Plan the trail, the food stop and the journey home as one outing. These are not all Christmas markets.
Archive 2018. Photo: Brian Robert Marshall / CC BY-SA 2.0
Our verdict
Our pick
Book the trail and the journey home together
Choose an available evening entry, then arrange parking or the final bus before booking a room. Daytime garden admission and Christmas trails can be separate tickets.
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Christmas at Kew13 November 2026–3 January 2027; closed 16, 23 and 28 November and 25 December
RHS Glow at Wisley20–25 and 27–30 November; 2–24 and 27–31 December; 1–3 January 2027. Sensory-needs evenings: 26 November and 1 December.
Glow Wild at Wakehurst27–29 November; 2–6, 9–24 and 27–31 December; 1–2 January 2027. Members’ preview: 26 November.
Christmas at the Eden ProjectChristmas Lights: 20–22 and 26–29 November; 3–6, 10–23 and 26–31 December; 1–2 January. Cornwall Christmas Fair: 18–19 November 2026.
Christmas at Westonbirt
27–29 November; 3–6, 9–13, 16–24 and 26–31 December 2026
Timed entry generally every 15 minutes, 4–8pm, varying by date.
The trees are the stars of this evening out. Westonbirt’s Old Arboretum becomes an illuminated woodland walk, with the Christmas Cathedral, Fire Garden, Sea of Light and interactive Ribbon Tunnels among the officially announced installations. Arrive with enough time for the Christmas Village before your slot: its food stalls and fairground rides turn a walk among the lights into a fuller festive outing.
This is a light trail with food stalls, rather than a traditional maker market. Choose your evening carefully: it runs in blocks of selected dates, with timed entry and parking both booked ahead. The trail ticket does not include a daytime visit, so anyone planning both should book them separately and allow for the afternoon closure.
Advance adult tickets: £19.50 off peak or £26.50 standard, including booking fees. Trail tickets are separate from daytime arboretum admission. Pre-book the trail and parking together; standard and Blue Badge parking costs £10 in advance. Member parking is free but must still be booked. Food and rides cost extra.
Getting there
Kemble and Yate are the nearest rail stations; Forestry England describes each as around 20 minutes away by taxi. Reserve the onward and return journey before travelling, because daytime bus services should not be assumed to cover a late trail visit. Drivers must pre-book evening parking; allow 15 minutes from the car park to the trail entrance.
Accessibility
The route uses stone and tarmac paths with gradual slopes and uneven sections. Wheelchairs, mobility scooters and pushchairs can be used, but suitability depends on individual needs. Accessible toilets are at the Welcome Building and Great Oak Hall; the latter has a Changing Places toilet. Relaxed sessions are offered at 4pm on 28 November and 4, 10 and 16 December.
13 November 2026–3 January 2027; closed 16, 23 and 28 November and 25 December
Timed entry from 4.20pm; closes 10pm, or 9pm on 24 December. Entry cut-offs vary by gate.
A grand garden after dark, with light and music leading you through Kew’s winter landscape. Come for the trail and build supper around it: street-food stalls, cafés and restaurants make this a complete festive evening, rather than a market-shopping trip. Choose your entrance before booking, because the best gate depends on how you travel.
The official 2026 trail is 3km and can take more than two hours, so resist squeezing it between other plans. Give the evening room to unfold: eat before entering or pause at the confirmed catering stops, wear shoes that handle wet garden paths, and let the lights set the pace. Kew operates cashless catering.
Advance adult tickets are £29.50 off peak or £37 peak, including the published booking fee. Daytime admission is separate. Reserve Brentford Gate parking with tickets (£15); book parking before arriving by car. Under-fours still need a valid free ticket.
Getting there
Kew Gardens station is about 500m from Victoria Gate. Kew Bridge station is about 800m from Elizabeth Gate, but has no level access. Brentford Gate is for the pre-booked Ferry Lane car park. Check the event access advice before choosing a station and gate.
Accessibility
Some trail sections have gradients and may be challenging when wet. Kew publishes a dedicated event accessibility guide and essential-companion ticket procedure. Kew Bridge station has no level access; the westbound platform at Kew Gardens also has access restrictions.
20–25 and 27–30 November; 2–24 and 27–31 December; 1–3 January 2027. Sensory-needs evenings: 26 November and 1 December.
4–9pm; last entry 7.30pm
Wisley’s winter gardens become an evening of illuminated planting, colour and sound. The RHS confirms a 2026 Glow season, but it is a selected-date event: choose a live ticket session before planning your journey.
Tickets and timing
Pre-book a timed session for every visitor. RHS official 2026 prices start at £7.50 for non-member adults and £6 for children; under-fives are free. Exact prices depend on the selected date.
Getting there
RHS Garden Wisley, Wisley Lane, Woking, Surrey GU23 6QB. Check the official travel page and current M25/J10 works before setting out.
Accessibility
Glow uses established outdoor garden paths that can be uneven and slippery, with low lighting. Review the RHS detailed accessibility guide before booking. Two sensory-needs evenings, 26 November and 1 December, are reserved for visitors who need reduced noise, fewer people and fewer distractions.
Archive 2014. Photo: Christopher Hilton / CC BY-SA 2.0
Glow Wild at Wakehurst
27–29 November; 2–6, 9–24 and 27–31 December; 1–2 January 2027. Members’ preview: 26 November.
Relaxed slots 4pm; standard slots from 4.15pm. Closing varies 9–10.15pm; 24 December closes 9pm.
Wakehurst’s lantern trail winds through a living landscape, with seasonal food chalets and botanical gifts adding a shopping-and-supper stop to the walk. Allow around an hour for the trail itself, then time for something to eat. This is an illuminated garden visit with festive stalls, rather than a traditional Christmas market.
Tickets and timing
Advance booking is essential. Adult tickets: £21 off peak, £25.50 standard or £28 peak. Parking is free. Under-fours and essential companions need their own valid ticket. Daytime garden entry is separate.
Getting there
Haywards Heath is the closest station, six miles away. Metrobus 272 stops outside Wakehurst; check its timetable for your return journey. Drivers should follow event signs to the correct entrance on the B2028, rather than a satnav route to North Drive.
Accessibility
The mile-long trail uses hardstanding and flat gravel paths with slopes and uneven surfaces. Wheelchairs are first come, first served; the four mobility scooters must be reserved by phone. Accessible toilets and baby changing are provided. Relaxed sessions run nightly at 4pm, with additional reduced-sensory sessions on selected dates.
Christmas Lights: 20–22 and 26–29 November; 3–6, 10–23 and 26–31 December; 1–2 January. Cornwall Christmas Fair: 18–19 November 2026.
Christmas Lights 4–8.30pm. Fair: 18 November 5–9pm; 19 November 10am–4pm.
The Biomes give this Christmas outing a setting unlike any high street: light and music after dark, with skating, a carousel and warming food to build the evening around. For actual market shopping, book the separate Cornwall Christmas Fair on 18 or 19 November; the later Christmas Lights season is a different event.
Tickets and timing
Christmas Lights requires valid Eden admission plus a Lights Pass unless your admission type includes it. Adult Lights Pass £12.50; under-16s free. The separate Fair costs £34 for the preview (supper and wine) or £22 for 19 November (Eden entry, lunch and wine). Other experiences are separately ticketed.
Getting there
Eden Project is at Bodelva, St Austell, Cornwall PL24 2SG. Eden confirms free car parking and buses from St Austell rail/bus station. Check the bus timetable carefully for your evening return; avoid assuming daytime services run after the Lights.
Accessibility
Eden publishes accessibility guidance. Manual wheelchair users with a personal assistant can use the ice rink by advance booking; this does not establish access to every Christmas activity.
Pet dogs may use the Outdoor Gardens, but cannot enter the Biomes or Link Building. Assistance dogs are excepted.
Check the live booking calendar for your chosen event, including timed arrival, parking and any separate house admission. We avoid inferring a sell-out date from a previous season; availability is set by the organiser.
