Ice Skating in London: The Rink Every List Still Recommends Has Closed

The rink most lists still put first does not exist any more. The Natural History Museum Ice Rink has closed, after 16 years, and the five acre gardens it stood on have been turned into a hub for urban wildlife. The museum says so on its own page. If a guide is still recommending it, that guide has not been checked since the rink was taken out.

Here is what is actually opening this winter, with the dates and the prices each operator publishes.

Skate at Somerset House

11 November 2026 to 10 January 2027, with tickets from 11 pounds. The rink goes in the 18th century courtyard under a 40 foot Christmas tree, and it is the central one: Strand, a few minutes from Covent Garden.

The evening sessions are the point for anyone over about twenty five. Skate Lates run from Thursday 12 November with resident DJs and touring acts, and there is a K-Pop party with the Korean Cultural Centre UK on Monday 23 November. Skate School and the Kids Skate Club run from 14 November and sell out annually.

On access: relaxed sessions run at reduced capacity with lower music for neurodiverse visitors and anyone who wants a calmer rink. Wheelchair users are welcome at every session, with dedicated wheelchair sessions through the season, booked by telephone on 0343 208 1497. Concession tickets are available for full time students, NHS staff and PIP recipients, and qualifying group bookings get an automatic discount.

Hampton Court Palace

20 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, excluding Christmas Day. The first session is at 10am and the last at 8pm.

One thing to get right before you book. The rink is a separate ticket and palace admission is not included. People turn up assuming one covers the other. Members of Historic Royal Palaces save 10 per cent or more with a code from the member newsletter.

Reduced capacity sessions run from 10am daily, with static lighting and softer music, which Historic Royal Palaces says suits guests with disabilities and parents with young children. That is a daily option rather than an occasional one, which is unusual.

If you are making a day of it, the Festive Fayre with more than 100 artisan producers runs on 4 to 6 and 11 to 13 December.

Which one to choose

For an evening out, Somerset House. It is central, it has a DJ programme built into the season, and from 11 pounds it is the cheaper entry price of the two.

For the better setting and a quieter rink, Hampton Court. It is a train ride out, it closes at eight rather than running late, and the daily reduced capacity session means you can plan a calm skate rather than hoping for one.

If the point is the surroundings rather than the skating, go in the first week. Both rinks open in November and both get busier as December runs on, and neither publishes a live capacity figure the way some London attractions now do.

Before you book

Check whether the ticket includes anything else, because at Hampton Court it does not. Check the session length against your travel time. And take gloves: neither operator mentions them and both rinks are outdoors.

For the rest of the season, the London Christmas guide covers what else is on, Christmas at Kew is the light trail with adult only evenings, and Winter Wonderland is the large and loud option in Hyde Park.

Where to go next

The London Christmas guide covers the rest of the season, and Christmas at Kew is the light trail with two adult only evenings.

Winter Wonderland is the large version in Hyde Park, and the Christmas markets cover the daytime half of the season.