Best Christmas Shops in London 2026: Where to Go Christmas Shopping in the City

Looking for the best Christmas shops in London in 2026? From Liberty and Selfridges to Fortnum & Mason, Harrods, and beyond, here’s where I’d actually go for decorations, London Christmas gifts, advent calendars, stocking fillers and lots of festive shopping.

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It simply can’t be Christmas in London without a bit of shopping.

Come Christmas, Liberty fills its fourth floor with baubles, Harrods turns its Lower Ground Floor into Christmas World and Fortnum & Mason becomes almost impossible to leave without a biscuit tin, tea or hamper.

And then there’s Oxford Street, but we’ll get to that later…

After 10 Christmas seasons living in London, these are the shops I’d save for the season.

Shall we?

P.S. – Whilst you’re shopping, be sure to keep my Christmas in London guide and 3-day London Christmas itinerary handy too. You can also pair this with my Christmas markets in London guide whilst you explore!

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Quick Overview: Best Christmas Shops in London 2026

If you’re shopping for…	I’d go to…	Where
Christmas decorations + baubles	Liberty Christmas Shop	Great Marlborough Street
The best all-round Christmas department store	Selfridges	Oxford Street
Food gifts + hampers	Fortnum & Mason	Piccadilly
Luxury gifts + Harrods decorations	Harrods Christmas World	Brompton Road
A one-stop Christmas shop	John Lewis Christmas Emporium	Oxford Street
London-specific ornaments	Westminster Abbey Shop	Broad Sanctuary
London transport gifts	London Transport Museum Shop	Covent Garden
Christmas cards + beautiful wrapping	Choosing Keeping	Covent Garden
Books + signed editions	Hatchards	Piccadilly
Children’s Christmas gifts	Hamleys	Regent Street
Handmade + independent gifts	Covent Garden Markets	Covent Garden

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11 Best Christmas Shops in London for 2026

1. Liberty Christmas Shop — Best for Christmas Decorations

Liberty

If I’m buying Christmas decorations in London, I’m always starting at Liberty.

Their Christmas shop sits pretty on the fourth floor with annual showstopping decor and tons of festive bits to choose from—think musical snow globes with Big Ben, a red bus and a soldier, plus the usual glass baubles, tree-toppers, crackers and stockings.

Plus the building is half the fun. Liberty was founded in 1875, while the Tudor-style Great Marlborough Street store opened in 1924 using timber from two former Royal Navy ships. So even before you make it upstairs, it’ll feel completely different from the big modern department stores on Oxford Street.

I’d come here if you want one or two really good ornaments with Carnaby just a hop and a skip away (and Soho on your doorstep).

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2. Selfridges — Best All-Round Christmas Shop

Selfridges

If your Christmas list is a bit all over the place, Selfridges is the one I’d send you to.

You can do the tree, stocking fillers, Secret Santa, beauty, Christmas cards, wrapping and food without leaving the building. Not to mention its 2026 advent calendar is iconic in its own right.

This year their beauty advent calendars are one to watch if that’s your thing—with a very glamorous collection of everything from Penhaligon’s to Clarins. And for something much more Selfridges-y, there’s even a glass Christmas decoration shaped like the yellow shopping bag (which may or may not have come home with me).

Their Oxford Street store opened in 1909, so it truly is an institution, and one I’d choose when you need something for your mum, your partner, a Secret Santa and the Christmas tree in one go.

P.S. – Go earlier in the day if you can, then use my Marylebone guide to escape Oxford Street if the crowds get too hectic.

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3. Fortnum & Mason — Best for Food Gifts, Tea + Hampers

If you’re keen on tea, biscuits, chocolate, or all of the above in your Christmas hamper, go to Fortnum & Mason.

Fortnum & Mason was founded on Piccadilly in 1707, when William Fortnum and Hugh Mason started the business after Fortnum had made extra money selling Queen Anne’s used candle wax. More than 300 years later, the food hall is still exactly where I’d come for a Christmas gift that feels quintessentially London.

Their 2026 Christmas collection includes Christmas tea, clementine shortbread, St James Christmas pudding, chocolate, preserves, biscuit tins, crackers, decorations and some very serious advent calendars.

Whilst the enormous hampers are very tempting, you can absolutely leave with a £10-ish tin or box and still get the Fortnum’s packaging.

I’d pair this with Hatchards next door and Burlington Arcade opposite, then carry on towards Mayfair.
If you fancy stopping rather than carrying another shopping bag, Fortnum’s is also one of the places I’d consider for afternoon tea.

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4. Harrods Christmas World — Best for Luxury Gifts + London Baubles

Even if I wasn’t planning to buy a thing, I’d still walk through Harrods at Christmas.

The luxury shop has been in Knightsbridge since 1849, beginning as a grocery and tea merchant, with a very decadent Food Hall worth popping into after you gawk at the Christmas windows outside.

Their Christmas World here takes over part of the Lower Ground Floor with Harrods-branded decorations, stockings, crackers, tableware and the ever-adorable Harrods Christmas Bear (Tip: If you want something small, look for the Harrods-branded tree decorations and dated 2026 baubles).

A very worthwhile splurge-stop for your Christmas in London!

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5. John Lewis Oxford Street — Best One-Stop Christmas Emporium

John Lewis Christmas Emporium

If Liberty is where I’d go for one beautiful bauble, John Lewis Oxford Street’s Christmas Emporium is where you’ll actually get your Christmas list filled.

The Emporium brings trees, tableware, toys and gifts all under one roof, including its annual rotating Makers’ Market at Oxford Street, with different local designer-makers popping in throughout the season.

There’s also plenty of very Christmas-y extras to find here in 2026, from personalised Quality Street tins, to craft workshops, tablescaping sessions and a Sipsmith Christmas Gin Shop at Oxford Street with gin-filled baubles.

P.S. – It pairs spectacularly with Selfridges.

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6. Westminster Abbey Shop — Best for London Christmas Decorations

Westminster Abbey Shop

Because there are some Christmas shops in London that are inevitably easy to miss…

Westminster Abbey Shop has Christmas cards, advent calendars, candles, books, stocking fillers and food gifts, but the bit I’d specifically come for is the London decoration collection.

The London Mini Bauble Set alone has Big Ben, a red bus, a red post box and a black taxi, plus decorations directly inspired by the Abbey’s West Towers, crowns and the Coronation Chair.

Not to mention a purchase here directly helps support Westminster Abbey — a royal shop indeed!

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7. London Transport Museum Shop — Best for a Very London Gift

London Transport Museum Shop

If you’re buying for somebody who loves London but doesn’t need another Big Ben mug, have a look at the London Transport Museum Shop.

Here you’ll find quirky London Christmas gifts galore, from Underground roundels to Tube maps and vintage posters.

For Christmas 2026 they’ve even got matching adult and children’s Christmas jumpers, alongside the usual Tube-inspired scarves, moquette bags, socks, posters and models.

The physical shop sits at the London Transport Museum, which also makes this an easy addition to a Covent Garden day.

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8. Choosing Keeping — Best for Christmas Cards, Wrapping + Small Gifts

Choosing Keeping

For a very London Christmas stop, I’d also keep Choosing Keeping in your pocket.

It’s a beautiful stationery shop on Tower Street near Covent Garden, with a Christmas collection filled with handmade ornaments, cards, wrapping paper, advent calendars, garlands, confectionery and stocking fillers.

Their gift-wrapping service is a dream—with Italian patterned paper, Swiss double-satin ribbon and little foiled seals instead of tape. In other words, fabulous for a gift that’ll impress.

I’d tack it onto Covent Garden rather than making a separate trip for it, especially if you’ve already got the Apple Market and East Colonnade Market on your list.

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9. Hatchards Piccadilly — Best for Book Gifts

For my fellow book lovers, Hatchards should absolutely be on your London Christmas shop list.

Founded in 1797, it’s the oldest bookshop in the UK (with its own Royal Warrant, may I add), spread across five floors with an especially good collection of signed first editions, special editions, history, travel, royalty and children’s books.

I’d come here when you want a gift that feels thoughtful rather than overtly Christmas-themed, especially for somebody who likes London, British history or books in general.

Its location beside Fortnum & Mason is almost unfairly convenient, so I would always do the two together.

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10. Hamleys Regent Street — Best for Kids

Hamleys Regent Street

If you’re Christmas shopping with children, Hamleys Regent Street is basically unavoidable.

The flagship has seven floors of toys, demonstrations, characters and events, so prep to spend some serious time here if you have little ones (or of course, are a kid at heart).

It’s especially useful if you need gifts for several ages at once, and its incredibly convenient location means you can walk straight back out onto Regent Street for the Christmas lights afterwards.

If you’re planning the whole trip around younger travellers, my Christmas in London with kids guide has the rest of the family-friendly Christmas bits I’d pair with it.

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11. Covent Garden Markets — Best for Handmade + Independent Gifts

Covent Garden Markets

I simply couldn’t make a Christmas shopping guide without Covent Garden.

Inside the Market Building, Apple Market has antiques and collectables on Mondays, then handmade jewellery, prints, watercolours and crafts from Tuesday to Sunday.

East Colonnade Market runs every day with soaps, jewellery, artwork, homeware and smaller gifts, while Jubilee Market sits just beside the Piazza.

I’d browse here for smaller handmade gifts, then step straight back out into the enormous-tree-and-300,000-lights version of Covent Garden at Christmas.

If you’d rather shop stalls than stores for most of the day, pair this with my Christmas markets in London guide.

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How I’d Actually Do a Christmas Shopping Day in London

Selfridges

If you want to turn this into one very London Christmas shopping day, I’d start around Marylebone and do Selfridges in the morning.

From there, walk to Liberty, cut through Carnaby, do Hamleys on Regent Street, then finish around Piccadilly with Fortnum & Mason and Hatchards.

If you’d rather make the lights the main event after shopping, use my Christmas light tours guide or book this Christmas lights walking tour.

If you’re braving a second shopping day, I’d keep it much easier and do Westminster Abbey Shop, then Covent Garden, Choosing Keeping and the London Transport Museum Shop.

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Where I’d Stay for Christmas Shopping in London

The Welbeck

If Christmas shopping is a big part of your trip, this is one of the times I’d genuinely pay more to stay central and save myself the journey home with six shopping bags.

The Welbeck is the one I’d pick if you want Selfridges, Oxford Street and Regent Street close by, while The Resident Covent Garden makes more sense if Covent Garden, the West End and the Christmas markets are higher on your list.

I’ve compared both properly in my Christmas hotels in London guide.

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Final Thoughts on Christmas Shopping in London

Christmas shopping in London can very quickly turn into Oxford Street at 6pm with six bags cutting into your hands, which is personally not how I’d recommend doing it.

I much prefer the version where you pick up a book from Hatchards, wander next door for tea or biscuits from Fortnum’s, spend far too long looking at the baubles in Liberty and somehow end up underneath the Regent Street lights with a few things you definitely didn’t plan on buying.

And enjoy the fact that Christmas shopping in London can be a pretty lovely day out in itself.

Happy Christmas shopping!

Happy Londoning,

Candace x

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FAQs: Christmas Shops in London 2026

Where should I do Christmas shopping in London?

For a first trip, I’d concentrate on the West End: Selfridges on Oxford Street, Liberty and Hamleys around Regent Street, then Fortnum & Mason and Hatchards on Piccadilly.

Where is best for Christmas decorations in London?

Personally, I’d choose Liberty for statement baubles and decorations, Westminster Abbey Shop for London-specific ornaments and Harrods if you want luxury decorations or a Harrods souvenir for the tree.

Where can I buy London Christmas gifts that aren’t generic souvenirs?

Try Westminster Abbey Shop for decorations based on London landmarks and Abbey history, the London Transport Museum Shop for Tube and moquette-inspired gifts, Hatchards for books and signed editions, or Covent Garden’s markets for handmade pieces.

When do Christmas shops open in London?

The big department stores start surprisingly early. Liberty’s Christmas preview was already open on the fourth floor by August 2026, while the wider London Christmas bits start around early to mid November.

Are shops open on Christmas Day in London?

Almost all normal shops are closed on 25 December, and London’s usual public transport also shuts down. If you’re actually in the city on Christmas Day, use my Christmas Day in London guide.

Is Oxford Street good for Christmas shopping?

Yes, especially if you want department stores. Selfridges and John Lewis are the two I’d prioritise, then I’d leave Oxford Street and walk towards Liberty, Carnaby and Regent Street rather than spending the whole day there.

Where should I shop for Christmas with kids?

Hamleys is the obvious toy stop, and John Lewis works well if you need gifts for several ages in one place. If you want to turn the shopping into a wider day out, use my Christmas in London with kids guide for nearby skating, Santa and Christmas activities.

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