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Photo: Craig CrossIt's easy to find Hyde Park Winter Wonderland because you just follow the sound of funfair screams all the way from Marble Arch.
The first time you clap eyes on its big perimeter of unscalable walls and security staff searching everyone's handbag to see if they're carrying a bomb it will remind you of a big prison camp, but once you're inside it's a completely different story. If this place doesn't give you the Christmas spirit then nowhere will.
Christmas market & Bavarian beer hall
Photo: Craig CrossEverywhere you go is the seasonal sound of Bing Crosby and Perry Como and Swiss-style chalets selling knitted mittens and dangling candle holders, while warm smoke and aromas float over from the wood-burning fires -- they've got those fire-filled dustbins making campfire crackling sounds like cub camp when you were a kid.
They're selling real fairground food like hot dogs and onions, meat pies in gravy, jacket potatoes with baked beans and butter on top. I've got the smell of vinegar and chips now... roasted chestnuts... hot toffee popcorn, waffles and crepes.
Fairground rides & Rollercoasters
Photo: Craig CrossI forgot how loud a funfair can be. It's all blaring music and a background track of chatter and screams as the rollercoasters trip cameras that flash in your face. They've got waltzers, dodgems, carousels with silver lights and icicles, laser lights strafing the floor by your feet... one zone is dressed up like the North Pole with a huge Ice Mountain ride that has polar bears and penguins and a real live waterfall cascading down the front (real roaring water!).
Photo: Craig CrossWinter Wonderland ice skating rink
I was planning to have a go on at least one ride tonight but they all look too scary now. There are lots of fairground games I could try but I don’t want to win a four foot dolphin that’s too big to take home so I have a stroll past Santa’s grotto. I'd quite like to peer inside but I don’t think I can pass myself off as a five-year-old kid with my forty-year-old face, so I end up watching the ice skaters doing laps of the Hyde Park bandstand.
Photo: Craig CrossI think the world is split down the middle into people who are happy to give ice skating a go and those who prefer to just lean on the side watching everybody else fall over, and I'm definitely the latter.
When I make my run for London Mayor I'm going to make sure this place stays open all year round to cheer us all up.
A word of warning about the queues on Friday and Saturday night: I walked past at 4 PM and there were probably about a thousand people lined up for the bag search -- and that's not an exaggeration. It probably took them over thirty minutes just to get through the gate.
If you enjoy Hyde Park then you might like to visit Kensington Gardens (walk it in 16 mins or catch a tube from Marble Arch to Queensway), Regent’s Park (Marble Arch to Regents Park) and St. James’s Park (walk it in 28 mins or Marble Arch to St Jamess Park). You might like to take your kids to an outdoor ice rink as well, or have a walk around the Christmas lights
The author Craig Cross owns city-guide.london and has spent the last decade reviewing the capital’s landmarks, attractions and hotels. His guidebook London Squire is available from Amazon
Your comments and questions
Heidi Do we have to book in for the ice skating rink?
Craig Hi Heidi. If you book your ticket in advance then you'll have to choose a date and a time that you want to skate. You're advised to turn up at least 20 minutes early to give you time to pick up your skates.
Sam Do you have to book tickets online or can you purchase on the day at arrival? Thanks Sam
Craig Hi Sam. You can buy them on the day if you like, but things like the ice skating and circus are also available to buy in advance. There's a decent chance that some of those things will already be full up if you wait to buy them on the day
Pierre Hi, I'm planning a visit and looking to pre-book some tickets. In particular, I am planning to book the giant wheel, but need to know how many people can fit into each pod before I book. If only 2 can ride in a pod then I will only book 2 tickets, as one of us would have to ride on our own. Please help!
Craig Hi Pierre. The pods hold up to 6 people so you'll probably have to share it with another group. It's possible to book a private pod which means you'll get it all to yourself, but of course it will be more expensive.
Sarah We try and go every year because it is really Christmassy and nice just to walk around. It is kind of like a big Christmas-themed fun fair with rollercoasters. And they have also got lots of nice wooden Christmas stalls selling Christmassy food. You can't spend normal money in the winter wonderland, you have to exchange your money for special tokens and a lot of the rides were five or six tokens each! But even though we didn't go on any rides it was still very nice to walk around because it is very Christmassy
DH Which is the best underground station to get off?
Craig Hi DH. Marble Arch is the best one, but Hyde Park Corner is okay as well. If you get off at Lancaster Gate you can have a little walk across the park beforehand
Chris Dodd I have been visiting Hyde Park Winter Wonderland every year and I think it is a great day out either on your own or with family or your girlfriend. I visited the giant wheel to get a fantastic view of Hyde Park and then walked around the different areas. I had a beer in the one of many outlets and it was a lovely day to spend watching everybody else.
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