Christmas grottos in London 2014

If you'd rather keep it simple, you can also enjoy the classic experience, which includes a meeting with Santa and a gift to take home, plus a special experience for pre-school children. These experiences cost £10 per time slot.

Harrods Rewards members have early dibs on booking, but tickets go on sale to the general public on 17th September 2014. They're guaranteed to go really quickly, so make sure you're armed with your debit card.

Visit the Harrods Christmas Grotto website

Hyde Park Winter Wonderland

Among all of the festive activities, rides and shows at Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, there's also a Father Christmas grotto in Santa Land.

Santa (and his Elves) meet children on a first-come first-served basis, regardless of age. He's there from the 21st November - 6th January from 10am - 6pm, except for Christmas Day. VERY good children will receive a small gift and visitors are welcome to take their own photos.

Admission into Hyde Park Winter Wonderland is free, and though you'll pay for most of the other activities, you'll meet Santa at no cost. It will be very busy though, so make sure to get there early and prepare to queue.

Visit the Hyde Park Winter Wonderland website

Meet Father Christmas at Hamleys

Christmas at Hamleys London on Regent Street is always very popular. After all, it is the world's largest toy store! You can choose from breakfast, lunch, high tea or dinner at the famous toy shop before going in to meet Santa. There'll be some entertainment from Santa's Elves beforehand, too!

Details are still under wraps and tickets are going on sale later in September.

Visit the Hamleys London website

The Enchanted House, Islington

Suitable for children aged between 15 months - 8 years, the Enchanted House offers families the opportunity to decorate gingerbread men in the Gingerbread Kitchen, make presents with Santa's Elves and play interactive games. There's also a personalised family meeting with the man himself in Santa's Grotto.

Tickets include tea, coffee and mulled wine for adults, as well as a 3 hour tour of the Enchanted House, all the activities on offer and the meeting with Santa. It's a luxury choice though, with family tickets starting at £129 for a family of two. Tickets are still available for selected dates in December - and are 10% if you book before the end of September.

Visit the Enchanted House website

Christmas at Kew Gardens

There are still tickets available for Christmas at Kew Gardens, which includes a magically lit nature trail through the park, Christmas rides and Santa's Snowflake Grotto. It's open from 26th November until 3rd January.

Please note that the grotto costs £4 per child on top of the 'Christmas at Kew' admission price. It's not pre-bookable and you must pay in cash. Santa's Grotto won't be open on the 4th, 11th, 13th & 20th December and after 23rd December.

Visit the Kew Gardens website

Meet Santa at the London Wetland Centre

Santa's bringing his reindeer and huskies with him to the Wetlands Centre. Your child won't only meet Father Christmas but can meet the animals, too, including a baby reindeer. The admission price is the normal fee into the centre and a sleigh ride with the huskies is included in the price.

Visits with Santa take place in his outdoor grotto (unless it rains, in which case he'll be moved indoors). It will cost £5, but your child will take away a little goody bag from the meeting.

Available only on 6th and 7th December, you can't book the experience in advance, so you'll have to show up early on your chosen day.

Visit the London Wetlands Centre Christmas website