Best Time to Visit London

London is a year-round city because so much of it is indoors: museums, theatres, pubs, markets under railway arches. The weather changes what a day feels like, not whether it works.

That said, May, June and September are the most comfortable months. Days are long, the parks are at their best, pub gardens are full, and temperatures are usually pleasant for walking. May has the Chelsea Flower Show, and June brings Trooping the Colour, the King's official birthday parade, and the start of Wimbledon. In September, schools are back and the crowds thin out.

July and August are the busiest months, with school holidays across Britain and Europe and queues at every big sight. Most days are warm rather than hot, but heatwaves above 30°C do happen, and neither many older buildings nor the deep Tube lines (the Central, Northern and Bakerloo among them) have air conditioning. It's also the season of the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall and, on the August bank holiday weekend, the Notting Hill Carnival.

From November to February days are short, grey and damp, and in December it's dark before half past four. It's also the cheapest time for hotels outside the Christmas weeks, museums are calmer, and the city puts on a real show: lights on Regent Street and Oxford Street, Christmas markets and Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park. The New Year's Eve fireworks along the river need a ticket for the official viewing areas.

Rain is the constant. It falls in every month, usually as light showers rather than downpours, and rarely lasts a whole day. On the wettest days, choose the smaller museums in our museums guide over the British Museum, where everyone else will be. Our what to wear guide covers how to dress for it.

Season at a glance

• March to May: fresh, changeable, blossom in the parks, busy at Easter.
• June to August: warmest and busiest, long evenings, big events.
• September and October: mild, calmer after the summer, early autumn colour.
• November to February: cold, dark early, cheapest outside Christmas.

Events and prices

Hotel prices jump during big events, from Wimbledon to major concerts and conferences, and on bank holiday weekends. Book early for those dates, and watch school holidays in Britain and Europe, which fill family rooms first.