London in November ?
 

Hi all

Am thinking of going to London on my own in mid November. How's the weather ? Will it be extremely cold ? Its my first time there so intend to visit all the touristy sites. Any advice ?

What's an "extremely cold" temperature to you?
Of course London is not "extremely cold" at any time of year but that's relative. If you're not used to the damp and to temperatures below 10C then you'll find it chilly.
Wear layers, be prepared for damp and enjoy yourself!

It is cold and damp and windy, and beautiful. Try and get there on the 5th when they celebrate Guy Fawkes day. A great holiday to experience in Britain. The last time I was there it poured, the wind howled and my feet were soaking by the end of the night, and it was just a blast with the fireworks and the pub crawls.

London is agreat city - ANY TIME OF THE YEAR. Enjoy!

Several years ago we were in England in November. I had packed raingear, warm coats, etc. There was a heat wave while we were there and people were actually out in shorts while we trudged around with our boots and sweaters.

Temperatures may well be around 55f to 60f during the day but be wary of the 'wind chill factor' that can make it a little unpleasant on blustery days in November. As for the idea of 'extremely cold', that would be considered freak weather conditions for London by the newspapers and local TV stations in that particular month.

In Nov I've had low 60'sF, and high 30'sF and everything in between. But never what I'd call "extremely" cold. The right clothing makes any temps OK - just pack/wear layers and you will be fine.

My husband and I have been twice in November.. loved it. We are from Phoenix and the cool weather was incrediable and enjoyable. We just bundled up, took an umbrella just in case and had a wonderful time. It was chilley but no extremely cold and luckily for us little rain.

If you celebrate Christmas, don't miss the Christmas shop at Harrod's. They have a remarkalble collection of ornaments some of which actually make affordable souvenirs.

We went in Dec. with kids and it was fine. Thermal underwear and warm, water repellent shoes help. We even took night walking tours!

There's also the Lord Mayor's Show in November - and the rememberence ceremonies around the 11th.

Thank you all for your replies. Have to reconsider as I hate damp and windy weather. I'm from Singapore and can't tolerate temperatures below 10 degrees c. Think I might have to change another holiday destination.

OK, but don't forget that you are probably not going to be outdoors all that much and we do have heated buildings!

www.weather.com allows you to see historical averages for any day of any month. In the mid to latter part of November you'll have highs in the upper 50's and lows in the 30's, sunrise at 7:30 and sunset at 4:00 or so.

Hi,
I'm popping down to London on the weekend of November 17th, from Wales. I'm taking a video camera to do a bit of filming and show friends what we'll be upto on a Stag weekend I've planned. I'm going to burn it off to DVD, so I can send you a copy if you'd like.

We just got back from London yesterday, October 25. It's been unseasonably warm. We had a great time, and have already thought about going back this coming winter. So definitely go! It's a great city for walking, but it's also very easy to hop on a bus and go different places if it's chilly. Most of the things you'll want to see are indoor things, I suspect: museums, historic houses, etc.

Having ever really visited/lived in London during the fall months, I can tell you that it is not extremely cold. As I am from Chicago, the November weather seems downright balmy. If you plan to come back before December, you should be fine, temperature wise.

just got back from Lonfon - i had lunch outside today - people were walking around in shorts and T-shirts. NOt normal for October but I can't see temperatures going sub zero in the next couple of days

great information, everybody!

i'm also going to london for a few days in november, including veteran's day (the 11th.) is there any parade or ceremony to see?

hi, at the moment uk is warm for this time of the year so if your coiming soon you might be in luck. The unfortunate thing is some attractions may be closed for winter like pleasure beach blackpool, alton towers and those kinda attraction. Have you given any thought to accommodation? I got a website here that might help you. Goodluck and enjoy your stay. http://www.uktravelaccommodation.com/

It's not called "Veterans'Day", but at 11am on Nov. 11th (the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month) most people will observe a two minutes silence, so if you notice people suddenly standing in silence, that is the reason.
On Sunday 12th, there will be the Remembrance Day ceremony at the Cenotaph.

If you scroll down http://tinyurl.com/ya6g87
you can see details.
You will notice that the vast majority of people will be wearing red poppies.
If you want to join them, most shops will be selling them and you will see people selling them on the streets

BTW trhe poppies are to remember all those who died in recent wars ie WWI to Iraq/Afghanistan.

In a previous role I have helped spend the money raised by poppy day, and I can confirm that it goes to very worthy recipients indeed.

P.s Brass monkey weather on it's way tonight. Wrap up warm.

These replies are great! I'm also going to London on my own November 20-25. The temperatures sound great...I'm from the mountains of West Virginia, so anything higher than 10 F is fabulous!

One of my friends is studying there this semester, so she'll be able to give me good tourist tips. If anyone has any special sites they like to visit, that would be great to know. I'm going to try to find less touristy places, if I can. Thanks!

I'm from Florida and had a lovely time in November 2003 in London during Rememberance Day weekend. I almost moved to London after such a great time! I hope kb reconsiders...

captkari85, I've been to London several times, so I have to some extent worked my way down my to-do list, although it gets longer rather than shorter.

This last trip, in October, we went to the South Bank (London Bridge tube stop) and saw the Southwark Cathedral and visited and had tea at the Brahmah Tea Museum. Both are located on Borough High Street within five or six blocks of each other.

We also finally went out to Hampstead and walked on the heath and saw the fabulous Kenwood House with its incredibly beautiful library and a surfeit of original paintings. We learned that it was used as a hospital for recuperating World War I soldiers and that part of the movie Notting Hill was filmed there.

The Sherlock Holmes Museum is small and fun if you are familiar with the stories, and one of my very favorite sites is the British Library.

Have fun in my favorite city.

captkari85, you might be interested in the suggestions in this thread about return visits to London:
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34868001
There are many off the beaten track ideas.