Exbury's Festive Railway Experience

About

Visit Exbury's Festive Express railway experience this December for a family Christmas day out like no other! Read on for further details.

Please note that an additional £2.50 will be charged to enter the New Forest Christmas Fair which will be held on 7th and 8th December. Please scroll to the bottom of this page for full prices and further details.

Inside the engine shed…
Festive decorations will be strung up from floor to ceiling, creating a cosy and festive atmosphere for you to take part in yuletide crafts. You can write your Christmas wishlist, create glittery cards and make paper straw trees guided by our Exbury elves. You can also meet Father Christmas in his very special 'royal' train carriage reserved just for your family, and take home a very special Christmas gift.

At the platform…
They'll be decorations galore to set off the Victorian splendour of Exbury's replica train station. Plus, a beautifully adorned 10ft Christmas tree and carolling from local choirs at intervals throughout each day.

On the train…
Real-life elves will be greeting passengers and interacting with children. They'll guide families on a festive journey through the gardens, pointing out all the fantastic decorations that line the tracks and leading carol-singing as you steam along.

In the gardens…
Discover the winter grandeur of the northern area of the gardens. Do you know the names of all Father Christmas' reindeers? Exbury's gardeners have lovingly handmade 10 log reindeers out of wood from the estate and we will be hiding them around the gardens as part of a trail for families to take part in.

New Forest Christmas Fair
The fantastically festive fair full of produce from local small business will also be at Exbury during the weekend of 7th and 8th December. As part of our agreement with Forester's Events, visitors must pay £2.50 to enter the fair and the gardens. There is no way to enter the gardens without paying this fee in cash on the day of visit. Exbury Gardens Visitor Entrance will not be charging entry to the gardens however, our staff will be charging for the Festive Express train rides and meeting Father Christmas. Prices for these are listed below.

Prices
Festive Railway train ride = £6 per person
Meet Father Christmas = £5 per child

Friends of Exbury annual members can receive a 10% discount on both the Festive Railway train ride and meeting Father Christmas. Please call us on 02380891203 to book if you're a member. Proof of membership will be required on booking and upon arrival.

*spaces to meet Father Christmas are limited to 50 children per day and are likely to sell out quickly. Please book your ticket online or over the phone early to avoid disappointment. When you arrive at the gardens you will need to book a 5-minute timeslot (10 minutes for groups of more than 1 child) with Mother Christmas who will be located in the engine shed. Any extra spaces will be sold on a first come first served basis.