London in November 2026

The Met Office's 1991–2020 climate averages for its Heathrow station, west of the center, give November an average daily high of 11.5°C (about 53°F) and an average low of 5.3°C (about 41°F). Its Hampstead station in north London is slightly cooler and wetter, with a high of 10.6°C (51°F) and a low of 5.0°C (41°F).

• Rain: 67mm (about 2.6 inches) at Heathrow and 76mm (about 3 inches) at Hampstead, falling on 11 to 12 days with at least 1mm. Showers and drizzle are more common than all-day downpours.
• Frost: only two or three nights of air frost in an average November.
• Sunshine: about 70 hours for the whole month, a little over two hours a day. Bright, crisp mornings do happen, but gray is normal.

These are long-term averages, not a forecast, so check the Met Office forecast in the week before you travel.

What to pack for London in November

• A warm, water-resistant jacket with a hood. It's windy by the river and on bridges, where umbrellas struggle.
• Waterproof walking shoes. Paved streets stay wet, and a walking tour means two or three hours on your feet.
• Layers: a sweater or fleece you can take off in heated museums, shops and the Tube.
• A hat, scarf and gloves for evenings outdoors. Standing still at a fireworks display or a lights switch-on gets cold fast.

Our guide to what to wear in London has a full packing list.

These are the dates the organizers have published for November 2026. Most of the big ones cluster around the first two weekends.

Bonfire Night fireworks, November 7–8

Bonfire Night itself falls on Thursday, November 5, but London's big ticketed displays run on the weekend after it. All three below sell tickets in advance; book early because tickets aren't refundable.

• Battersea Park: Saturday, November 7 (gates 6pm, fireworks about 8:30pm) and a family-friendly show on Sunday, November 8 (gates 4:30pm, fireworks about 7pm). Advance tickets only, with adult prices published from £10.60 to £18.10 depending on the release. Under-5s go free but still need a ticket. batterseaparkfireworks.com
• Alexandra Palace Fireworks & Drone Festival: Saturday, November 7 and Sunday, November 8, gates at 4pm, tickets from £11.50. alexandrapalace.com
• Blackheath: Saturday, November 7, gates 5pm and fireworks at 8pm. It's now a ticketed event, not the free display it once was; prices are on the official site.

Remembrance Sunday, November 8

The National Service of Remembrance takes place at the Cenotaph on Whitehall at 11am. No tickets are needed: GOV.UK says you can watch from the pavements along Whitehall and Parliament Street, which open to the public at 8am, though entry may be limited once the area is full. The service ends at about 11:25am, followed by the veterans' march past. Large bags aren't allowed, and photography isn't permitted during the two-minute silence. Expect road closures around Whitehall and Parliament Square all morning.

Lord Mayor's Show, Saturday, November 14

The new Lord Mayor's procession leaves Mansion House at 11am and travels past St Paul's Cathedral and along Fleet Street to the Royal Courts of Justice, returning from about 1:10pm via Victoria Embankment. It's free to watch from the street, and the event runs until about 2:30pm. City roads close for the day, so allow extra time if you're heading to St Paul's or the Tower. No fireworks have been announced for 2026.

More November dates

• EFG London Jazz Festival: November 13–22, at venues including the Southbank Centre and the Barbican.
• Hyde Park Winter Wonderland: opens Thursday, November 19, and runs to January 3, 2027. Off-peak entry is £1 Monday to Thursday throughout November, the cheapest it gets all season. Our Winter Wonderland guide has tickets and tips.
• Christmas at Kew: the illuminated evening trail opens November 13, from 4:20pm to 10pm, with timed tickets from £25.50. It's closed on November 16, 23 and 28.
• Hogwarts in the Snow at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London opens November 14; tickets must be booked in advance.

London's Christmas lights go up in November, not December. These are the 2026 switch-on dates confirmed by each street:

• Carnaby Street: Wednesday, November 4.
• Regent Street: Thursday, November 5, when the street goes traffic-free from 5pm to 9pm for the switch-on.
• Covent Garden: Thursday, November 12, with the tree on the West Piazza.
• Oxford Street: Harry Potter-themed lights have been announced for 2026, but the switch-on date hasn't been published yet. Check oxfordstreet.co.uk.

Once they're on, the lights stay up every evening through the holidays, so you don't need to be there on switch-on night. Our Christmas lights tours guide compares walking tours, bus tours and the best route to see them on your own.

The markets open in November too. The Leicester Square Christmas market opens on October 31, the Southbank Centre Winter Market on the Queen's Walk on Monday, November 2, and Skate at Somerset House on November 11. Our London Christmas markets guide covers each one, and the Christmas in London guide picks up in December.

Two lights tours were already showing November dates when we checked. Silent Disco Walking Tours™'s 1 hour 45 minutes walk runs from Oxford Street to Covent Garden with Christmas music in silent-disco headsets and is rated 4.86 from 118 reviews. Golden Tours Gray Line London's bus tour, rated 4.53 from 2,049 reviews, keeps you dry with a live guide on board; the operator notes its dates may change while the lights schedule is confirmed, so book once your dates are fixed.

With rain on about a third of days, plan one indoor anchor for each day and fit your walking around it.

• Free museums. The National Gallery is open daily from 10am to 6pm, until 9pm on Fridays, and the Natural History Museum is open daily from 10am to 5:50pm; both are free. The Natural History Museum recommends booking a free ticket for busy days such as weekends.
• The Churchill War Rooms. The underground wartime bunker is one of the best wet-day visits in the city; see our Churchill War Rooms tickets guide. If you visit around Remembrance weekend, Whitehall's memorials make the walk there especially moving.
• Afternoon tea. Few things beat a pot of tea and a scone at 3pm on a damp afternoon. Our afternoon tea guide compares the hotel classics, themed teas and bus tours. If you'd rather keep sightseeing, City Cruises's afternoon tea cruise serves sandwiches, scones and cakes on an enclosed boat from Tower Pier, from $54.
• The West End. Evenings are long, which makes November a good month for a show. Our West End show tickets guide explains how to book.

Daylight is short, so morning tours make the most of it. Walks - UK's London in a Day pairs the Tower of London and Crown Jewels with Westminster and a Thames cruise, led by a Blue Badge guide in groups of up to 20. Westminster Abbey entry is included only on the 8:45am and 9am departures; the 10am tour sees it from outside. It's rated 4.80 from 1,059 reviews.

For a shorter morning, London Strides's 3 hours 30 minutes tour includes Westminster Abbey tickets and a guided visit inside, then Big Ben and Buckingham Palace from outside. Westminster Abbey is open for worship only on Sundays, so book a Monday-to-Saturday date for either tour, and avoid Sunday, November 8, when Whitehall closes for Remembrance.

The river is at its moodiest in November. Thames River Sightseeing's cruise from Westminster to Greenwich takes 1 hour one way, with live commentary and toilets on board, from $23. Compare it with other boats in our Thames cruises guide.

If you want photos of your trip, Sky Blue Photography | Sky Blue Creatives runs private photoshoots at Big Ben, the London Eye and Tower Bridge, and from mid-November a seasonal Christmas Lights option around Regent Street, New Bond Street and Covent Garden. It's rated 4.92 from 77 reviews; check the price for your group size on Viator.

Short days favor trips about an hour from London. Leave after the morning rush and aim to be back by dark.

• Hampton Court Palace: Henry VIII's palace is an easy half day by train from Waterloo, and its ice rink opens on November 20. See our Hampton Court Palace guide.
• Windsor: under an hour from Paddington (change at Slough) or direct from Waterloo. The castle is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
• Oxford: from 52 minutes from Paddington, with colleges and museums to duck into between showers.
• Harry Potter studio: Hogwarts in the Snow starts November 14. Compare transport options in our Harry Potter studio tour guide.
• Stonehenge: English Heritage's winter hours are 9:30am to 5pm with last entry at 3pm, so choose a tour that gets there before mid-afternoon.

Our day trips by train guide compares routes and fares. Staying on into the new year? See London in January.