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Photo by Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Best time to visit London

United Kingdom · Europe

All twelve months scored on daily temperature, rainfall, humidity and holiday crowding.

The year in London

Tap a month for its page

  1. London in January: avoid
  2. London in February: ok
  3. London in March: ok
  4. London in April: sweet spot
  5. London in May: sweet spot
  6. London in June: sweet spot
  7. London in July: sweet spot
  8. London in August: sweet spot
  9. London in September: good
  10. London in October: ok
  11. London in November: ok
  12. London in December: avoid, busy
  • Sweet spot
  • Good
  • OK
  • Avoid
  • Busy
Go in Apr–Aug — these months score within a whisker of each other; in Aug, 23C max, 6 rainy days. Sep is the next best.
  • Prices thereExpensive, about 89% of the US
  • MoneyPound sterling
  • PlugsType G, 230 V
  • DrivingOn the left

Things to do in London

  • Buckingham Palace The main residence of His Majesty King Charles III, Her Royal Highness Queen Camilla, and latterly of HM Queen Elizabeth II.
  • Tower of London Castle in central London, United Kingdom
  • Westminster Abbey The Abbey is the traditional scene for the coronation of British monarchs and the burial place of many past kings and queens.
  • St Paul's Cathedral Cathedral in the City of London, England, UK
  • Palace of Westminster On the UNESCO World Heritage List, the Palace of Westminster is the seat of Parliament in the United Kingdom.
  • ABBA Voyage Digital recreation of famous Swedish super-group in a purpose built arena with live musicians.
  • The Shard Go up the tallest building in Western Europe to see the furthest panoramic view of London ever to have a price tag stuck on it.

Tours and tickets in London

Each site opens on its own search: choose your dates there. A few open on their home page, where you type the place too. Links marked Ad pay us a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you; most pay nothing, and what a site pays never decides whether it is listed or where. How we rank

Sights and their lines from Wikivoyage (London/East, London/South Bank, London/Westminster), licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, and Wikidata; in order of how often each one's Wikipedia article was read on phones in the last 12 months.

London in pictures

Buckingham Palace
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Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Tower of London
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Bob Collowan, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Westminster Abbey
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Σπάρτακος, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

St Paul's Cathedral
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Mark Fosh, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Palace of Westminster
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Terry Ott from Washington, DC Metro Area, United States of…, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Month by month

MonthMax °CRain days HumiditySun h/day VerdictWhy
Jan 8° 10d 87% 4.2h avoid 8C max, 10 rainy days
Feb 10° 10d 83% 5.0h ok 10C max, 10 rainy days
Mar 12° 8d 79% 6.7h ok 12C max, 8 rainy days
Apr 15° 5d 71% 9.6h sweet spot 15C max, 5 rainy days
May 18° 7d 71% 10.9h sweet spot 18C max, 7 rainy days
Jun 22° 7d 70% 11.8h sweet spot 22C max, 7 rainy days
Jul 24° 7d 68% 11.7h sweet spot 24C max, 7 rainy days
Aug 23° 6d 71% 10.4h sweet spot 23C max, 6 rainy days
Sep 20° 8d 76% 8.6h good 20C max, 8 rainy days
Oct 16° 10d 83% 6.1h ok 16C max, 10 rainy days
Nov 11° 9d 86% 4.5h ok 11C max, 9 rainy days
Dec 9° 11d 88% 3.4h avoid busy busier than usual

Rain days are the days with at least 1 mm of rain, as a weather station counts them.

Weather read at central London: ten years of ERA5 and ERA5-Land reanalysis, through Open-Meteo's open data.

A busy month is a crowded one, not a bad one — usually it is crowded because the weather is good. It is flagged rather than scored down, and crowds alone never make a month “avoid”: that is reserved for weather worth skipping.

Big events in London

  • The Championships, Wimbledon 28 Jun – 11 Jul 2027
    The grass-court tennis Grand Slam at the All England Club; 2027 marks 150 years of The Championships.
  • Notting Hill Carnival 29 – 30 Aug 2027
    A Caribbean carnival in west London: a costumed parade, steel bands and sound systems over two days.

Dates from each event's own site, which can change them: check there before you book. Expect the town busier while they run.

How busy it gets

About as busy all year round.

Then and now

London's June days now average 21.8°C, 3.2°C warmer than in 1981–1990. 11 of 12 months are clearly warmer.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
1981–906.8°6.7°9.7°12.2°16.0°18.6°21.4°20.9°18.2°14.5°9.9°7.7°
2017–267.6°9.5°11.6°14.7°18.2°21.8°23.6°23.0°20.0°15.7°11.1°9.0°
Change+0.8°+2.8°+1.9°+2.5°+2.3°+3.2°+2.1°+2.1°+1.8°+1.2°+1.2°+1.3°

The average daily high, month by month, for the nearest ERA5 grid cell. Bold is a clear change; grey is within the ordinary spread between years. Every destination, ranked.

Busy and quiet times in London

London experiences a moderate climate year-round, but expect more rain during winter months. It's advised to prepare for rain regardless of the season.

Busiest
early Jun to late Aug — Summer months attract the most tourists due to favorable weather and school holidays.
Quieter, still good
early Mar to late May — Spring offers mild weather and fewer crowds, making it an attractive time for visitors.
early Sep to late Nov — Fall has pleasant weather and decreasing tourist numbers, providing better value.

Written by a language model from the climate figures above. The month-by-month table is measured — ten years of ERA5 readings and published holiday calendars — and where the two disagree, the table is the one to believe.

What London is like

Vibrant and truly multicultural, London is a megalopolis of people, ideas and frenetic energy. The capital and largest city of the United Kingdom sits on the River Thames in South-East England. Greater London has a population of a little over 9 million. More on Wikivoyage

Worth seeing
Buckingham Palace. The London residence of the King, in Westminster. Open for tours during the summer months only (in 2022 - from Jul 22 to Sep 30; tickets), but a must-see sight even if you don't go in. More on Wikivoyage
Worth doing
To make the most of the city's tremendous cultural offerings (performing arts, museums, exhibitions, clubs, eateries and numerous others)… More on Wikivoyage
Getting in
London receives more flights than any other city in the world. It is served by six airports (LON IATA for all airports). More on Wikivoyage
Staying safe
In an emergency, telephone 999 or 112. This number connects to police, ambulance and fire & rescue services as well as the coastguard for incidents on the river. More on Wikivoyage
Staying healthy
The UK's National Health Service (NHS) will provide emergency treatment for anyone in the UK, irrespective of whether they reside in the UK, but if you are not a UK resident you will be expected to make a contribution… More on Wikivoyage

From the Wikivoyage article on London, written by travellers and licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the full article has far more. The numbers above are measured; this is experience.

Getting there

By rail from the airport (LHR), by metro and train: Heathrow Express, Piccadilly line, Elizabeth line.

Lines that stop at the airport's terminals, as mapped by OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL); the operators' own timetables have the times and fares.

How far London is depends on where you set off from — the months above do not.

Like a local in London

On arrival

  • Paying — Contactless cards and phones work almost everywhere, and some places no longer take cash. Small shops and pubs may set a card minimum of about £5.
  • UPI, for visitors from India — Not accepted for paying here; bring a card that works abroad.
  • Tipping — 10 to 15% in restaurants for good service, unless a service charge is already on the bill. Rounding up a taxi fare is usual but not expected.

Getting around London

Tap a contactless bank card or phone on the Tube, buses and trains; daily and weekly caps apply, so an Oyster card is not needed. Use the same card to tap in and out.

  • Apps — Rides: Bolt, FreeNow, Uber. Maps: Google Maps, Apple Maps. Messages: WhatsApp.

The main travel options in summary are: By bus: Running by iconic red double-decker buses, this is the cheapest and usually the best way to get around London as a tourist: on most of the Underground… More on Wikivoyage

From the Wikivoyage article on London, written by travellers and licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Ferries from London

  • Woolwich Ferry North Pier → Woolwich Ferry South Pier · about 25 min
  • Blackfriars → Canary Wharf
  • North Greenwich → Westminster Pier
  • North Greenwich → Woolwich Arsenal
  • Putney → Blackfriars
  • Rotherhithe Pier → Canary Wharf
  • Westminster → Greenwich
  • Westminster → Greenwich Pier

Crossings within 60 km, as mapped by OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Times are typical where the map records them.

Help

  • Emergency — 999 or 112 (any emergency).
    TravelCharika is not an emergency service: we cannot call for help or send anyone. Numbers can change; if one fails, ask someone local or your hotel.

Put together by hand from the sources listed, checked 7 October 2026. Apps, cards and rules change, so check before you rely on one.

Sources (90)

Before you go

Type G plugs at 230 V. Drives on the left. The currency is the Pound sterling. Everything for United Kingdom: cost of living, languages, emergency numbers and health.

Around London

Nearest in United Kingdom

All 43 places in United Kingdom

Nearby

Routes through here

Kind of place

London is in United Kingdom, Europe. Distances are great-circle, so a short one can still be a long way round.

Links marked Ad pay us a commission if you book through one, at no extra cost to you. That does not affect the scores on this page, which are computed from climate and holiday data before any link is built.