I feel like I keep writing things like “summer in London is the best”, “spring is the best time in London”, “winter is a magical time in London”…but it’s true, every season is special in a place like London where there’s so much to do. In this post today we’re covering autumn, my personal favourite. To be honest, I think it’s the best time to visit! The summer crowds are gone, the air is crisp, the days are sunny (in October, rainy in November) and still a bit long. At least until daylight savings end, usually around Halloween. This part of England doesn’t tend to look suuuuper lush with golden colours like places like Scotland or other countries in Europe but it’s still very pretty, especially certain locations like these gorgeous parks covered in fall foliage.
If you’re planning a trip and wondering when to go, what to pack or where the best foliage actually is, this is the place to start.
Quick Guide: Autumn in London
📍 Best base: Central London or anywhere near a big park (ie. Marylebone for Regent’s Park, Richmond for Richmond Park, Bayswater/Paddington/South Kensington for Hyde Park
🚗 Getting around: Tube, bus or on foot; no car needed anywhere in this guide
🗓️ Best time to visit: Late September through November, peak foliage usually mid-to-late October
🏨 Where to stay: Booking.com for the best options (I’ve got hotel recs in my London neighbourhood guide here!)
🎟️ Don’t miss: Regent’s Park for foliage, a proper autumn walk along the Thames, at least one cosy pub with a fire
⚠️ Heads up: London autumn weather swings fast. Layers are non-negotiable and get a proper umbrella that’s not super problematic with the wind
When Is Autumn in London?
Officially, UK autumn runs from 21 September to 21 December, but London’s foliage doesn’t follow that calendar. Early September still feels like the tail end of summer, temperatures dropping from highs around 20°C (68°F) to a cooler 10°C (50°F) by November. The golden stretch most people picture tends to peak from mid-October into early November, though a mild year can push it later and a cold snap can strip the trees early.
If foliage specifically is your priority, aim for the last two weeks of October. If you’d rather have the parks quieter and don’t mind bare branches, late November has its own kind of vibe and it’s moodier, greyer, but with proper log-fire-pub energy. It’s also usually pretty wet…
September still feels like summer’s tail end for the first couple of weeks, with warm afternoons and green trees. By late September the evenings start drawing in properly and you’ll notice the first hints of colour at the edges of the big parks.
October is peak autumn by every measure. Foliage, weather and vibes all line up and it’s also when London’s cultural calendar gets genuinely busy (more on that below). Expect a real mix of crisp sunny days and possible downpours, often in the same afternoon.
November trades foliage for darkness. Most trees are bare by mid-month, days are noticeably shorter once the clocks go back and the weather turns properly wet. What you get in exchange is Bonfire Night, the run-up to Christmas markets and a quieter city than October’s.
*PS: obviously the climate crisis exist so this is an ESTIMATE! But it can go completely the other way. Check the forecast right before you travel (and it still might not be reliable! 🫠)
What to Wear in Autumn in London
Layers are a whole strategy. Mornings can be really cold, afternoons mild to warm and evenings cold again, sometimes all in the same day. A warm layer, a waterproof outer layer and shoes that can handle a sudden downpour will cover you for most of the season. I’m the kinda person who feels hotter more than colder, usually, so a t-shirt and a jacket for me works well. If you tend to feel colder, layer up!
I’ve got a full carry-on packing list if you want the complete breakdown, but for autumn specifically, a proper umbrella and a coat that can layer over a jumper are the two things worth spending a bit more on.
If you want the specifics rather than just “layers,” here’s roughly what should be in an autumn London packing list:
- A waterproof coat that can layer over a jumper (this is the one item worth spending more on)
- A proper umbrella built for wind, not the flimsy kind that turns inside out on Oxford Street
- Waterproof shoes or boots with decent grip, since wet leaves get slippery fast
- A couple of warm layers you can add or strip depending on the day
- A scarf and light gloves for late October/November once the wind picks up
Events and Culture in London
Autumn is one of London’s busiest cultural stretches and it’s worth building a trip around rather than treating as a side note.
BFI London Film Festival takes over cinemas across the city from 7-18 October 2026, with premieres, galas and public screenings, including some tickets as low as £6 for under-25s. Frieze London, one of the world’s biggest contemporary art fairs, sets up in Regent’s Park from 14-18 October 2026, overlapping the festival’s final days, so it’s entirely possible to catch both in the same week if you time it right.
Bonfire Night on 5 November brings fireworks and bonfires across the city, with the biggest displays at Alexandra Palace, Battersea Park, Victoria Park and Blackheath. Book tickets well ahead, since the good ones sell out. Diwali, the Hindu, Sikh and Jain festival of light, is also celebrated widely across London in autumn, with events varying year to year.
If you’re after something quieter, the Lord Mayor’s Show on 14 November is a genuinely strange bit of London pageantry worth catching if you’re around and it’s free.
Cosy Food and Drink in London
Autumn menus in London lean hard into seasonal comfort food and it’s one of the more underrated reasons to visit this time of year. Sunday roasts feel considerably more comforting once the weather turns and most decent pubs will have a proper fire going by mid-October.
I’ve got 3 London food guides for you:
- London Food Guide by budget: showing you where to eat depending on your budget and hunger
- Best British Food in London: because it’s mostly comfort food that’s perfect for autumn/winter!
- Viral Foods in London: packed with the best viral foods Londoners love that are actually worth your time and money
Best Places to See Fall Foliage in London
Regent’s Park is one of the most reliable spots for classic golden foliage! It’s also easy to reach and easy to spend half a day wandering without a plan. St James’s Park + Green Park are smaller but do a similarly good version of the same thing, right next to Buckingham Palace if you want to combine the two.
Here’s Regent’s Park last autumn on my Instagram:
For something with more drama, Kew Gardens and Holland Park go harder on colour variety. Greenwich Park gives you the added bonus of a proper hill and a view over the whole city while the leaves are turning.
I’ve written a full breakdown of the best specific spots, including a few that don’t make the obvious lists, in this guide to the most magical London places for autumn leaves in London.
Personally, my favourites are the more local ones. Richmond Park in West London is enormous enough that you can lose the crowds and the deer wandering through the bracken as the colours turn is about as autumnal as London gets. Hampstead Heath is equally huge and, at times, feels like you’re lost in a forest. Queen’s Wood in North London is smaller and much less known, an ancient woodland with a wonderful coffee shop at the entrance that makes it an easy hour-long escape rather than a full day out. And the Primrose Hill to Regent’s Park combo is still my go-to for Central London, since you get the hill’s skyline view and the park’s foliage in one walk.
Take a peak at Queen’s Wood here with the cutest coffee shop:
Best Autumn Walks in London
Autumn is when London’s walking routes genuinely earn their reputation. Hampstead Heath is the obvious pick, big enough that it never feels crowded even on a weekend, with proper hills and a view over the city from Parliament Hill that’s worth timing for late afternoon light.
Here’s a little preview of Hamsptead Heath in autumn on my Tiktok:
If you want something further out, several of the best hikes near London by train are dramatically better in autumn than any other season, since you get the colour without the summer crowds. Full route breakdowns are in 11 Best Hikes Near London by Train and, if you want the season-specific picks, 11 Autumn Hikes Near London: The Best Leafy Trails.
Things to Do in London This Autumn
Beyond the parks and the walks, autumn is when London’s indoor culture kicks properly into gear. Theatre, exhibitions and food all lean into the season. September specifically has its own run of events before the weather turns fully cold. While summer is music festival season, autumn/winter is when artists tend to tour bringing their individual shows to cities around the UK.
Pumpkin patches near London are also a proper autumn tradition if you’re travelling with kids, or just enjoy that sort of thing without shame, in Best Pumpkin Patches Near London for Autumn Magic.
Cosy Day Trips from London
If you want out of the city while the leaves are still turning, several of London’s best day trips are truly better in autumn than in summer. Smaller crowds, better light and a few destinations that are specifically built for the season. I’ve rounded up the best of these, including train times and what to actually do once you’re there, in Cosiest Weekend Trips from London by Train: Best Autumn Getaways.
For something with a coastal or countryside edge, 8 Best UK Road Trips for an Autumn Adventure covers routes worth the extra distance if you’ve got a car.
A Sample Autumn Weekend in London
If you’ve only got a weekend and want it to actually feel like an autumn trip rather than a normal London visit with worse weather, here’s roughly how I’d structure it:
Saturday morning: Start with an autumn foliage walk, Regent’s Park to Primrose Hill or Hampstead Heath if you’ve got more time. Late morning light is usually your best bet for photos.
Saturday afternoon: Warm up somewhere with a fire, coffee and cake/pastries then wander the various bookshops around town.
Sunday: If your visit lines up with BFI London Film Festival or Frieze in October, build the day around whichever one you’ve got tickets for. Outside of festival season, a museum or gallery afternoon is the better call once the weather’s properly turned, followed by an early dinner somewhere cosy before the evening gets cold.
Where to Stay for an Autumn Trip to London
For foliage access, anywhere near Regent’s Park, Hyde Park or Richmond puts you within easy walking distance of the best of it. Marylebone and Notting Hill both work well for this, and both have the kind of cosy pub-and-café culture that suits the season.
FAQ: Autumn in London
Officially 21 September to 21 December, though the most reliable stretch of golden foliage tends to fall in the last two weeks of October.
Yes, arguably one of the best. Crowds thin out after the summer peak, prices often dip slightly outside of half-term weeks and the parks are at their most photogenic. The trade-off is shorter days and less predictable weather.
Very much so. Mid-to-late October usually hits peak foliage and it’s before the pre-Christmas crowds and markets kick in, so you get a slightly quieter version of the city.
Beyond the parks, autumn brings a strong run of exhibitions, theatre openings and food events, plus Halloween-adjacent things to do toward the end of October. See the spooky London post for Halloween specifics.
Regent’s Park, Hampstead Heath, Queen’s Wood and Kew Gardens are the most reliable, with Greenwich Park worth it if you also want a skyline view. Full list in the fall foliage guide.
Layers, always. A warm inner layer, a waterproof outer layer, and shoes that can handle a sudden downpour cover most of what the season throws at you.
