Guildford Festive Family Fun Day (Step Into Christmas) 2026

Guildford has two stations. The main one, on Station Approach, is managed by Network Rail; Experience Guildford says it has direct links to London, Portsmouth and Brighton, and that you come out on Walnut Tree Close and walk down Bridge Street into the centre. It is about 0.4 miles from the High Street in a straight line (worked out from coordinates, not a walking distance). London Road (Guildford), managed by South Western Railway, is the closest station to the Upper High Street. National Rail says step-free access at the main station may be by long or steep ramps or via streets, and that London Road has only some step-free access. Neither has lifts.

Two park and ride sites are running, Artington and Merrow; Onslow and Spectrum are suspended. The fun day is on a Sunday, and only Artington runs then: services 70, 71 and 72 run Monday to Sunday, about every 20 minutes, and take around 8 minutes. Merrow's service 300 is Monday to Saturday only. Parking is free and you pay on the bus by cash or contactless. A DayRider is £4, or £8 for up to four people travelling together (read October 2026; fares dated from July 2025). Buses drop off and pick up by the Friary. Surrey County Council's page gives no Sunday first and last bus times, so check the Stagecoach timetable.

Guildford Borough Council's shopper car parks nearest the High Street are Tunsgate and Castle, just to the south of it, and the much larger Bedford Road multi-storey. All are open 24 hours. On Sundays charges run from 11am to 10pm: £4.30 for up to three hours and £8.60 for three to six hours until 5pm, then £2.10 a visit (read October 2026). Tunsgate and Castle are ticketless, with payment as you leave. Blue Badge holders park free and without time limit in the council's pay and display car parks, such as Bedford Road, but pay the normal charge in its pay on exit car parks, such as Castle.

The weekend after the fun day there is a Festive Market at Guildford Pavilion, with more than 40 exhibitors over two floors and free entry. It is open on Saturday 21 November 2026 from 10am to 6pm and Sunday 22 November from 10am to 4pm. Experience Guildford says full details of the fun day's own programme, which includes the Mayor's procession, will be announced soon, so check its page for timings nearer the date.

The fun day is on the High Street, the steep main street in the middle of town. Anywhere in the town centre, including the streets around the castle and the upper High Street, is within about ten minutes on foot, and so is the area around the main station on the other side of the river. If you are driving, staying on the south side near the Artington park and ride keeps the car out of the centre.