Choosing just which grotto in London to meet Santa in can be hard, but London Zoo might just have the edge. Where else can you shake hands with the big guy and then go off and meet some of Mother Earth’s cutest creatures? This year, kids can take part in special Christmas crafts activities before they’re introduced to the legend himself in his cosy grotto and receive a special gift to remember the day by. An audience with the man in red will cost extra on top of your admission ticket, but the zoo’s other seasonal attractions – card-making, cracker-making, storytelling with Mrs Claus, elf gameshows – will be open through to January 3.
If you want an extra-special experience, splash out extra for the Meet Santa Penguin Feed, which combines the grotto experience with a penguin feeding session and short 10-15 minute zoo tour – this costs £40 a child and £20 an adult (the grotto alone is free for adults). Technically Santa and penguins live at different poles, but a meet the Polar bears experience would probably be quite a lot more fatal.
