London, the capital city of the UK is a brilliant kaleidoscope of culture, history, architecture, progress and business. The home to British Royalty and a hub of most of western Europe, London has been a tourist delight since time immemorial. Even during the British Raj, Indians who could afford, did take trips to London for a vacation or two. Today, the world is a better, more progressed place. WE have more options for vacations. And yet London remains a classic. With its perfectly European weather that is occasionally or more than occasionally disturbed by rains, London makes for a brilliant destination. The best time to visit London? Definitely spring to summer!

Like all Western European cities, spring comes to London in the month of March. The temperature is at a nice 20°C at the start of March and the breeze is light and sweet, with new blooms of trees and melting frost of winter. The pleasant weather may be disturbed by occasional showers but that is pretty common in London, as evident by the term ‘London Weather.’ The longer daylight hours in spring mean more touring and sightseeing, so spring is a good time for a trip. It is also less hounded by crowd as the major flock descends on London by the summer months of June-July.

Summer is considered the best time to visit London. What with all those long sunny days, a mildly warm temperature range of 13-30°C and loads of festivals celebrating everything from music to royalty to Shakespeare. The parks are wonderful, green and warm for picnics, and the rooftop bars make for amazing experiences and Instagram photos. Rains are negligible but unexpected surprises, so you can also enjoy open top double decker London bus tours. The only drawback is that this is a high season and there is just too much crowd everywhere you go.

Autumn is a time of not so good weather, as temperatures start dropping and the air starts thickening for the imminent winter. The average range in autumn is 11-16°C and the leaves turn golden brown to colour the foggy days. Halloween or Samhain are celebrated in pomp and then by November, Christmas festivities start to pick up. This is a good time if you are on a budget and want to experience the autumn of London.

Winter in London is not a very good idea as daylight reduces to less than 8 hours. The sun sets by 3-4 pm and then there is literally nothing to do, with freezing temperatures. Rainfall and snowfall can be expected and hence pubs are all very crowded. The crowd outside is minimal and you cannot go sightseeing or strolling in the parks. Layers and layers of packed warm clothing mean there isn’t much fashion you can do on the streets either. The only saving grace of winter in London is its Christmas. The city that runs all year round, does business all the time, comes to become fairytale-like during Christmas.