London · Month comparison

December vs May

May ranks #1 overall vs December at #12. Chelsea Flower Show, warm parks, 18°C — London at its most seductive before summer prices arrive.

London December — Regent Street illuminated with angel light installations on a winter evening

December

#12 of 12 months

Strong option

Christmas lights on Regent Street, mulled wine in Borough Market — cold but London earns its festive reputation.

  • ↑Oxford Street and Carnaby Street Christmas lights — free, spectacular, and best experienced on a weekday evening
  • ↑Borough Market at its most festive: mulled wine, roast chestnuts, and seasonal produce in a covered market atmosphere
London May — sunlight filtering through tall trees in Hyde Park on a warm spring afternoon

May

#1 of 12 months

Best match

Chelsea Flower Show, warm parks, 18°C — London at its most seductive before summer prices arrive.

  • ↑Chelsea Flower Show (third week of May): world-famous garden event with real local excitement around it
  • ↑Royal Parks in full green: Londoners picnic in Hyde Park, Regent's Park, and Hampstead Heath in earnest
FactorDecemberMay
Weather score
3
8
Value score
6
6
Crowd score
5
6
Events score
7
8
Atmosphere
8
8
Avg high temp8°C18°C
Monthly rain58mm49mm
Daily sunshine1.5hrs6.4hrs

December trade-offs

  • ↓Fewest sunshine hours of the year — only 1.5 hours daily; the city is dark by 3:45pm
  • ↓Christmas week and NYE see hotel rates spike to peak-summer levels or beyond in central areas
  • ↓Post-Christmas London (26–30 December) is a retail and transport oddity — many restaurants closed, tubes disrupted, city in limbo

May trade-offs

  • ↓Prices climbing toward summer — a week at a 3-star central hotel costs noticeably more than March
  • ↓Chelsea Flower Show week sees south-west London traffic disruption and accommodation pressure
  • ↓Half-term (late May bank holiday) briefly crowding family attractions across the city
See all 12 months for London →December in detail →May in detail →
Scores compare months within London. Climate data: Open Meteo ERA5 30-year normals (1991–2020). Methodology →