It is not a legend, in London the rain invites itself in all seasons. So exit the outdoor activities! But don't panic, I'll give you all my tips for visiting London when it rains!
Visit one of the city's many museums
In London, the city's museums are free which allows in rainy weather to grow warm, without exploding your budget !! The most famous museums are the British Museum, the National Gallery, Tate Britain or even Tate Modern.
When it rains, these museums are taken by storm. Therefore, to avoid the crowds and the hubbub, there are two alternatives available to you.
The first is to visit a lesser known but equally interesting museum. The second is to opt for visiting paid museums. From 3 visits, buy the London Pass is a good plan because it will save you money and time thanks to priority access to certain museums and monuments.
Visit the Madame Tussauds museum
Madame Tussauds is one of the most visited museums in London featuring more than 400 celebrities and wax figures. In addition to the exhibit, the museum offers a behind-the-scenes tour of the wax models' making and interactive attractions. The most iconic is the “Spirit of London” attraction where visitors learn about the city's history aboard a London taxi.
The visit to the museum of Madame Tussauds is chargeable included with the London City Pass et London Explorer Pass.
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Visit the Sea Life Aquarium
The Sea Life is one of the largest aquarium in Europe which concentrates on three levels 500 marine species from the main oceans. Among the most impressive species: the guitar shark, gentoo penguins or leopard rays.
Visit of the aquarium Sea Life is chargeable and not included in the London Pass.
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Visit the covered markets
London in the rain has its good sides too! This is the opportunity to find refuge in one of the covered markets such as Alfies Antique Market, Borough Market, Spitalfields Market, Stables Market. Depending on the markets you can discover street food, crafts, flea markets and antiques and many other things !!! To know the best markets in London with their specified and market days, I invite you to read my article on this subject.
Go shopping !
Good news, stores in London are open 7 days a week. To get the most out of shopping without walking too much outside, look for Oxford Street and Regent Street. These two streets are home to a large number of brands and department stores such as J, House of Fraiser, Liberty or Selfridges. They are close to each other which is very practical when it rains!
You can also do Shopping in the very chic district of Knightsbridge where there are two department stores, namely Harrods et Harvey Nichols.
Make the afternoon tea!
Nothing better than to find a little comfort by tasting sweets accompanied by a tea. There is usually a tea room in department stores (Harrods, Fortnum & Mason, John Lewis ..). You will be able to reconcile shopping and gluttony!
Do not hesitate to consult the website of the British Tourist Board
to see the different afternoon teas on offer. Between those in beautiful London hotels, on board a vintage bus or on a boat. The hardest part will be to choose !!
Drink a beer in a historic pub
Adopt the British attitude and place your pint order at the bar! The London Pubs are very nice and well decorated. To step back in time, prefer a traditional Victorian-era pub such as The Churchill Arms, The Ye Old Mitre, The Princess Louise and many more ...
See a musical
A true institution, seeing a musical in London is one of the great classics. They are performed twice a day on Wednesdays and at weekends: one performance in the afternoon around 14 p.m. to 14:30 p.m. and one in the evening around 19:30 p.m. To know all the good deals to get a seat for a musical, I advise you to take a look or two at my article : )
And to make the right choice, do not hesitate to consult the article: the best musicals in London.