London
Royal parks and free museums, theatres and tailors, the Thames running through it all, and four airfields around the city that take private jets.
- Arrival
- London Heathrow · LHR
- To the city
- About 15 minutes to Paddington on the Heathrow Express
- Private jets
- Farnborough, Biggin Hill, Luton, London City
- Best time
- June to September
The city
Villages that became a capital.
London is a city of quarters, each with its own manner: Mayfair and St James's for tailors and old clubs, Knightsbridge and Chelsea for shopping, the South Bank for galleries and theatres along the river. The royal parks run green between them, from St James's Park to Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens.
Summer is the season for the parks, garden squares and long light evenings, with the warmest days from June to September. The rest of the year belongs to the museums, the theatres and the dining rooms, six of them holding three MICHELIN stars.
Arriving
Heathrow, or a quieter field.
Long-haul flights land at Heathrow, west of the city. Private jets have a choice of airfields, each closer to a different side of London.
- Dublin 1 h 00
- Frankfurt 1 h 10
- Athens 3 h 25
- Abu Dhabi 7 h 25 long-range jet
- Bangkok 12 h 35 long-range jet
When to go
June to September.
Mild and changeable, with rain spread evenly through the year and no month above about 60 mm. June to September is the season: highs of 19 to 22 °C and the longest days. Winter is cool and grey, and the city carries on indoors.
- 7° J 55
- 7° F 37
- 10° M 49
- 13° A 47
- 17° M 51
- 20° J 52
- 22° J 49
- 22° A 56
- 19° S 55
- 15° O 58
- 10° N 59
- 8° D 59
What to see and do
Days in and around London.
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Landmark
Westminster
The Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey, side by side by the river.
-
Landmark
The British Museum
Two million years of history in Bloomsbury, and free to enter.
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Landmark
Hyde Park
The Serpentine, Rotten Row and Kensington Gardens, a walk from Mayfair and Knightsbridge.
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Opera & music
Royal Opera House
Home of The Royal Opera and The Royal Ballet in Covent Garden, with Carmen and Manon on the main stage this autumn and backstage tours most days.
Official site -
Opera & music
Wigmore Hall
Chamber music and song fill this 552 seat Marylebone hall, which turned 125 in 2026 and programmes more than 600 concerts a season.
Official site -
Opera & music
Ronnie Scott's
On Frith Street in Soho since 1959, the jazz club puts on two shows a night plus a late set upstairs.
Official site -
Culture
The National Gallery
European painting on Trafalgar Square, free to enter and open daily, with Friday evenings until 9pm.
Official site -
Culture
Victoria and Albert Museum
South Kensington's museum of art and design holds more than 1.25 million objects, and Schiaparelli and Freddie Mercury exhibitions run this autumn.
Official site -
Nature
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
About 320 acres of UNESCO listed gardens by the Thames, where the Palm House holds a rainforest under glass.
Official site -
Culture
Hampton Court Palace
Henry VIII's palace upriver, with its Tudor kitchens, baroque rooms built for William III and Mary II, 60 acres of gardens and a maze.
Official site -
Racing & sport
Ascot Racecourse
Berkshire's royal racecourse holds meetings throughout the year, from winter jump racing to Royal Ascot in June.
Official site
On the calendar
Dates to plan around.
Dates as published by the organisers. Runways, hotels and slots fill early around these weeks: the sooner we know, the more choice you have.
-
16–19 Mar 2027
Horse racing
Cheltenham Festival
Four days of National Hunt racing in the Cotswolds, ending with the Cheltenham Gold Cup on the Friday.
Cheltenham Racecourse, Cheltenham, about 141 km away
In 5 months
-
June 2027 Dates to be confirmed
Polo
Cartier Queen's Cup
A high goal polo tournament at Guards Polo Club in Windsor Great Park, with Cartier as title sponsor.
Guards Polo Club, Smith's Lawn, Windsor, about 34 km away
In 7 months
-
15–19 Jun 2027
Horse racing
Royal Ascot
A five day flat meeting in Berkshire attended by the royal family, with a Royal Enclosure dress code.
Ascot Racecourse, Ascot, about 39 km away
In 7 months
-
28 Jun – 11 Jul 2027
Tennis
Wimbledon
The Championships, the oldest Grand Slam tennis tournament and the only one played on grass, at the All England Club.
All England Lawn Tennis Club
In 8 months
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2–4 Jul 2027
Formula 1
British Grand Prix
Round 10 of the 24-round 2027 Formula 1 World Championship, held at Silverstone Circuit with a Sprint race.
Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone, about 88 km away
In 8 months
-
15–18 Jul 2027
Motor racing
Goodwood Festival of Speed
Four-day motoring festival in the grounds of Goodwood House in West Sussex, centred on a hill climb for racing and road cars.
Goodwood House, Chichester, about 80 km away
In 8 months
-
17–19 Sep 2027
Motor racing
Goodwood Revival
Three-day historic motor racing festival held each September at Goodwood Motor Circuit in West Sussex.
Goodwood Motor Circuit, Chichester, about 84 km away
In 11 months
Where to stay
From Mayfair and the parks to the river and the City.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
- Claridge's Art Deco rooms on Brook Street in Mayfair, and one of six London hotels with three MICHELIN Keys.
- The Connaught A Mayfair townhouse hotel with Hélène Darroze's three-star dining room inside.
- The Savoy Between the Strand and the Thames, with river views from the rooms on the Embankment side.
- The Peninsula London A newer house at Hyde Park Corner, brought to London by the Hong Kong group.
- Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park An Edwardian facade on the edge of Hyde Park, and Dinner by Heston Blumenthal on the ground floor.
- Raffles London at The OWO The Old War Office on Whitehall, turned into a hotel a short walk from Westminster.
- The Dorchester On Park Lane facing Hyde Park, home to Alain Ducasse's three-star restaurant.
- The Ritz London Louis XVI style on Piccadilly beside Green Park, with a dining room holding two MICHELIN stars.
- The Berkeley A Knightsbridge address a few minutes on foot from Hyde Park and Harrods.
- The Lanesborough A Regency building at Hyde Park Corner, with two MICHELIN Keys.
- Brown's Hotel, a Rocco Forte Hotel Opened in 1837 at 23 Dover Street by James Brown and his wife Sarah Willis, once a maid to Lady Byron.
- Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane A tower on Hamilton Place by Hyde Park Corner, with its spa on the tenth floor.
- Rosewood London The Edwardian home of the Pearl Assurance company on High Holborn, entered through a carriage courtyard.
- The Cadogan, A Belmond Hotel, London Lillie Langtry once lived in part of this Sloane Street building, and Oscar Wilde was arrested in room 118 in 1895.
- Bvlgari Hotel London Off Knightsbridge near Hyde Park, with a 25-metre pool and a private cinema below street level.
- Corinthia London Built in 1885 as the Metropole Hotel near the Embankment; the spa covers some 35,000 square feet.
- The Langham, London Open on Portland Place since 1865, and the home of the Artesian bar and the Palm Court.
- Shangri-La The Shard, London Rooms from the 34th to the 52nd floor of the Shard, above London Bridge station.
- Four Seasons Hotel London at Tower Bridge The 1922 headquarters of the Port of London Authority on Trinity Square, facing the Tower.
- Pan Pacific London Opened in 2021 two minutes from Liverpool Street, with 237 rooms and an 18.5-metre infinity pool.
Where to dine
Three stars, six times over.
From the MICHELIN Guide 2026, shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these restaurants.
- Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester Three Michelin stars French ££££ The Dorchester, Mayfair
- CORE by Clare Smyth Three Michelin stars Modern British ££££ Notting Hill
- Hélène Darroze at The Connaught Three Michelin stars Modern Cuisine ££££ The Connaught, Mayfair
- Restaurant Gordon Ramsay Three Michelin stars French ££££ Chelsea
- Sketch, The Lecture Room and Library Three Michelin stars Modern French ££££ Mayfair
- The Ledbury Three Michelin stars Modern Cuisine ££££ Notting Hill
- Bonheur by Matt Abé Two Michelin stars Modern Cuisine ££££ Mayfair
- The Ritz Restaurant Two Michelin stars Modern British ££££ The Ritz London, St James's
- Dinner by Heston Blumenthal Two Michelin stars Traditional British ££££ Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, Knightsbridge
Elsewhere in United Kingdom
More reasons to come.
- Edinburgh The Royal Mile, the Georgian New Town, and the festival in August.
- Oxford The colleges and the Cotswolds beyond, with a business airport at Kidlington.
- Bath Georgian crescents and the Roman baths.
- Ascot Royal Ascot in June, forty minutes west of London.
- St Andrews The home of golf, on the coast of Fife.
- St Ives Harbour, galleries and the beaches of Cornwall.
Flying to London?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.