Somerset House Trust

Everyone should visit Somerset House at least once every Christmas! If you have friends that get grumpy about Christmas starting too early or being too OTT then take them here and it will cheer up the grinchiest of Grinches.
The setting is beautiful, the ice rink is a good size and the sessions are just full enough but not too packed so you can’t skate.
If, like me, you resemble Bambi on ice you can hire a mini penguin (sadly its plastic) to hold onto like a shopping trolley to stay upright. They’re like the ice equivalent of stabilisers on a bike but much cuter.
If you want to impress a date then I highly recommend taking them here and warming up after with a festive cocktail or a hot chocolate at the Fortnum & Masons bar.
It’s not a cheap night out but a better bonding experience than a night out drinking and you’ll remember it for a long time, particularly if you use one of he cute penguin aides.

My First time to outdoor ice skating at Somerset House and what A treat it was.
It has the same size rink as at Hampton Court but the skates are so much better and they do not over crowed the rink. The music was varied and put you in the groove to shake your stuff and feel happy with the world.
It is more expensive than other outdoor ice skating rinks but it is worth it. Love the lighting which makes the back drop look so special and Christmasy. The Fortnum and Mason tree is lovely as is the café with bubbly on tap.
Yep get down to this place and enjoy the start of the Crimbo festivities. Xoxo

I didn’t get to go skating but my husband did, looked a bit sloshy out there and a tad difficult but everyone seemed to be having fun. the bar next to it serves warm drinks and boozy drinks and they’re pretty generous with the marshmallows on the luxury hot chocolate drinks. The arcade wasn’t open on the night i was there which was a bummer but over all not bad for people watching. Had some convo’s with like minded people on the side… was fun even if you’re not skating.

It’s not bad for both skating and people watching. Located in the center of London, it’s nicer than the ones in Canary Wharf or Hyde Park, in my opinion.
I do recommend that you know how to ice skate before coming, though. Lots of passerbys come to watch and hang out here, so if you fall on your butt, people will see (and laugh quietly).

Great venue. We had a wonderful night visiting the spectacle.

Somerset House is a beautiful place to skate and a very well run operation.
They have a 15 minute changeover between groups of skaters, and it ran like clockwork. The bag check was fast and affordable and the skates were pretty nice looking!
It was, however, inordinately expensive and inordinately crowded on the scale of a whole star each.

I came here for a special event so I only had to pay £10 — not sure what it is normally. The skates weren’t bad for rentals. The rink itself is gorgeous — the best part is Somerset House’s courtyard is beautiful no matter which direction you’re facing, so as you skate around and around the rink, you always have a lovely view. After dark with the lights is perfection. Yummy mulled wine and cupcakes to follow skating. The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars is because I think they had too many people on the rink at once and their skating monitors were excessive — there were so many of them skating around that it was actually a hazard trying to dodge them. Maybe they were afraid the people at my event were especially prone to falling. However, a great night, definitely worth it.

Perfect for a romantic gesture for your partner. The skates are decent and comfortable, the rink is large and they limit the skaters so it doesn’t get too crowded. Price is high, but its worth it for the scenery (highly recommend going after dark) the Christmas tree is a great touch. Plus there is a DJ knocking out good tunes for those feeling confident enough to wiggle as they go round!
Also, your legs will feel tired after, so grab a mulled wine from the adjacent bar after an watch the next lot cautiously venture out. Best mulled wine I’ve ever had.

Very beautiful and romantic, but I’m giving it 4 starts instead of 5 because it’s so expensive and it’s such a hassle to get tickets! We went on a Friday night and because it was «DJ night» it was even more expensive. All in all, for 2 tickets, it was £35 after all the ridiculous fees… for a one-​hour time slot! But I guess it was too cold anyway to skate more than an hour. Plus, for having time slots allocated like that, it was waaaay too crowded. I was almost always running into someone on the rink.
Definitely a one time must-​see for London, but I wouldn’t go back any time soon!

Hard to argue with the lovely setting. Nice romantic evening fare, though the skates are very uncomfortable.

Still in my opinion the prettiest ice rink in London, I have been several times this year and can now schoop my way across the ice without falling over.
It’s a pricey ticket but really worth it if you only go skating once a year. Make sure you pop by Tom’s Pop-​Up Bar for mulled wine after. It’s a £4 cup of warm yumminess.

This was loads of fun! The venue is gorgeous and although I haven’t been skating in almost 10 years, I didn’t fall once! Sweet!
They tix are a bit pricey (£13 before shipping and handling fee, + £1 to check your bag) but it’s well worth it to be able to skate with such a beautiful building surrounding you. The skates themselves also look quite nice. They’re Nike, sporty and quite reminiscent of the Rollerblades that I used to have as a child. So you at least get to skate in style!
For any skaing beginners, there is even a «kiddie pool» –type skating rink next to the main rink where you can get a few skating lessons.

Sehr schön anzuschauen und zum spazieren laufen… Wer dem Großstadttrubel mal ausweichen möchte ist hier Abends am richtigen Platz…

Summary based on several visits as an interested spectator:
–great idea
–great venue
–great (non celebrity) people watching

A wonderful place to while away time
The galleries cover interesting art
The courtyard is joyous in the summer (the fountains are fun too) and the winter ice rink is always very popular
Ideally situated and offering lots for all you have to visit Somerset House

This magical wonderland saved the day! We were out celebrating my husband’s birthday and the restaurant was a bit of a disappointment.
However, we walked here afterward, got a lovely (and reasonably cheap) hot chocolate with marshmallows and cream down us and watched the skaters gliding around the rink under the pretty lights.
It was romantic just to watch and the occasional person falling over was fab too (especially watching the girl who tried to save her friend from falling over, then she went, tried to get up three times but kept on going back right on her arse) — priceless!
Fun times.

Lovely location for a gig — and i’ve been for a couple — only problem is depending what you come to see the crowds don’t tend to pay that much attention — at times — during an Athelete gig which I regret to this day — it felt like being in an All Bar One courtyard where the wankers standing around were more interested in discussing their stock options than watching the (admittedley rather lame) band.
UNKLE here on the other hand were so loud it was mindblowing.
Pricey though.

This must be one of the most beautiful venues in London! I have been to several gigs here, and you just couldn’t ask for a better setting. Lovely stage set up in the courtyard of what used to be the home of the Inland Revenue.
The size is just right as well and you get a good view from wherever you stand.
They seem to cater for the crowds, too. While there were 2-​pint plastic beakers for the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, they served Pimms and miniature wine bottles for Grace Jones.
It’s a special treat, and the cost prevents me from giving this 5 stars.
Same goes for the ice-​skating!

As Christmas appraoches once more Somerset House plays host to one of the most beautiful and magical of all London attractions. In the centre of one of the most historic buildings in England an ice-​skating rink has been set up allowing you to experience the full wonder of Christmas (before you fall flat on your arse). I came here at night with a sometime girlfriend and it was one of the more romantic experiences of my life. The air was crisp and cold, a few stars shone out through the smog of the city and the lights revealed the gorgeous features of Somerset House.
On the down side you won’t be alone for this experience as Somerset House gets incredibly popular at this time of year and you will also be given a time limit of one hour. In addition prices are quite steep at around £10 a skate though if you go in a large group you can receive a discount.
Something you definitly want to do once in your life.

I love going ice skating at Somerset House. It is such a beautiful setting. I don’t know if it’s the cold or the laughing, but my cheeks get flushed and I feel light and happy. How can you go ice skating and not feel all those things? On the weekend it does get a bit crowded, it wasn’t too bad on Saturday, but I do want to go at night, I’m thinking less kids and more grown-​ups. On a positive note, I did like the music they played, it always helps if the music is good, helps get you in the mood and not think so much about falling.
Now that’s the fun part, the not so fun part is that it’s £10.50 (more for evening and late skate) to skate for one hour and if you get to the session late you still pay the £10.50. Granted that does include skate rental but it takes about 45 minutes to work the kinks out, so you only have 15 minutes of going around the rink and not landing on your behind. I would prefer that the skate last for 90 minutes, that’s plenty of time to work things out and enjoy going around spending less time kissing the ice.

Put your coats on, tighten your scarves around you and head out to Somerset House for a magical session of ice skating in one of the most stunning squares in London. Every winter, this beautiful 18^th century setting raises an ice skating rink to the great pleasure of Londoners.
Night time is probably the most romantic time to head here, since the square is brightly lit and the Tiffany-​sponsored Christmas tree glitters on the side. Booking is a must, and the sooner the better since the slots get sold out really quickly. It isn’t the cheapest ice rink out there, but it is definitely the most magical and worth a visit at least once in a lifetime. And after a good bit of skating, you can always warm yourself up with a bit of mulled wine in the café.
Judging from experience the rink is open whatever the weather, so even if it is pouring, don’t miss out on your slot!