very hot weather in London--how to deal?

Virtually all of the large chain hotels have A/C, the likes of Marriott, Premier Inn, Hilton, Novotel etc all provide A/C, the smaller, independent hotels and B&B's are less likely. There's certainly no shortage of hotels with A/C so it's not really going to be a problem finding one.

Go to a pub.

Not trying to be facetious but it’t why I travel in November. Cooler temps.

However this year I’m going in July. Not expecting a heat wave but if there is one I’ll deal with it.

There are plenty of lovely and shaded park benches to be found.

I stay in hotels with A/C. It's not just big chain hotels. Many smaller hotels have a/c as well.

The worse I found it to be was in non-air conditioned tube trains. Some lines have it. Some don't.

I open a window! I stay outdoors in the shade during the day and avoid public transport and indoor venues. Heatwaves rarely last more than a few days.

I was in Scotland a few years ago wearing long trousers and a fleece when temperatures in London hit an all time record. I had a similar experience in south Wales. You don’t have to go far to get away from the worst of the heat.

Many hotels have air conditioning these days.

I hear what you saying. When we did the Switzerland RS tour a few years ago in July and the heat was brutal down in the towns, of course up on the mountains it was in much nicer. It seems with Global Warming that you have to watch the temperatures closely before you leave on your tour in order to pack the right clothes. We're going to Scandinavia (where air conditioning is rare) in July and traditionally it is only in the upper 70's in the summer but I would not be surprised to see that it is higher this year.

I’m British and a few years ago I would have laughed at Americans for asking for hotels with aircon, even in July. Just open the windows, I’d think: us Brits are a nation of open window sleepers.

But the last few summers have been brutal. In July 2019 I was in London for work, on a tiny expense budget, in a room on the top floor of a cheap hotel in Bloomsbury. To add to problems, there was a heated mirror in the bathroom which turned on automatically whenever I switched the light on. I threw open the windows but that did nothing. Plus the pub across the road was super-noisy because everyone was standing outside. I got a fan and as much ice as I could get from the bar, plus two packs of frozen peas from a nearby shop and basically blew the fan across the ice and placed the bags of peas strategically on my body.

What I’m really saying is, get yourself a brand spanking new modern characterless chain hotel with really good aircon if you’re going to be in London in July. On no account look for “character” because there’s unlikely to be air conditioning.

We were in London for a week at the end of July 2018 and experienced the highest temperatures on record since 2006. Did not expect this. Our hotel did not have air conditioning and it was quite uncomfortable. I bought a pair of ‘souvenir’ shorts! Moral of the story - get a modern hotel with good air conditioning!!

I try to dress in lightweight linen (which isn't good for travel due
to the wrinkle factor, LOL).

I get these shirts from kohl’s. They are super thin, do not wrinkle when tightly rolled, and weigh only 3 ounces. So, great for travel. I just ordered a few more for my upcoming Switzerland trip because it looks like it’s warming up quickly there.

https://www.kohls.com/product/prd-3090912/womens-tek-gear-short-sleeve-tee.jsp?color=Navy%20Burnout&prdPV=3

Just a note, the shirts are very thin so slightly see-thru. I find the blue and black to be less see-thru.

Wow--was not expecting so many replies so quickly!
For the past several years, I have stayed in a small, family owned B&B with self-catering flats. No AC there. Back in 2016 when I was looking for a hotel room, I wasn't ever able to find one with a small refrigerator in it, which is a must for me. I was told that although in the US this is pretty normal/average, UK hotel rooms generally don't feature fridges. I'm also on a budget and was looking for a hotel room under $150 a night--which also proved challenging!

I wish I could travel during the fall (my favorite season) but my work schedule prevents it.

Thank you also for the clothing tip!

Guess I have some Googling to do now...Many thanks!

Some Premier Inns have new "Premier Plus" rooms that include a mini fridge, coffee maker, and other amenities.

I would suggest Resident Hotels as they all have mini-kitchenettes but they are going to cost more than $150/night.

@melvynsmith3--I am very grateful that I have the disposable income that allows me to travel. I am grateful that I live in a first world country. For most of my life I did not have a single air conditioner in my home and my car did not have AC either.
However, life is short, I am nearing my sixth decade, and I think after wondering if I was going to catch a life-threatening illness for the past couple of years, I have the right to choose where and when I want to take a vacation. I certainly am not without sympathy for those in less fortunate circumstances.

I have rarely encountered your type of attitude on the RS forum. If I wanted that sort of thing, I'd go to Trip Advisor.
Why bother replying if my post annoys you so much?

I no longer travel, in Europe, May thru September - I handle swelter much better at home than away.

@Frank II--Thank you so much!

I absolutely will not consider a hotel, anywhere, without a/c. I was in London in the last week of April and the weather was perfect, for me--never higher than 62 or lower than 52, magically I missed the one rainstorm and otherwise had sunny days. I have also visited in late September and that's been pleasant as well, though most days temps were closer to 70-75. I generally don't get to travel in high summer, but if I encounter warmer weather I have sleeveless tops and wear my hair up and just get through it.

Hi Sandra -

If you wanted to be terribly British about it, you could tut incessantly about the weather, but most importantly reply “mustn’t grumble” when questioned about how you are coping while inwardly seething and trying not to melt at the same time.

Consolations - even if the whole country is experiencing a heat wave, it’s usually a couple of degrees cooler out of the centre of London and if you can get to the coast sea breezes make it feel a tad cooler than it is. Biggest consolation of all is that those sort of temperatures, climate change notwithstanding, rarely last for long.

Julie carries a paper fan with her and is quite happy to look like she has escaped from ‘Dangerous Liaisons’ and frequently presses her umbrella into service as a parasol. She hiked the Nakasendo Trail in Japan with one of those beautiful Japanese waxed paper and bamboo umbrellas as a parasol. Cost a packet, but did the job!

Ian

There's more chance that you will asking for an extra blanket than needing air conditioning

Bring the linen and don’t worry about the wrinkles. Lots of wrinkly linen on the streets in Italy. Just have it in the bathroom when you take a shower. I passed on a pair of linen pants this trip for another pair of jeans and have regretted it. Linen breathes and my jeans are sucking up 80’ like they’re trying to burn my legs. I also brought a top that I now know doesn’t breathe. It won’t be returning to Europe.

I guess the reply that upset the OP was removed?
Sorry about some people's attitudes.

The good thing about heatwaves in the UK is that they usually are short, so I'm sure you'll be just fine.
As someone else said, there are many lovely parks and public gardens to cool down in...while having a lovely snooze and a picnic!
I hope you find the perfect hotel for your trip.
Take a tiny spray bottle to spritz yourself with if you feel hot .

How do I deal with the summer heat in London.....
I take 100% cotton capri pants in case I need them, and sleeveless 100% cotton tops.
These can either be cotton fabric or knits.
I wear my tennis shoes with just liner socks.
If you decide to wear sandals, make sure they're not slick on the bottom.
A rubber tread/bottom is better, so you don't slip on the stone stairs of a place such as the Tower of London.

The other way I deal with the heat.....
I get out of London and see some other places in England.
I love London and have been there many times, but I also like to get out and away from the city.
You could take the train north to York for several days.
It may be cooler there.
You could leave London and stay in the Cotswolds for several days.
There are lots of trees there, beautiful natural areas, walking paths, rivers and streams.
One good thing about leaving London and going to smaller towns or the countryside.......hotel prices are (generally speaking) cheaper, with a few exceptions (Bath is not cheap).
You may find a hotel in York that is $79. per night, for example.
The farther north you travel, the cooler it should be.......or not, because the English weather is so unpredictable.
I was staying in Windsor in 2018, first week of May, and it was freezing outside with a cold wind. The TV in the lobby of our hotel was tuned to the weather channel with map, and the presenter was saying, "There's a cold front coming down from Norway sweeping over southern England." I was cold wearing a turtleneck sweater, ski parka with hood, jeans and boots. So you never know.

As Australians who live in Singapore, I'd have said 90F was nothing, but in a tiny non-airconditioned London hotel room it can be a bit much. We're in London at the moment, where it's got as high as 80F and we did find that hot enough to deploy our standard measures of keeping the window open at night and the blinds down during the day. Other than that, drink lots of water and consider walking (and enjoying the breeze) rather than squeezing into a crowded and hot tube train. Stop for plenty of rest breaks in nice cafes.
When we are in London in summer, we make sure we have air-conditioning. It's not just the big chains - there are smaller budget places with air-conditioning as well.
Don't worry about humidity - London is definitely not humid.

"I'm also on a budget and was looking for a hotel room under $150 a night."
Are you still looking for a hotel...or have you found one?

I have sent you a Private Message with a hotel suggestion.

I was in London in July of 2019. I remember it well, the heat was brutal! I had to take a cold shower every night and then go to bed with wet hair just to stay cool. Don't risk it, book a hotel with AC.

Thank you all very much!

I do remember a very cold day in London in May 2016 where I wished I'd brought gloves and long underwear! Plus it was raining like crazy. Mostly, though, my weather experiences have been good ones.

In 1984 on my first trip, I visited around August Bank Holiday. I don't remember it being very hot at all. In fact, when I went to Brighton for the day, I looked at the ocean and thought, Do people actually swim here? It's way too cold!

I love Ian's advice, particularly about Julie's use of a hand fan. I got a very neat one at Wallace Collection a few years ago (Canaletto, lol!) and it is always in my travel bag for stuffy museums and other venues. And yes, I feel myself wanting to act like a Regency-era dowager, lol!!

Hope this works out for you!

PS....the hottest I've ever been was July 1976 in London. OMG. But then AC was very thin on the ground then.

We still talk about the Summer of 1976, Pam. It was legendarily hot. And dry. For a very long time.

I remember Alistair Cooke once commenting on a newspaper headline in London many, many years ago:
“73 again today. No relief in sight”. Times change.

Golden Girl - I think I’m right in recalling that in ‘76 the drought ended suddenly when the Government - in September*, so a reasonably safe bet! - appointed a Special Minister For Drought and it immediately threw it down for several days!

*Horse bolted, stable door shutting exercise.

The Minister concerned was Denis Howell. It rained so heavily from the August Bank Holiday that he was then appointed 'Minister of Floods'. A couple of years later he became 'Minister of Snow' in the cold winter of 1978-9. His day job through all of this was Minister of Sport, which in those days came under the Department of Environment.

Some of the most unpleasant buildings in hot weather are modern ones without A/C as the insulation is good.

"Some of the most unpleasant buildings in hot weather are modern ones without A/C as the insulation is good. "

And the windows don't open. They are made to never be opened.
You are better off to be in an older building (hotel, B&B or pub rooms) with windows that open for air flow.

However, there can be traffic noise.
Or pigeons that are attracted to your windowsill and the snacks you may have on a table by the window.
The better windows open onto a garden in back, with leafy trees. However, there's no guarantee that squirrels won't come in.

Makes the large chain hotels that have A/C (Marriott, Premier Inn, Hilton, etc.) sound like heavenly bliss.
There are some small hotels in London that have A/C, too, but I think the ones that do are fairly expensive.
Premier Inn has its Hub hotels that are cheap but nice with air conditioning.
I don't think they will have the in-room fridge you want, though.

I remember the hot summer of '76 in the UK.
I was a student in Edinburgh, and we spent most days lying out on the grass in various parks.

GoldenGirl, IanandJulie and Marco...always interesting to know historical tidbits! I lived in FL then so was better able to handle the heat but yikes. The other end of the scale was the time I landed at Gatwick on 19 Dec 1981 in an extreme severe winter storm.

Sandra, I don't know if you'll be traveling with a smartphone and an international phone plan but if you do, consider downloading the CityMapper app for navigation. I'm strictly a paper map girl but I may have been converted this last trip. I used it very successfully in Paris and Amsterdam and it's available in London. If the Brits on the board have a different suggestion for mapping features, definitely go with their opinions over mine!

I too remember the summer of 1976. We were staying in a caravan (RV) in Devon. I was 10 years old. It was a legendary summer.

You might try https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/lonbd-residence-inn-london-tower-bridge/overview/. It has AC and a kitchenette with a refrigerator/mini-fridge. Their rates vary in July. We haven't stayed there but have it booked in June.

Take the linen as this hotel also has an iron and ironing board.

I haven't stayed at the Residence Inn near Tower Bridge but I have stayed at the one in Kensington.

My suggestion is don't stay there. Lots of problems including no air conditiong in most of the rooms and in all public areas during the heat wave of July 2018. The hotel was converted from an apartment building and the manager admitted the new A/C unit was not up to par.

I've stayed at the Residence Inn Tower Bridge and can confirm that there were issues with the A/C, it was appalling and we were repeatedly fobbed off that it was going to be repaired but it never was. I would not recommend staying there.

Thank you, JC. Now I'm wondering if I should cancel my reservation at the Residence Inn, but I haven't seen any suggestions to SandraL yet about hotels in London with good ac. I'm not sure that she gave a dollar limit. . I don't want to hijack her thread but would also be interested in suggestions. I am willing to go @ $250 per night.

I haven't had a problem with the air conditioning in Premier Inns, but--though I generally travel between May and September--I don't remember in which specific cities I've needed a/c.

I'd recommend reading a bunch of reviews of any hotel you're considering on booking.com. If there's a chronic problem with air conditioning in a city where it is sometimes needed, it should be evident from the reviews.

Look at Resident Hotels.

While they don't have full kitchens, they do have kitchenettes.

I have stayed at the Resident Kensington somewhere between 250 and 300 nights, including during heatwaves, and the a/c worked fine. In fact they upgraded the a/c last year.

@Pam--I do have CityMapper on my phone. It's a great app--thank you!