There will be no National Rail services on Christmas Day as usual this year. On Boxing Day most train operators will have no service - however, there will be a very limited service operated by a small number of train operators.
Public transport in London does not run on Christmas Day, and all London attractions are closed. Over the Christmas and New Year period, public transport to and around London is reduced, so plan your journey in advance.
Everything stops running on Christmas Day: the tube, buses, TfL Rail, DLR, Overground, trams, river buses, the cable cars and National Rail. The only transport available will be taxis, private hires and Dial-a-Ride. But you can still grab a Santander bike or an electric scooter in the boroughs that have them.
There will be no service on the majority of public transport on Christmas Day and no services on some parts of the network on Boxing Day, including the Elizabeth line. Apart from planned closures, services will run all night on New Year's Eve.
Is there any public transport on Christmas Day in the UK?
On Christmas Day there will be generally no services. On other days services will generally operate on a weekday or Saturday service. On New Year's Eve tube services will run all night.
Assuming you don't mind spending part of your holiday in the air, Christmas Day or Christmas Eve are the best days to fly during the last two weeks of the year. While airport crowds dramatically increase in the days before and after the holiday, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day crowds are light.
Under the Christmas Day (Trading) Act 2004, large shops in England and Wales cannot open on Christmas Day. For the purposes of the Act, a 'large' shop is larger than 280 square metres in size. Smaller shops are unaffected by the Act.
Christmas is a busy travel period, especially if you're travelling by train, so consider booking your train tickets well in advance to secure the best prices and ensure availability. You can save up to 60% when you buy tickets in advance.
Public transport does not operate on Christmas Day and has a reduced service on Boxing Day and the Christmas bank holidays. Most London attractions and shops, as well as many restaurants, are closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
All Fleet (Except Engineering Vehicles Operations and Maintenance ( formerly known as transplant) and ERU), Engineering, Stations and Trains members will strike between 0001 and 2359 on Monday 8th September 2025.
Travellers can find coach journeys to over 40 UK cities and towns, with many services available across the festive period, including Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day and surrounding bank holidays.
In particular, December 22 is the busiest travel day of the Christmas season, with high fares to match. The highest ticket price of the holiday, however, belongs to the day after Christmas—December 26. Expect crowds at their lightest and ticket prices at their lowest on Christmas Eve.
If you are travelling, the worst times in the run up to Christmas are predicted be between 1pm and 7pm. Then during the festive period, 10am to 3pm will be busiest on our roads.
While Christmas Day flights are generally less crowded, they're often scheduled at unusual times to accommodate airline schedules over the festive period. Early morning or late-night departures are not uncommon, so being prepared is essential.
As usual, no TfL services run on Christmas Day. That's buses, Tubes, trains, Elizabeth line, Overground, DLR, river boats, cable car, the works. Some transport will also finish early on Christmas Eve, so don't get caught out by that.
The airport will be operating with flights arriving and departing on Christmas Day. There will be no underground, Elizabeth line, Heathrow Express or local buses operating on the day. On Boxing Day morning the local buses and underground will start running but much later than normal.
TfL confirmed that they are unable to offer free travel on the night, which will now have been the case for the past five years. Image: JuliusKielaitis, Shutterstock. There has been no free travel on New Year's Eve since 2020, which wasn't such an eventful year in terms of the festivities anyway.
Boxing Day, the traditionally British holiday recognized the day after Christmas, offers an extension of the festivities. People in countries like Canada, the U.K. and South Africa spend an extra day with friends, shopping or watching sports.
Are pubs open in London on Boxing Day? The good news is that many pubs reopen their doors on Boxing Day to keep the holiday buzz going strong, including all of our venues.
The 26th of December is still pretty impressive, as many venues open their doors for dedicated meals, massive club nights and more. So if you're stuck for ideas, look at our guide to the best Boxing Day events in London and revel in the period synonymous with charity, leftovers and shopping sales.
