Seeing Father Christmas can cost £30 a head or more in London, but it doesn’t have to. There’s a free grotto at Winter Wonderland, a free one-day grotto in South Wimbledon, and several shopping-centre grottos at £7.50 a child with a gift included and adults free. Here are 15 London grottos for Christmas 2026, compared by what you actually pay.
London Santa’s grottos 2026 by price
| Grotto | Dates | Price per child | Adults |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Wonderland, Hyde Park | From 19 Nov | Free, after £1 off-peak park entry | Need park entry |
| Christmas in the Park, South Wimbledon | Sat 5 Dec | Free, register on Eventbrite | Free |
| The Mall Wood Green | 1 Nov to 24 Dec | £7.50 | Free |
| Southside, Wandsworth | 20 Nov to 24 Dec | £7.50, plus £1.50 per booking | Free |
| Ealing Broadway | November and December | £7.50 | Free |
| Capel Manor Gardens, Enfield | 12 and 13 Dec | £8, plus garden entry | Garden entry |
| Charlton House | 5 and 6 Dec | £10 | Free |
| Westfield Stratford City | December | £10, plus £1 fee | Free |
| Westfield London | December | £12.50, plus £1.25 fee | Free |
| London Museum Docklands | November and December | From £15 | Check when booking |
| Battersea Arts Centre | 4 to 24 Dec | £15, plus £2 per order | Up to 2 free |
| Marble Hill, Twickenham | Weekends 5 to 20 Dec | £15 (£12 members) | 1 per child |
| Chiswick House | 28 Nov to 24 Dec | £20 | £5 |
| Natural History Museum | 1 to 22 Dec | £20 (£18 members) | Up to 2 included |
| Queen’s House, Greenwich | 14 Nov to 24 Dec | £30, plus £3 per booking | £30 |
Map view
Santa's grottos in London 2026
Free and paid Santa's grottos across London, from Wood Green to Wimbledon. Tap a pin for the price and dates.
- Free grottos
- Paid grottos
15 locations available on the map.
Free Santa’s grottos
Santa’s Grotto at Hyde Park Winter Wonderland is the largest free grotto in London, and children who’ve been good get a present. It’s open from 10am to 6pm on a first come, first served basis: you can’t book a slot. The catch is that everyone needs a Winter Wonderland entry ticket, but off-peak entry costs £1, and every Monday to Thursday in November is off-peak. Expect a queue at busy times. Read our Winter Wonderland on a budget guide for how to get £1 tickets. Santa’s Grotto at Winter Wonderland
Christmas in the Park at Haydons Road Recreation Ground, South Wimbledon, has a free Santa’s grotto on Saturday 5 December from 1.30pm to 4.30pm, with free Christmas crafts and a Write a Letter to Santa competition. Register free on Eventbrite. Registration isn’t for a timed slot, so you may queue. Santa’s Grotto at Christmas in the Park
Santa’s grottos under £10
The Mall Wood Green runs a grotto from 1 November to 24 December for £7.50 a child, including a meet-and-greet with Santa, a Christmas gift and a photo opportunity. £1 from every ticket goes to North London Hospice. The Mall Wood Green grotto
Southside in Wandsworth has a grotto from 20 November to 24 December for £7.50 a child, plus a £1.50 booking fee per transaction. Adults go free with a paid child ticket, and each slot takes up to four children. Walk-ins are welcome if there’s room, but booking is safer. On Thursday 3 and Friday 4 December, Santa stays until 7pm. The grotto is cashless. Southside grotto
Ealing Broadway charges £7.50 a child, with adults free. Up to four children can go in one booking. Ealing Broadway grotto
Capel Manor Gardens in Enfield has a grotto on Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 December for £8 a child, with photo opportunities and a gift. The grotto price doesn’t include entry to the gardens, which costs £6 for children aged 2 to 15, £10 for adults, or £30 for a family of two adults and up to three children. That makes it a good choice if you want a whole day out with a Christmas trail. Christmas at Capel Manor Gardens
Santa’s grottos from £10
Charlton House has a grotto for two days only, Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 December, in timed slots from 11am to 3.30pm. It’s £10 a child with a small gift, and adults go free. Santa’s Grotto at Charlton House
Westfield Stratford City and Westfield London both run Santa train rides to the grotto: the Polaris Line at Stratford for £10 a child plus a £1 booking fee, and the Aurora Line at White City for £12.50 a child plus £1.25. Adults go free, and children aged 1 to 12 need a ticket. Babies under 12 months can come with a sibling without a ticket, but they only get a gift with one. Westfield Stratford and Westfield London
Museum and heritage grottos
London Museum Docklands has a Victorian Santa’s grotto from £15, with an age-appropriate gift to take home. Sessions run every 15 minutes from 9.45am to 4.15pm, with four children per session. The museum itself is free, so you can make a day of it. Victorian Santa’s grotto
Battersea Arts Centre has a grotto from 4 to 24 December, 9.30am to 5.30pm, for £15 a child plus a £2 fee per order. Up to two adults can come with each child for free. BAC Santa’s Grotto
Marble Hill in Twickenham, run by English Heritage, has Father Christmas on weekends from 5 to 20 December, with storytelling and a traditional present for every child. Tickets are £15 a child, or £12 for English Heritage members, and must be booked in advance. Places are limited to one adult per child. Father Christmas at Marble Hill
Pricier grottos worth knowing about
- Chiswick House: £20 a child and £5 an adult, from 28 November to 24 December. Chiswick House
- Natural History Museum: Storytelling with Father Christmas, £20 (£18 for members), from 1 to 22 December. Each child’s ticket includes up to two adults. Natural History Museum
- Queen’s House, Greenwich: a walk-through wonderland ending in Santa’s grotto, £30 per person (£27 for family members), plus a £3 booking fee. Under-1s go free. Runs from 14 November to 24 December. Queen’s House grotto
Quiet and SEND sessions
- London Museum Docklands: the first two sessions each day, at 9.45am and 10am, are quiet and sensory-friendly, with background music and sounds turned off.
- Queen’s House, Greenwich: SEND sessions on Sunday 15 November, Saturday 28 November, Friday 4 December and Thursday 10 December.
How to pay less to see Santa
- Go free at Winter Wonderland on a £1 off-peak ticket, ideally Monday to Thursday in November.
- Pick a grotto where adults go free. At Chiswick House or the Queen’s House, adults pay too, which can double the cost for a family.
- Check the booking fee. It’s small but adds up: £1.50 at Southside, £2 at BAC, £3 at the Queen’s House.
- Book early for weekends. Weekend morning slots go first. Weekday slots after school are easier to get.
- Bring your own camera. Some grottos, like Southside, sell photos and keepsakes on the day, but you don’t have to buy them.
- Combine it with a free day out. London Museum Docklands is free to visit, so you can spend the rest of the day there.
Common questions
Is there a free Santa's grotto in London?
Yes. The grotto at Hyde Park Winter Wonderland is free, though you need a Winter Wonderland entry ticket, which is £1 off-peak. Christmas in the Park in South Wimbledon has a free grotto on Saturday 5 December.
What is the cheapest Santa's grotto in London?
After the free ones, The Mall Wood Green, Southside in Wandsworth and Ealing Broadway all charge £7.50 a child, with a gift included and adults free.
Do adults need a ticket for Santa's grotto?
At most cheaper grottos, adults go free with a paid child ticket. Chiswick House charges adults £5 and the Queen’s House charges everyone the same price. Marble Hill allows one adult per child.
Do I need to book?
For most grottos, yes. The Winter Wonderland grotto can’t be booked and works on a first come, first served basis, and Southside accepts walk-ins when there’s space.
For more festive days out on a budget, see our cheap pantomimes guide, free carol services and the London Christmas lights guide.
Prices and dates are from each venue’s official website or booking page, checked on 29 October 2026. Prices exclude optional photo packages. Check the booking page before you go, as dates and prices can change.