a post-skate mulled wine). The Shelter Boutique is back again this year with a selection of pre-loved clothing and homewares.
For kids, London’s coolest ice rink is a great place to come thanks to its Skate School and Skate Club.
Skate School is open to anyone over 8 years old and the lessons are taught by instructors accredited by the National Ice Skating Association and take place on selected weekends. You can either book a single lesson or a course and if you book any 3 dates you will receive a 10% discount on your booking.
Skate Club is available to children aged 6 – 10 and is aimed at kids who have not been on the ice before. Sessions take place using the penguin skate stabilisers. Both Skate School and Skate Club must be booked in advance.
Skate at Somerset House opens on 12 November 2025 and runs until 11 January 2026. Tickets cost from £15 per adult and £10 per child. Tickets are available now.
Wheelchair users are welcome at any time and there are also two dedicated wheelchair session. There are also chilled out sessions for skaters who prefer to twirl around the ice in a more relaxed setting.
Winter Wonderland Ice Rink
It’s not Christmas in London without Winter Wonderland. This enormous festive fair, filled with vintage-style fairground rides, takes over one large corner of Hyde Park every festive season and is a firm favourite with families.
The Winter Wonderland ice rink is set around the Victorian bandstand and is supposedly the largest open-air ice rink in the UK.
Book an evening session and skate around under a canopy of lights listening to live music from the house band. It is a truly delightful way to ring in the festive season.
Hyde Park Winter Wonderland is open from 14 November 2025 to 1 January 2026.
The ice rink is open daily from 10am to 9pm and each session last 45 minutes.
There are a limited supply of penguin skate aids available for first-time and beginner skaters and these are issued on a first-come first serve bases (they cannot be booked in advance). These cost an additional £5 per penguin.
Wheelchairs are allowed on the ice (electric motors must be turned off) and there are ramps in and out of the skate facility and on and off the ice.
You will need to book an admission ticket for Winter Wonderland in order to go ice skating. Tickets for ice skating cost from £11.50 per adult and £8.50 per child. Family tickets costs from £34.00.
Ice Rink Canary Wharf
Located in the heart of Canada Square Park, the ice rink at Canary Wharf is always the first to open for the season and this year will be welcoming skaters from 25 October 2025 right the way through to 23 February 2026, closing only on Christmas Day.
This means that even if you are not in London for Christmas then you can always skate along during the October half term or February half term holidays. The other good thing about this ice rink is that it is covered meaning you can glide along even on rainy days.
Skate sessions last 45 minutes and run from 10am to 9pm (last session at 8pm).
Children must be aged 4 and over to skate and skate aids are available. Ice Rink Canary Wharf is offering marginally cheaper prices this year with tickets costing from £13.95 per adult/child. The biggest saving is with family tickets that are now priced from £49.95.
Manual wheelchair users are welcome during all sessions and apparently there are dedicated wheelchair sessions planned throughout the season as well.
Hampton Court Palace ice rink
Few ice rinks in London (or elsewhere) can compete with the Tudor palace backdrop at Hampton Court Palace and the setting makes this a truly stunning ice rink. But this is not the only reason why the former home of Henry VIII is one of our favourite places to go ice skating in London at Christmas.
The best way to enjoy this outdoor rink is by combining it with a visit to the palace itself where you can check out the famous chocolate kitchens and see if you can escape the hedge maze, the oldest in the UK.
The Hampton Court Palace ice rink opens on 21 November 2025 and closes on 4 January 2026 (closed Christmas Day). Post skate treats can be enjoyed at the Ice Cafe & Bar.
Sessions last 45 minutes. The daily 10am skating session is reserved for “Quiet & Calm Sessions” with reduced capacity, softer music and static lighting. Regular sessions begin at 11am and run until 9pm (the last session starts at 8pm).
Ticket prices start from £19 per adult, £17.50 per student and £14 per child. Family tickets cost from £56. Skate aids are available on a first-come first-serve basis for £5. Wheelchair users must be accompanied by a carer. er.
Glide at Battersea Power Station
With the River Thames on one side and revamped and restored Battersea Power Station on the other, the Glide ice rink definitely wins points for iconic London views.
This outdoor skating rink launched four years ago and consists of three interconnected ice rinks and a towering thirty-foot Christmas tree covered in fairy lights. There’s also the Glass House for post-skate drinks.
Glide opens on 5 November 2025 and runs until 4 January 2026 (closed Christmas Day). Sessions last for 45 minutes and run from 11am until 9pm Monday to Friday and from 10am to 10pm on Saturday and Sunday.
Tickets start from £18.70 per adult and £10.50 per child. Family tickets are available. A limited number of penguin skate aids are available on a first-come first serve basis and cost £5 each.
The Ice Rink at Westfield London, Shepherd’s Bush
The Ice Rink at Westfield Shepherd’s Bush has typical been a great way to combine Christmas shopping with a spin around the ice. However, we’re still waiting for details for the 2025/2026 so will update this list when we have them.
Last year, the ice rink opened on 15 November and ran until early January with 45 minute skate sessions starting from 10am and going until 9pm. The first session of every day is a quiet hour with reduced capacity, softer music and static lighting. The real ice rink is also wheelchair accessible.
JW3 Ice Rink
Perfect for North Londoners is the JW3 Ice Rink in Finchley. Located in the Jewish Community Centre JW3, the ice rink is typically held in the centre’s Dorfman Piazza meaning that you skate to your heart’s content come rain or shine. It’s also the only ice rink in London to open on Christmas Day and one of the only ones where you can pre-book penguin skate aids.
Ice Skating at Ally Pally
Open year-round is the ice rink at Alexandra Palace, an indoor ice rink in north London that offers two-hour skate sessions for all ages from 3 to 90! They offer regular lessons, including Skate Tots for young children aged 2.5 – 5 years to start their ice skating journey. They also host ice discos.
The ice rink is open daily throughout the year from 11am except for Tuesdays and Fridays when it opens at 1pm. On most days the ice rink shuts at 5pm except for Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Tickets cost from £11 per adult, £10 for under 12s, and £8.50 for under 5’s.
Photos my own or courtesy of Depositphotos.com
