London · Month comparison
November vs May
May ranks #1 overall vs November at #10. Chelsea Flower Show, warm parks, 18°C — London at its most seductive before summer prices arrive.
November
#10 of 12 months
Strong option
The quiet before Christmas — good theatre prices, empty galleries, and only 2 hours of daylight.
- ↑West End theatre at some of the year's best prices before December pantomime season — last-minute tickets viable
- ↑The National Gallery, Tate Modern, and Victoria & Albert Museum nearly empty mid-week in November
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
| Factor | November | May |
|---|---|---|
| Weather score | 3 | 8 |
| Value score | 8 | 6 |
| Crowd score | 8 | 6 |
| Events score | 5 | 8 |
| Atmosphere | 6 | 8 |
| Avg high temp | 11°C | 18°C |
| Monthly rain | 62mm | 49mm |
| Daily sunshine | 2.1hrs | 6.4hrs |
November trade-offs
- ↓Only 2.1 hours of sunshine daily — the city is oppressively grey; this is London's most challenging atmospheric month
- ↓Cold (6°C overnight) and consistently wet; 62mm rainfall spread across most of the month
- ↓Little outdoor appeal — the parks are dull, the Thames walks uninviting; this is very much an indoor-London month
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
Scores compare months within London. Climate data: Open Meteo ERA5 30-year normals (1991–2020). Methodology →