London in October: A Guide to Visiting Your Favourite European City

The capital city of the United Kingdom is a must-visit place in the spooky season, London in October. Like the rest of the year, the city tends to be a little cold with a bit overcast. When people think of traveling to London, October is not the first month that comes to mind. But, it is a year-round destination. With people looking forward to Halloween and are in the thick of Autumn, the spirits of the Londoners are high. It is a beautiful look to the eye, with the leaves in different shades of orange and the houses decorated for Halloween. Though this is not the summer there are still plenty of attractions to visit and make memories of. A good thing about traveling in the off-season is that you might get to snag hotels at lower costs and find better fares for the plane.

Weather in London in October

The average temperature in London in October tops out at around 16 degrees and in the afternoon and falls to about 10 degrees in the night. At the begging of the month, it might even go as high as 18 degrees but if you are planning on visiting towards the end of the month, it probably won’t go any higher than 13 degrees. It would rain roughly for about 10 days in October, you will be experiencing the typical damp fall weather. You will also be able to notice that the sun starts setting in much early around 5:00 pm and the day gets shorter.

What to wear in London in October

You will not have to carry your Long coats and snow boots. However, the temperature fluctuates. So carry outfits that you can easily layer. Carry an Umbrella and raincoat as well, since it might rain any day. An easy way to layer would be to have a light coat, Demin, or leather jacket under your trench coat to keep you warm. But also keep in mind to pack a set of formal clothes if you are planning on going to a nice restaurant or the theatre. London is a city best explored on foot, so carry a well broken-in shoe. Ankle boots are fairly famous for the fall as they keep you warm and protect from the rain and look fashionable at the same time.

Tips for Visting London in October

• The United Kingdom follows daylight savings. As it ends on the 31st of October, they set their clocks back 1 hour from the 1st of November.
• Book your hotels as soon as your travel dates are confirmed, so you can snag any off-season rates before they get filled up.
• In October, Theatre season is in full swing. since London’s West End is world-famous, it is on the locals and tourists must-do list, so book the tickets as early as possible
• Remember to make reservations for nice restaurants which have high demand from the locals and also for the ones in the theatre district.
• Be prepared to do some indoor activities like visiting the museum or historical sites on the days it rains
• Try to book as much as possible in advance, it means better prices, more choices and fewer queues.

Also Read : Best Hotels in London

Top 5 Things to do in London in October

1. Buckingham Palace
2. Ride the London eye
3. River Thames
4. Halloween
5. West-end Theatre

1.Buckingham Palace

The Palace is infamous and is the official residence of the queen, during the summer months the queen does not live there and it welcomes the public to visit the palace. No matter where you are in the city this is an attraction that you shouldn’t miss. You will be able to walk through 19 magnificent State Rooms and the palace’s gardens. The Palace is open for visiting from 9:30 am to 5:15 pm in October. It would roughly take you about 2-3hrs for the entire activity. if you have the chance to visit, do it without thinking, trust me you’ll not regret it

2.Ride the London eye

London eye is the Fourth largest Ferris wheel in the world and it travels at a speed of 0.6 miles per hour. from the top of the wheel, you get a 360-degree view of the city. on a clear day, you will be able to see as far as the Windsor castle. The best time to ride the London eye is in the evening, to experience nightfall. You’ll be able to see the city with all the light lit up. The ride takes about 30-45mins, it is a very famous spot for proposals there have been thousands of proposals on the eye so far.

Also Read: 10 Things to Do in London in Winter

3.River Thames

The ever-so-famous river Thames is known for being the longest in England. There are several activities to do and experience along the river apart from just admiring the beauty of it. There is a very famous cruise on the River Thames which lets you experience the city from the comfort of a seat if that sounds a bit too calm for you don’t worry there is a perfect activity for the thrill-seekers as well, a High-speed speedboat ride. Not just that, there are several cultural landmarks along the river like theatre, art, music, and film. There some amazing restaurants overlooking a beautiful view of the river, which are unbelievably romantic at sunset.

4. Halloween

As we all know October 31st is a spooky day, getting to experience the spookier side of London is a whole other level. there are several activities just focused around that day, from pumpkin carving to visiting the houses that go all out with the Halloween decorations to Halloween parties and scary tours of London. there are few places which have an open-air cinema with spooky films leading up to the day. You can also experience a Halloween candle-lit concert with spooky music which would be a one-of-a-kind experience.

5.West-End Theatre

Westend is a specific area of London that is known for hosting the mainstream west-end professional theatre. I am sure you have heard about the Broadway shows in New York, West-End is the next highest level of commercial theatre. Whether you are young or just simply young at heart, nothing is quite like escaping reality for an evening and enjoying a well-performed play. There are several iconic plays such as Mamma mia, Hairspray, the lion king, etc.

Also Read: 15 Best Monuments in London

London in October is an experience like no other if this is something that has been on your bucket list of places to visit for a while. this is your sign to finally make that move. If you are feeling overwhelmed or would like to optimize your trip get your money worth but don’t have the time to invest in planning it, Reach out to us at Pickyourtrail and we will help you plan the vacation of your dreams, in the meantime if you wanna explore and have a go at planning you can check out our London tour packages from India.