Best Time to Visit London: Month by Month

The best time to visit London at a glance

For most visitors, the best time to visit London is May to September, when highs reach 18 to 24 °C and the sun shines for 150 to 206 hours a month. Those figures are 1991 to 2020 averages from Met Office data for Heathrow. Winter is colder and darker, but it is also when rooms cost least.

For hotels, February is the cheapest month for a 4-star room and May is the priciest, based on a Google Hotels check of stays from October 2026 to September 2027.

Sightseeing costs less than a room. On GetYourGuide, a Westminster to Greenwich river cruise is listed from €21 per person and covers the boat ride with live English commentary and audio in 11 languages. The London Eye entry ticket is from €35 and covers one 30-minute ride, standard or fast-track depending on the option, plus the free London Eye Guide app. A Christmas lights bus tour is from €30 and covers a 75 to 90 minute drive with a live guide. A Big Bus ticket is from €38 and covers a hop-on hop-off day (1 day, 24 or 48 hours, by option) with digital commentary, headphones and Wi-Fi. Each one is covered in the season where it fits best.

The gap between the cheapest and the priciest month is large enough to decide a trip. For food, transport and attractions on top of the room, the guide to London England on a budget adds up a full day.

Key Takeaway Pick winter for the lowest hotel prices, May to August for the warmest and sunniest days, and March or April for the driest ones, at about 39 to 42 mm of rain a month at Heathrow.

Month by month: weather, hotel prices and crowds

Here is every month in one table, with Heathrow weather averages for 1991 to 2020, a price level for 4-star hotel rooms and what is on. Heathrow sits on the west edge of the city, so the centre is usually a little warmer.

Hotel level ranks 4-star room prices from the lowest month to the highest, from the same Google Hotels check described above. November had too few listings to rank with confidence, so it carries no level. The table gives averages, and averages cannot promise you a dry day.

London weather can change within an hour, so a good plan always has an indoor option.

Winter: January and February are the cheapest months

January and February are the cheapest months for a London hotel, and they are cold, with highs of 8 to 9 °C and about 45 to 59 mm of rain. The days are short, with only 59 to 76 hours of sun a month. Plan indoor days around the free museums, and book an evening show in the West End for the dark hours. The guide to free attractions in London lists what costs nothing, and the West End shows page covers tickets.

The London Eye is closed for annual maintenance throughout January, so a winter trip that includes it needs February.

In the cheap months a central base saves walking in the cold. The Resident Covent Garden is a few minutes' walk from the Covent Garden Piazza and is rated 9.3 from 1,156 reviews on Booking.com. Lexham Gardens by Cheval Maison has thirty serviced apartments in Kensington, each with a full kitchen, and is rated 9.2 from 355 reviews.

Pro Tip Book the London Eye for a February morning with a clear forecast, and check the date in the ticket's free cancellation window of up to 24 hours before.

Spring: March to May is the driest, then hotel prices climb

Spring is the driest part of the London year, with 39 to 46 mm of rain a month from March to May. Highs rise from 12 °C in March to 18 °C in May, so you still need a coat. Hotel prices climb across these months, and May is the priciest month for a 4-star room.

Bank holidays in 2027 fall on Good Friday, 26 March, Easter Monday, 29 March, 3 May and 31 May. Long weekends can bring queues at the biggest sights, so book timed tickets for the Tower of London ahead on those dates. Mild days also suit a London walking tour, which keeps you moving and away from the queues.

Summer: June to August is the warmest and sunniest, and costs more

Summer is the best weather in London, with highs of 22 to 24 °C and 192 to 206 hours of sun a month, and May to July are the priciest months for hotels. Summer is the wrong choice if you want low prices or quiet sights, because the bright weeks bring the biggest crowds.

Dry, bright days suit the river. The Westminster to Greenwich river cruise is run by Thames River Sightseeing and is listed from €21 per person. It is rated 4.5 from 25,702 reviews, takes about an hour one way and lists free cancellation up to 24 hours before. It leaves from Westminster Pier on Victoria Embankment, the ticket includes live English commentary, and children under 5 go free. Since October 2026, Things to Do in London counts 22 river, canal and other water listings in London on GetYourGuide, from €16.11 to €465.49, so boat options are easy to find. Those ratings are traveller scores on GetYourGuide, because no official body rates these tours. The weather figures are a different kind of data: Met Office averages for 1991 to 2020 at the Heathrow station, so they show the usual pattern and not a forecast.

Prices and ratings as shown on GetYourGuide on 2026-10-24.

A clear day is also the time to ride the London Eye, which per its opening times page runs 10am to 8:30pm from May to September. The London Eye entry ticket is listed from €35 per person and rated 4.6 from 40,804 reviews. The ride lasts 30 minutes, and the listing offers a standard or a fast-track option. The ticket is sold by the London Eye itself (listed as The London Eye - MEG) and lists free cancellation up to 24 hours before. The London Eye says that on a clear day you can see as far as Windsor Castle. Bright summer weeks also suit a day trip from London.

No official page publishes visitor counts for London for each month, so we cannot name the month with the fewest crowds. The nearest official measure is Heathrow's passenger count. In 2025 it handled over 6.3 million passengers in January and more than 8 million in August, so January is the quietest of the two and the summer is the busiest. In the summer, the Notting Hill Carnival runs on 29 and 30 August 2027, so expect crowds in west London that weekend. That count includes people who only change planes, so treat it as a guide. Hotels also cost least from January to March, and school holidays and bank holidays bring queues.

Prices and ratings as shown on GetYourGuide on 2026-10-24.

Autumn: September is mild, and October and November are the wettest

September is still mild, with highs of 20 °C, but October and November are the wettest months, with 65 and 67 mm of rain. By November the sun shines for only 68 hours a month. September and October are medium-priced months for a 4-star hotel.

School half term brings families to the museums, and the Science Museum opens early from 24 to 30 October 2026. Autumn is a good time for indoor plans such as the British Museum and Borough Market. Football fans can plan around home matches, and football match tickets explains how visitors buy them. Kick-off times move with television choices, so book trains and rooms after the date is confirmed.

December: Christmas lights, short days and a ticketed New Year's Eve

December is the month to come for the Christmas lights, and it is cold, with highs of 9 °C and only 53 hours of sun a month. Plan for an early dark and an early dinner. The guide to London at Christmas covers markets, lights and what is open.

The Christmas lights bus tour with a live guide is run by Golden Tours - Gray Line London and is listed from €30 per person. It lasts about 1.5 hours with a 75 to 90 minute drive past the lights, in groups of up to 72. The rating is 4.1 from 5,443 reviews, and the listing offers free cancellation up to 24 hours before. Food and drink and hotel pickup or drop-off are not included. The tour is in English only. It has three meeting points, and which one you get depends on the option you pick, so read it on the booking page.

Prices and ratings as shown on GetYourGuide on 2026-10-24.

Christmas Day and the Monday after are bank holidays, on 25 and 28 December 2026, and the London Eye is closed on Christmas Day. The Mayor of London's New Year's Eve fireworks are on Thursday 31 December 2026, and you cannot watch them without a ticket. Tickets are sold only through Ticketmaster. In spring, the RHS Chelsea Flower Show runs 18 to 22 May 2027, with public days on 20 to 22 May. No single official page lists every London event for the year, so check each date on its own official page, such as GOV.UK for bank holidays, before you book.

Book a sightseeing day once your dates are set

Once your dates are set, the first booking most visitors make is a Big Bus London tour, because it gives you the city overview on day one in any season. The Big Bus ticket with an optional river cruise is listed from €38 per person and rated 4.2 from 5,146 reviews. It is run by Big Bus Tours - London and starts at Buckingham Palace Road and Bressenden Place. It includes digital commentary in several languages, headphones and Wi-Fi, and lists free cancellation up to 24 hours before. The 24 and 48 hour options add a Thames boat trip (one way, Westminster to Tower Pier, about 40 minutes), and the 48 hour option adds three guided walks: Royal Walk, Harry Potter and Jack the Ripper. That replaces booking separate walks. Hotel pickup and return are not included.

Prices and ratings as shown on GetYourGuide on 2026-10-24.

You can also do the same sightseeing on your own for less. A day of buses is capped at £5.25, rising to £5.55 on 1 November 2026, according to Transport for London's bus fares. The getting around London guide explains buses, the Tube and boats. A bus tour is worth it if you want a guide and an easy route, and it is not worth it if you only need to get from place to place. The London Eye ride is a single 30-minute slot, so you need only the ticket and no tour. A bus tour costs more, but it adds a guide, a set route and hop-on stops, which helps most on a first visit or on a rainy day when you want a dry seat. The month does not change that choice much, but wet autumn days make a covered seat more useful. For a quick trip or a repeat visit, a contactless card is enough.

Once the month is chosen, the London itinerary shows how to fill one to seven days, and the where to stay guide compares the areas. The London on a budget tips page helps you stretch a trip in the dearer months. If you are weighing London against another big city, see London vs New York.