im thinking of exploring london for a few days before my european tour starts.
Im planning to go in July..and i was wondering whats the weather like in July..i know london is not the hottest place on earth lol..so im wondering what should i expect..lots of rain? jeans? thin jacket or a hoodie?

as well if anyone has done the same..what hotels..hostels did u stay at before ur tour? did you stay at the hotel provided by contiki or u found ur onw?

if you have any ideas of what to see on a very limited time please let me know.

Hi Tatiana,

Check out this thread.

http://connect.contiki.com/eve...96105522/m/779107794

Sym

If you check my post on the 18th Feb i attached a link that shows a break down of the weather for London.

Sym

Tatiana,

I live in the UK although i'm not British. I have also been to all the 7 continents except Australia and the North and South poles and can assure you it's the most unpredictable weather you would ever find!

Generally speaking it tends to be hot in July, maximum 30 degrees celsius mid-day for 2-3 weeks only during the whole summer. Last year weather forecasts predicted the summer to be hot and dry for most of the summer, many people who go on holiday looking for sun cancelled and decided to stay. It was actually quite cold and very wet (around 20 degrees max.).

You wouldn't need a jacket a would say, if it's a COLD SUMMER it's gonna be chilly but not freezing cold, but be prepared for rain and winds! hoodie and jeans is nice and casual and does the job, if it was warm replace the hoodie with a warmer top.

In terms of sightseeing, well London is HUGE. too big! depends on what you like to see. The major tourists attractions can be found on the web and you would expect it to be very crowded and full of people, so try not to waste time on queues etc.

Always use the underground and try to avoid black caps (taxis) which is a much cheaper option in a large capital.

Hotels and accomodation again you have a wide option! no idea about what they offer in contiki but you can always look the name of the hotel up in the internet and check it on the map through:

maps.google.co.uk

the area around piccadilly and westminister (around the Thames river) is nice for tourists, if the hotels provided from contiki are well located then that should be okay as the level and quality of them wouldnt vary alot from the rest. In London to put high expectation on affordable accomodation as the nice places tend to be extremely expensive.


Enjoy London


Alaa

Check out the Contiki trip London Explorer! A ton of people add it to the beginning or end of their Contiki trips, it's super affordable and you'll experience London Contiki style, what more could you ask for!?

I was in England 2 years ago in July and it was pretty cold. Like late winter/early Spring in Melbourne. Not happy. Make sure you bring jeans and jumpers. But then again I went in 2003 in July and I spent the whole time in shorts and tshirts. England had a "heat wave" the front page of the paper said "London hits 30 degrees and the elderly suffer". It was pretty funny.

i just got back from my european inspirations tour and so i can't comment on the weather in july. i stayed at the royal national hotel before and after the tour. its reasonable accomodation with reasonable sized rooms and farly cheap. plus you get the added bonus of just having to walk downstairs to catch the coach. Russell square tube station is litterally just around the corner from the hotel and its in walking distance from picadilly circus and trafalga square. a tube day pass for 4 zones cost me around 6pound and its worth it to save your legs!
hope this helps a little

I am a Londoner and I'm sorry but it's impossible to predict what the weather will be like hour to hour let alone day to day.

Most people (including me) will always carry an umbrella and your sunglasses and your gloves with you as you never can tell what the weather will be by the end of the day.

July does tend to be 'warmer' but for the last 3 years we've had heavy rain which has lead to flash floods.

If you're from a warm country bring layers that way you can take layers off put back on depending on the temp

Sorry that I cannot be more help than that but that best way is to be prepared for all eventualities.