Christmas film locations in London

Wouldn’t it be great, though, if you could recreate the best scenes from your favourite films when you come to stay in London? Well, you can! We can’t guarantee the snow, the devilishly handsome love interest, or a kiss under the mistletoe, but we can promise that exploring some Christmas film locations has never been so easy! 

In this guide, we’ll walk you through some classic locations that you’ve seen in various films that we love to watch at Christmas to get those feel-good, cosy vibes.

Paddington

We’ll get this one out of the way early. We know Paddington isn’t exactly a Christmas film, but its always on around this time of year and is enjoyable for all the family—perfect to watch after eating too many turkey and stuffing sandwiches on Boxing Day! 

Paddington is everyone’s favourite Peruvian bear, who always seems to get into mischief. We know it’s not always his fault, though, and who can stay cross at him for long? Not us, that’s for sure! 

There are so many places in London where you can go and walk in the footsteps of Paddington, the Brown’s, and Mrs. Bird. The Brown’s house is located on Chalcot Crescent in Primrose Hill. The pastel-coloured houses look so pretty all year round, but at Christmas time, the decorations in the windows look spectacular! It is definitely worth strolling down the street and imagining you’re chasing after Paddington on another adventure! 

We all know that Paddington is so named after he was found at Paddington train station. So head over there to see his little statue at the entrance, but if you want to see the actual station used in the films, you’ll need to head over to Marylebone Station. Here you’ll see the stunning features at the entrance that you’ll recognise easily. Although there are no statues of Paddington here, it is still popular due to its incredible architecture. 

Other locations you can visit include The Natural History Museum, Camden Town and the Market, which will be decorated for Christmas and houses lots of artisan stalls, and the Reform Club on Pall Mall, which is where Mr. Brown and Paddington go to the Geographers’ Guild.

The Paddington films are a wonderful franchise that will undoubtedly bring a smile to anyone’s face, and you’ll love exploring London through Paddington’s eyes!

Love Actually

The cult classic film from 2001 (yes, it is that old!) is a firm favourite here. We love all the storylines, especially a young Thomas Brodie-Sangster falling in love and Bill Nighy doing his best rock god impression. The bonus is that nearly all of it was filmed in London! You can not only get in a full tour of London, but you can ensure that love really is all around you. 

In fact, there are so many different locations that we’d be listing them for the rest of this article, so we’ll do a shortened version.

Alan Rickman’s character, Harry, buys that infamous necklace in Selfridges & Co. on Oxford Street (we’re still angry that he made Emma Thompson cry). Notting Hill is where you can wander around singing Christmas Carols and wondering how on earth Peter (Chiwetel Ejiofor) did not come to the door when Juliet (Keira Knightley) took so long listening to fake carol singers! 

After Notting Hill, head over to Mayfair and visit the Grosvenor Chapel, where Peter and Juliet got married and that amazing gospel choir sang, or you can go to OXO Tower Wharf, where Mark (Andrew Lincoln) lived. 

Don’t forget that you can also go and see Downing Street, albeit behind gates, to see where Hugh Grant did that dance! 

Love Actually makes us cry every year without fail; it’s an incredible film that gives us so many emotions all at once, but it is a Christmas staple, and it isn’t Christmas until we see that opening sequence at Stansted Airport.

Last Christmas

A recent addition to our Christmas watchlist, Last Christmas is the 2019 film that gives us a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. 

This is sort of a romantic comedy; Kate (Emilia Clarke) meets Tom (Henry Golding) at a critical point in her life, and they become close. She tells him everything about her life, the mess-ups, her relationship with her parents (shout out to Emma Thompson), and how her life keeps falling apart. Tom, however, seemingly has it all figured out—a paediatric doctor who cycles and lives healthily—they’re the exact opposites. But opposites attract, right? 

There are various locations that you can visit in London to bring the film to life. 

The Christmas shop where Kate works is in Covent Garden, and whilst you might not see the exact shop she was in, Covent Garden is magical at Christmas time, and the markets will definitely get you in the festive mood. 

Other areas to visit to feel Christmassy are the Thames Embankment with some incredible performances, light displays, and places to eat and drink after a long day of Christmas shopping at Regent Street with its fantastic, famous Christmas lights. It is a very popular place on the run up to Christmas, so plan accordingly! 

The church where Kate holds her Christmas concert is St. Mary’s Church, Wyndham Place in Marylebone, and it is such a lovely, friendly place that works with a range of charities.

Bridget Jones’ Diary

It wouldn’t be a list about Christmas movies filmed in London without a mention of Bridget Jones. We’ve all seen the film, the love triangle, the dodgy soup, the infamous Bunny and Vicars party outfit, and, of course, that kiss with Colin Firth. Now, channel your Jones energy and head on to some of her favourite places to see the world as Bridget does. 

The pub next to her apartment is the Globe Tavern in Borough Market. The Globe is a classic British pub that serves up some lovely beers, wines, and spirits right next to one of the best fresh food markets in London and is the perfect resting stop after a wander around. 

If you want a more romantic walk, head to https://www.royalparks.org.uk/visit/parks/hyde-park with the Italian fountain, where Colin Firth and Hugh Grant fought. Although we don’t suggest going for a dip in the fountain, you can absolutely take in all the beauty of the gardens and maybe have a lovely picnic (depending on how cold it is!).