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London in December

We're heading to London on a RS tour mid December. I don't mind cold and rainy (obviously), but is traveling over at that time a bad idea?? Is the weather that bad?? We'll be there the two weeks right before Christmas.

Posted by
3200 posts

I love London in December, with the Christmas fairs and decorations. I find the weather much more comfortable than New England. I wear a leather jacket without lining and a boiled wool sweater underneath. I Include a hat and gloves for the days when we are out all day, if it is cold. However, I couldn't attempt to tell you whether or not you will feel cold. I'm used to Boston winters and you, well, you are used to the sun! Nonetheless, you will love London in the winter.
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Posted by
780 posts

I was there around that time last year. It got to about 40 at the lowest, 60 at the highest and about an average of 50 during the day.
50 may be cold for alot of people but having lived in Boulder, Colorado for 13 years, 50 is nothing to me anymore! I tend to like it on the cooler side though.

I didnt see any rain for the whole week I was there. December tends to be dry.

Posted by
3428 posts

Dec. is a wonderful time to go to London! We did it every year for more than 20 years. The Christmas markets are great and you can do day trips to lots of places- fewer tourists on the trains! The weather is very similar to what we get here in Charlotte, NC- usually a little cool to mildly chilly. Some light rain occassionally (I think we had it on 3 or 4 trips out of 20+) and rarely snow (two trips- just enough to be pretty). Take clothes you can layer, a good hat or hooded scarf, gloves and an umbrella or coat with a hood. Let me know if you have more questions.

Posted by
1829 posts

The coldest months are usually January and February but we can get cold snaps before then, so who knows! If you find you need them, you can buy fleece gloves, scarves, socks and hats quite cheaply in London.

One of the downsides of visiting in December are the short days. If there is cloud cover it can be quite dark by 4pm but IMO the city lights add to the atmosphere. This site shows the monthly averages.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/city_guides/results.shtml?tt=TT003790

Posted by
93 posts

THANKS EVERYONE!!! I appreciate the feedback. We prefer to travel during cooler months and are willing to take the risk for weather. We did the RS Venice/Florence/Rome tour in November although friends warned us of rain. Only sprinkled one day out of 11 days !!! Another Question:...Is it hard to travel to PARIS for one day? We want to go to the Louvre (SP?!)

Posted by
3580 posts

I'm traveling to London in September. I went to the Eurostar website and bought a round-trip ticket for a daytrip to Paris. By leaving early and returning late, I'll have 9 hours in Paris. The train stations in London and Paris are in locations for easy transit to the city center. I've been to both cities many times, but this will be my first daytrip to Paris. I think in 9 hours (probably closer to 8 net time) I can see a fair amount of Paris. Have a leisurely lunch, walk around, visit a site or two. Have dinner. I'll be using Metro tickets from a carnet rather than buying a pass. From Gare du Nord, where the ES terminates from London, there is a choice of Metro lines. Montmartre is nearby, the Marais can be reached in about 15 min, and rue Cler is probably 30 min away. If you plan a daytrip, read up and have a plan for your day. You may want to spend the whole time at the Louvre.

Posted by
3428 posts

There are tour companies that do day trips to Paris on the Eurostar. We tried it once. Like you we wanted to see the Louve. Wouldn't you know it- the museum staff went on strike at noon!