Please help me decide when to go to London!

Since you've got 10 nights (or is that 8 nights minus your overnight transit to London and with March 27 or June 16 being your departure day?)....I'd probably opt to fly open jaw in to London and out of Paris and spend 3 nights there and 5 or 7 nights in London.

I'd probably go with the March dates because of the weather but I don't tolerate heat at all and don't want to take a chance on having hotter than usual weather.

Yes, there is a chance of a heatwave in June, but that early in the summer (or to be technical about it, that late in the spring) the temperature is far more likely to be very pleasant. And you get a lot more hours of daylight in June than in March, more than 16 compared to about 12. While there is no chance it will be too hot in March, there is a chance it could be quite cold and raw. Gardens will definitely be much nicer in June, but all is not lost in March either— we had a great trip to London last early June, but we’ve also enjoyed the daffodils in February. Chance of a rainy day is about the same either month.

For me, there’s no question- absolutely June. May and June are the nicest times in London. Even with a heat wave it’s really not that hot. You get so much daylight and the whole city just feels very different! People are out in the parks, having pints outside, etc. March is still a bit grim tho it’s starting to brighten up later in the month. It can also be very wet still.

Trooping the colour won’t impact crowds other than on the Mall during the actual parade.

Either way I am sure you will have a nice time but I would definitely select June.

For March, bear in mind that schools will be on holiday over the Easter 4 day weekend. While banks and offices will be closed on Good Friday, shops, restaurants and tourist sites will be open. You will have left by Easter Sunday. Tfl will be operating on reduced hours and it and rail service may have closures due to works during the long weekend. The earlier part of your trip should be unaffected. If you want to see Westminster Abbey and St Paul's, do it earlier in your trip. Queen Mary's garden should have early bulbs blooming, and perhaps some early shrubs and trees in bloom, but no roses or annual flowers.

June may be hot. Or not. Days will be longer. Crowds will be greater. Trrooping of the Colour is easily avoided on the days of the rehearsals and the actual event. Plan on visiting other areas on those days.

It would be technically possible to do your Paris day trip if you preplanned carefully and had all of the advance timed tickets in hand. If you took an early morning train, you could be back at your London hotel before midnight, assuming you took minimal times for lunch and dinner. Not something I would recommend, but it's your trip.

Thank you everyone for your replies - this is all great information that I will use as I continue to plan!

For Paris, bear in mind that it’s not just a case of hopping on a train. You need to go through immigration - this happens in London, and Eurostar will tell you how early you need to arrive for your train. Last time I went, it was a full 90 minutes before my train but it’s usually a bit less - but it really adds to the time it takes for a day trip.

Also you need to buy your train ticket well in advance for affordable prices.

I’d choose March as I’m a “cool” person. We’re starting to get very hot early summers and London doesn’t yet cope too well with heat. Sure March can be cold and wet but I’d be on buses or inside things.

On the other hand it’s light well into the night in June. Trooping of the Colour will not add significantly to crowds. It’s just another of the many events in London.

My birthday is in March, my wife's is in June. No way I would want to trade March for June in London. We run up to London (we're about 65 miles away) to celebrate.

I don't get the weather choice. In March you have a decent chance of a late winter storm with all the wind, cold and heavy rain. Days, while improving, are still short and often overcast. Very few flowers up, sun still low in the sky.

June has a chance of too warm for a brief time - the 6 heatwaves so far this year is atypical - but also has a really good chance of good sun, wall to wall. Dawn around 4am, sunset around 9:30, doesn't get really dark for another 30-60 minutes after that. Could be rain, but unlikely to be constant. All the flowers will be out and the beautiful London parks, and Kew Gardens, Hampton Court Palace and everything else will be at its very peak of perfection.

But that's just me. My June is perfect and my favourite month in London may well not be yours. Enjoy what appeals to you.

I would never be in Paris in March - I head to the Riviera in February - so can't speak to Paris in March.

I agree with June but then I live here and by March we’ve had 5-6 months of dark, grey weather and I’m totally sick of it. I don’t know how the Easter holiday affects tourist visits to churches. I imagine it’s still possible. You won’t see much overall difference in terms of crowds.

Once, on a cruise, my wife and I were asked by an American couple that we'd met when was the best time to visit England. Without hesitation and almost in sync, we both said "June". Yes, you can get very hot weather but warm is more likely. You also get much more hours of daylight.

"Holy Week" is not a mass thing in England, Easter Sunday might have a rise in the usually low numbers of people who actually attend a church service, and there will be some extra church services on the Friday. But for most people it mainly means annoying enforced trading hour restrictions which they always forget about! Sunday rules apply on the Friday (reduced retail and no banks) and almost all retail is forced to closed on the Sunday. But your window means you will be gone by Sunday. The 2 week school break always includes the 4 day weekend but because March weather is so unreliable they avoid early dates, so in 2027 most schools are still open on the 26th and almost all the break is after you will be back home. Saturday 27th is basically normal, especially transport back to the airport. The airport might be busier than the preceding Saturday but the surge will be for short haul to warm destinations, or hopefuls going for one last ski session in the alps

Westminster Abbey and St. Paul’s Cathedral may have visitor restrictions in the week if they are preparing something for the Friday but you can check that on their websites.

Eurostar for a day in Paris is very viable and they are already selling tickets! Looking at Tuesday 23th March, you can leave London at 06:01 and arrive Paris 09:29 for £49 and evening return trains (hourly) are also £49 with the last at 21:02 arriving London at 22:30. These prices will go up at some point and are "all in". Paris is in the central european timezone, one hour ahead of London, the joruney time is 2 hours 28 minutes.

Your June window will be theoretically warmer and definately lighter but more foreign visitors in London means higher room and flight prices. Eurostar will book up faster (the £49 tickets are still available) and Paris will be warmer than March.

Westminster Abbey and St. Paul’s Cathedral may have visitor restrictions in the week if they are preparing something for the Friday but you can check that on their websites.

They WILL be closed on Good Friday, a very solemn day in the life of the Church. They are also very likely to close early on Maundy Thursday, for the hugely important service that evening.

On 21 March (Palm Sunday) even in Central London you can find donkeys in Church for that days procession- Great St Barts being the obvious such choice, if interested.

Although you will be gone by then many Churches, including Westminster Abbey and St Paul's also have the great Vigil service on Saturday evening, 27 March. Certainly if you visit on 27 March you will see them being decorated for Easter Day.

Although they will be open during the week you will see a very visible internal transition, as Holy Week gathers pace, and special services or events will be added throughout the week.

Holy Week is a thing for us Anglicans, but not in the way it is in some Catholic countries. There will be some restrictions on touring churches, but not significant apart from Good Friday and the afternoon of Maundy Thursday. But I agree it don't really affect crowds.

We are almost always in London in June over Trooping the Colour, and stay five minutes walk from Horseguards in St James's - never had any issues wirh crowds. I would definitely come June, and have never had a problem with heat - if anything I find it can be fairly cool.