Pubs with Rooms for Christmas and New Year
Which of our pubs are actually open over the holidays, what they charge, and what catches people out.
Last reviewed September 2026.
Most “best pubs for Christmas” lists are really just a normal pub list with tinsel added to the intro. The actual question worth answering is narrower and more useful: which of these places are genuinely open on the days you need, what a Christmas Day or New Year’s Eve dinner actually costs, and where a minimum-stay rule or a non-refundable deposit is going to surprise you if you don’t check first.
So that’s what we went and checked, pub by pub, across the regions we cover. A few things stood out. Several of the more serious kitchens — the Star Inn at Harome, the Royal Oak in Keswick — were already showing as fully booked for their headline dates when we looked, which tells you more about when to book than any listicle would: October, not December. The Lamb Inn in Burford was the most upfront operator on this list, clearly separating a standalone Christmas Day dinner from its full residential package rather than forcing you into one or the other. And the Ashford Arms in Bakewell is the one genuine surprise — closed on Christmas Day itself, offering a takeaway instead, while open close to normal hours on every day around it.
None of this is exhaustive — Christmas and New Year pricing changes year to year, and several pubs simply don’t publish Christmas Day details on their own websites at all. Where we couldn’t confirm something, we’ve said so rather than guessed, same as everywhere else on this site. Ring ahead for anything that actually matters to your plans.
Cotswolds
Full Cotswolds page →New Year's Eve is a standalone Gala Tasting Menu at £100 per person, arriving 7:30pm — genuinely bookable as dinner alone, not tied to a room. We couldn't find a published Christmas Day menu or price on the pub's own site; ask directly if that's the date you need.
Unusually clear about this: standalone Christmas Day and Boxing Day dinners are bookable without a room, separately from the full residential package (24–27 December, 3-night minimum, £1,040– £1,260 per person). Whichever you book, the deposit is 25% and non-refundable, with the balance due by 1 December.
Cumbria
Full Cumbria page →Christmas Day dinner is £115pp including a glass of Champagne, running as part of a festive menu available 24 November – 24 December — it was already showing fully booked when we checked, so this is very much a book-in-October pub, not a book-in-December one. We couldn't confirm Boxing Day, NYE or New Year's Day opening.
Derbyshire
Full Derbyshire page →The one genuine surprise on this list: closed on Christmas Day itself, with a festive takeaway offered instead. Every other day around it is open on close-to-normal hours — Christmas Eve 8am–8pm, Boxing Day from noon, New Year's Eve until 1am last orders. If you want an actual sit-down Christmas Day meal, this isn't the one.
Lancashire
Full Lancashire page →Christmas Day Lunch is £135pp (£55 for under-13s), or there's a 2-night Christmas Escape from £645 per couple including dinner, bed, breakfast, Christmas lunch and a festive hamper. Open all day on New Year's Eve with specials alongside the normal menu, rather than a separate ticketed event.
North Yorkshire
Full North Yorkshire page →Takes bookings across the whole 24 December – 1 January window in recent years, but we haven't been able to confirm Christmas Day itself is open for dinner rather than a shorter sitting — a Michelin-starred kitchen like this books out early regardless, so call well ahead rather than leave it to December.
Runs a 2-night New Year package (two evening meals plus NYE entertainment) that was already showing as fully booked for its NYE dining sitting when we checked — a good sign it's worth booking in autumn, not late November. Christmas Day pricing itself isn't published; ask directly.
Christmas has a real minimum stay — 2 nights (24–26 Dec) or 3 nights (24–27 Dec), not a walk-in Christmas Day lunch. New Year's Eve is a separate 5-course dinner with champagne and canapés, priced from £530 for two sharing a room — that figure is for the room-and-dinner package, not dinner alone.
Christmas package from £79.50pp per night (Cosy Double), including a turkey roast and festive afternoon tea. A separate Pre-Christmas break runs from £179/night, and New Year has its own package with extra nights either side at £140 per couple, B&B. Three overlapping offers — worth checking which one you're actually booking.