Agree it’s more raw than actually cold. Some January days are positively balmy compared with the Northeast/Midwest/Great Lakes of the US. BUT- you won’t walk into your hotel (or apartment) and have blazing heat (homes are typically kept at cooler temperatures); you won’t get that “toasty” feeling in public places that you often do in the US. You’ll understand why Queen Elizabeth was usually photographed wearing a cardigan over long sleeves when she was in one of her residences-- the cardigan was NOT for show!
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We lived in London for 3 years in the late 1990’s. (We were there when Diana died.) The Tower of London and Westminster Abbey are a must. So much history is in those 2 places. The Tower is my favorite place there.
Look into The London Pass. You can get it for as many days as you want. The admissions to many places are quite expensive. If you plan your trip well, it would more than pay for itself. I think that it gets you discounts at the various places, too.
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We did the Van Gogh exhibit last year at the d’Orsay, I suspect this is the same one.
Advanced tickets were essential, I would say book earlier is best. It was crazy crowded! We were there the end of November and that exhibit was the biggest crowd we experienced. Almost but not quite Mona Lisa big.
At the d’Orsay, they had timed tickets but unlike timed tickets we’ve had in the states, they didn’t adhere to the time. So everyone went in whenever they got there. I wonder if you can check on that.
Have a great time! I love off season touring.
Thanks, I’ll definitely look into that pass! 3 months just isn’t enough time for me to plan the way I like, so my son’s help is crucial. I was delighted when he showed me his itinerary he’s started for each day, including restaurants. My Rick Steve’s book came in.
@deb922 , he has been looking at the dates. Right now you can’t even book January, so he’s watching. Good to know to get there early if we can. I love Van Gogh, too!
Note there’s also a fantastic Monet exhibition until mid-January, but it may be hard to get tickets:
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To help get you in the mood, I just watched the 7 episode series Buying London cause I love luxury real estate - a fun thing to do before you leave to see some of the different areas of the city!
Also didn’t @Colorado_mom just return from London recently??
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I will look for that show! I wish we weren’t going in winter. I know my impression will be different than if it were beautiful and green outside. But I’m excited anyway.
I did both the Elizabeth line and the Express to Paddington. The Elizabeth line was fine - leaves from the same platform, I believe has a few more stops. The Express was slightly less crowded, which would have been nice if I had a lot of bags, which I did not. But both are really easy and as recommended, just Uber from there.
I was there last fall and I just did regular tube every day, no pass. It’s contactless, you tap your cc and charges were capped at $10 or 10 pounds a day. Everyone told me not to bother with the Oyster. Maybe there’s a benefit depending on where you are going.
I did the London GO pass and it was ok. I visited some places that were not on my itinerary because it was free. It begins the day you first use it and runs consecutively - I didn’t realize that and did a day trip to Oxford one day so basically burnt a day of admission at places around London. My bad.
If you like history there’s a pass through the Historic Palaces - that would have been a better deal for me.
I loved the Tower of London! I thought it would be cheesy and too touristy but if you like history there’s so much to see and it’s just beautiful.
From there I walked across the London Bridge, and I walked to the top of it which was virtuous, strenuous, and not super rewarding at the top. I think on the other side of the bridge is one of the markets and the Shard, so it’s a good itinerary. I just ended up at the Tower for four more hours than I intended.
That said, January might be very cold so maybe no walking across the bridge!
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The tube is easy to navigate and there is a staffed booth at Heathrow where you can speak to someone to help you sort out tickets. It’s not difficult to use from Heathrow, it’s just a loooong ride depending on where you are going.
If you do decide you need a taxi, we have prebooked rides with Just Airports (justairports.com) several times over the years and they have never let us down. We paid 58 pounds from Maida Vale to Heathrow in June, just to give you an idea of cost. If you know the postcode of your hotel, you can use their fare estimator to get an idea of how much it would be. (Taxis are always cheaper going TO the airport rather than FROM, so we tend to use the tube when we arrive to get into the city and splurge on a taxi to go to the airport when leaving).
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Like most real estate shows there is real estate and there is real estate agent relationship drama…but it’s a really quick watch and just fun easy entertainment and then the eye candy of some magnificent homes.
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Lots of wonderful music in London too. See if you can catch a London Philharmonic or London Symphony concert. They are usually packed!
The Royal Albert Hall is great. They used to have a behind the scenes tour. We loved that.
I’m wondering if they still do high tea at tea place in Kensington Park.
And really go to Harrods. It’s an experience. The British Museum is also great.
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I would not lament either being there in winter or not having sufficient time to plan.
Planning for London is easy - everything is in English and the transportation is very easy to navigate, Plus, you have lots of expertise here on CC.
We went a few years during December and loved it. When we went in the summer, there were record highs and people were passing out in the subway. London is never “beautiful and green outside”, it is mostly grey (all year long).
The holiday decorations will most likely be down already if you go after January 6th.
I highly recommend seeing Les Miserables (even if you have seen it before).
We only had 1.5 hrs to visit Westminster Abbey, as we had to catch our flight that afternoon, but WOW—so much history there, we could have spent at least another hour or two. Yes it was crowded, but boy, was it worth it. Same with Tower of London, standing at the spot where Anne Boleyn and others were executed was chilling.
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I have been to London many times and have enjoyed it regardless of the time of year I was there. I agree that 3 months is more than enough time to plan a great trip.
Many of the suggestions I would offer for a first time visitor to London have already been given so I will add things that we like to do.
Last October we took the train to Windsor Castle (I had not been before, but H had) and it was an easy trip and I really enjoyed it. We also did a day trip to Bletchley Park (code breakers, WWII) on the train and had a very interesting day. The Docklands Museum is a free one that we went to for the first time last year and it was well done. We have done the Churchill War Rooms twice and also gone to Greenwich. These are both worth a visit.
I love to walk around all of the London department stores when in the city. I especially like Liberty and Selfridges and even Marks and Spencer. On our trip last year we went to Notting Hill one morning and walked around the neighborhood. We also went to the old Battersea Power Station (it’s now a mall) and had a drink in the old power room one evening.
Since you are staying in Covent Garden you will have many good restaurants and pubs nearby that you can grab a drink or eat at.
I love to go for drinks and snacks at the American Bar at the Stafford Hotel. It’s not cheap, but the atmosphere is great. H and I love Indian food and there are many good curry places in London. Also make sure to get fish and chips at a pub.
London, Paris and New York City are the 3 cities I can go to over and over again and always love being there.
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I love this idea! Tube to a station, then just Uber to our hotel instead of walking. BlackBerry Car said it was going to be 118 pounds, which is $155. That’s just nuts.
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If you went to the bridge near the Tower of London, that is Tower Bridge - not London Bridge. 
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Verify the address/geo location and that of the closest Tube stop first. Street names and numbering schemes can be funky in Central London- I once tried to get a cab driver to take me from a Tube stop to a restaurant in Soho. The driver let me in the passenger side door- then opened the door on the other side and pointed- the restaurant was literally across the street. What with the Squares and the Circles and the Leas and the Mews (if you are used to a grid of avenues and streets) it’s easy to think that something is a mile away when it’s across the street as the crow flies. And some of the street numbers make no sense in a rebuilt Victorian era neighborhood (all those bombed out blocks during WW2 and the blitz).
Here are a few ideas not mentioned before. Visit Harrod’s Food Halls–they are mind boggling. If you have any interest in gardens, definitely go to the Royal Botanic Gardens (Kew Garden).
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Speaking of Tower, I highly recommend doing the guided tour.
On habit that we have kept from my kid’s childhood is opting for the Family/Kids audio tour at museums. They hit all the major pieces of interest and you get good coverage without using up the entire day. This was a while ago but the one at the British Museum was specially great.