Hamleys on Regent Street is open until 9pm, six nights a week. For a toy shop that is extraordinary, and it is the single most useful fact about visiting it.
Monday to Saturday it runs 10am to 9pm. Sunday is midday to 6pm.
Everybody goes on a Saturday afternoon, when seven floors of demonstrations and a few thousand children make the stairs a contact sport. Almost nobody goes at half past seven on a Tuesday, when the same shop is calm and the demonstrators are still working.
Seven floors, and what that means
188 to 196 Regent Street, W1B 5BT. Seven floors of demonstrations, events and displays, which is the point of the place: the staff demonstrating toys on each floor are the attraction, not the stock.
Treat it as somewhere to spend an hour rather than somewhere to buy a specific thing, because buying a specific thing in there is harder than it should be.
There is a Build-A-Bear Workshop inside, and a café.
Getting there
Oxford Circus is a two minute walk, Piccadilly Circus six, Tottenham Court Road ten.
Parking is on Brewer Street, W1F 0LA, which is a Soho car park rather than anything attached to the shop.
Disabled access is listed among the store services.
The other three London branches
This is the part that solves the Regent Street problem. Hamleys has four London stores, not one.
Regent Street is the famous one. The others are at Westfield White City, London Bridge and St Pancras.
If what you need is a toy rather than an experience, the smaller branches do that job without the queue. St Pancras in particular is useful: it is inside the station, so it solves the present you forgot on the way to a train.
Christmas
The Santa’s Grotto returns each year, with elves guiding you through to Santa and a keepsake at the end.
Given the crowds, the 9pm weekday close is worth more in December than at any other time of year. Our Christmas page covers the rest of the season.
How to plan it
Quietest: a weekday evening, up to 9pm.
Worst: Saturday afternoon, and the Sunday, which is only six hours long and therefore concentrated.
Buying rather than browsing: Westfield, London Bridge or St Pancras.
With small children: early on a weekday, when the demonstrations run without a crowd three deep around them.
Oxford Street is two minutes north and Liberty is five minutes the other way, both covered here with their hours.
Hamleys Regent Street
- Address
- 188 to 196 Regent Street, London W1B 5BT
- Nearest
- Oxford Circus, two minutes. Piccadilly Circus six, Tottenham Court Road ten
- Hours
- Monday to Saturday 10am to 9pm. Sunday midday to 6pm
- Booking
- None
- Price
- Free to enter
- Standing
- Seven floors of demonstrations, events and displays, with a Build-A-Bear Workshop and a cafe inside
How to get in
Hamleys has four London stores, not one: Regent Street plus Westfield White City, London Bridge and St Pancras. Parking is at Brewer Street, W1F 0LA. The Santa’s Grotto returns each Christmas.
Where to go next
Oxford Street is two minutes north and Liberty five minutes the other way.
London at Christmas covers the grotto season, and shopping in London covers the wider picture.
Questions we get asked
What time does Hamleys close?
9pm Monday to Saturday, and 6pm on Sunday when it opens at midday. The late weekday close is the quietest time to go and the one almost nobody uses.
How many floors does Hamleys have?
Seven, at the Regent Street store, filled with demonstrations, events and displays. The demonstrators on each floor are the real attraction rather than the stock.
How many Hamleys are there in London?
Four. Regent Street is the famous one, and there are also branches at Westfield White City, London Bridge and St Pancras. The smaller ones are easier if you want to buy something specific rather than browse.
Where is Hamleys in London?
188 to 196 Regent Street, W1B 5BT, two minutes from Oxford Circus, six from Piccadilly Circus and ten from Tottenham Court Road. Parking is at Brewer Street, W1F 0LA.
When is the quietest time to visit Hamleys?
A weekday evening, since it stays open until 9pm Monday to Saturday. Saturday afternoon is the busiest, and Sunday trades for only six hours so the crowds are concentrated.
Written by Robert J Wills, no. 240 in the guide.
Last checked 5 October 2026 against the venues' own published information. Nobody pays to appear here and we take no bookings.
