Season guide · London · United Kingdom
London in autumn
September–November: weather, crowds, prices and the best things to do this time of year.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Julian Herzog ( Website ), CC BY 4.0
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Quick answer
Settled September weather, film and art festivals in October and autumn colour in the parks; it turns wet and dark by November, when prices ease. Expect highs up to 20°C (68°F) and lows around 5°C (41°F), with about 29 rainy days across September–November. September is among the best months of the year to visit.
Key facts
- Months
- September–November
- Temperatures
- 5°C (41°F) to 20°C (68°F)
- Rainy days in the season
- About 29
- Crowds
- Moderate
- Hotel prices
- Average
Weather in autumn
| Month | High | Low | Rainy days | Daylight | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September | 20°C (68°F) | 12°C (54°F) | 8 | 12.6 h | 4/5 |
| October | 16°C (61°F) | 9°C (48°F) | 11 | 10.5 h | 3/5 |
| November | 11°C (52°F) | 5°C (41°F) | 10 | 8.8 h | 3/5 |
Compared with the rest of the year: average highs of 16°C (61°F) against a yearly 16°C (61°F), and 29 of the year's roughly 109 rainy days fall in these 3 months. Crowds rate 3/5 and hotel prices 3/5 on average.
What's on in autumn
Recurring events; dates move from year to year, so confirm with the organiser.
- September: Open House Festival — architecture open days across the city (usually September)
- September: London Design Festival (usually mid-September)
- September: Last Night of the Proms (usually mid-September)
- October: BFI London Film Festival (usually October)
- October: Frieze London art fair in Regent's Park (usually October)
- November: Bonfire Night fireworks displays (around 5 November)
- November: Lord Mayor's Show procession in the City (usually the second Saturday of November)
- November: Winter Wonderland opens in Hyde Park (usually mid-to-late November)
Good choices for autumn
Museum · South Kensington
Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A)
The V&A covers 5,000 years of art and design: fashion from the 17th century to today, the Cast Courts with full-size plaster copies of Trajan's Column and Michelangelo's David, Raphael's tapestry cartoons and rooms of jewellery and silver.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Art
- Free
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Museum · Westminster
Churchill War Rooms
Book the first slot of the day; the narrow corridors become congested by late morning.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Rainy day
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Museum · Holborn
Sir John Soane's Museum
The architect Sir John Soane arranged for his house on Lincoln's Inn Fields to be kept as he left it, and it has barely changed since his death in 1837.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Art
- History
- Off the beaten path
- Rainy day
Museum · Bloomsbury
British Museum
Pick three or four galleries — Egypt, the Parthenon sculptures and Sutton Hoo are the classics — rather than trying to see everything in one visit.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- History
- Rainy day
- Art
Gallery · Trafalgar Square
National Gallery
Western European painting from the 13th to the early 20th century hangs in the National Gallery on the north side of Trafalgar Square: Van Gogh's Sunflowers, Turner's The Fighting Temeraire, Constable's The Hay Wain, Velázquez's Rokeby Venus and Van Eyck's Arnolfini Portrait among them.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Art
- Free
- Iconic
- Rainy day
Day trips in autumn
- Oxford (About 1 hour by train) — The university city's honey-coloured colleges, the Bodleian Library and the Radcliffe Camera are a compact walk apart.
- Cambridge (About 50 minutes by train) — King's College Chapel with its fan-vaulted ceiling, the riverside college lawns known as the Backs and the free Fitzwilliam Museum are the highlights.
What to pack
- Light layers for the day and a light jacket for the evening
- A packable rain jacket for showers
- Comfortable walking shoes
Other times of year
Questions travellers ask
+Is autumn a good time to visit London?
Yes: September is among the best months. Settled September weather, film and art festivals in October and autumn colour in the parks; it turns wet and dark by November, when prices ease.
+What is the weather like in London in autumn?
Highs of up to 20°C (68°F) and lows around 5°C (41°F), with about 29 rainy days over the season.