How to Time Your Trip to London

London may be the most cosmopolitan city in the world. It is an exhilarating potpourri of the Empire's staid old glory, nouveau-riche financiers, beggars, a self-affirming working class, recent immigration and the avant garde art world.

Things You'll Need

• Travel Clothes
• Local Guidebooks To London
• Maps
• Airline Tickets
• Travel Services
• Cameras
• Film

Instructions

General Considerations

1. Join in on the Brits' national pastime and agonize over the weather. Actually, compared to many climes, the British Isles are quite mild.

2. Avoid the cold winter, when days are short and gray. The best weather occurs from April to September. The average January low is 36 degrees F; the average July high is 74 degrees F.

3. Check out what festivals, expositions and live performances are happening.

4. Book your flight, transportation and accommodations (see Related eHows).

5. Check the weather forecast for London shortly before leaving, and pack accordingly.

Attractions and Seasonal Events

1. Treat your eyes and nose to the horticultural highlights of England's gray, moist climate. Visit the Chelsea Flower Show in late May. Advanced tickets only; call Ticketmaster at (44) [phone]. (Don't forget to first dial the international access code, 011.)

2. Shake yer booty at the Notting Hill Carnival, the largest of its kind in Europe. Live soul, rhythm and blues, and reggae music combined with Caribbean food makes for a fun time. The carnival is usually the last Sunday and Monday in August; you can check at (44) [phone].

3. Select from a huge variety of concerts and other productions at the City of London Festival in June and July. Call (44) [phone] for details.

4. Probe the depths of human cruelty at The Tower of London. Once a castle and palace, the Tower now exhibits the cells of famous prisoners and the instruments used to torture them.

5. See the architectural brilliance of the Houses of Parliament. Lines for tours inside are shortest around 6 p.m.; check Big Ben for the time.

6. Transcend time and distance at the oldest museum in the world, the British Museum. Well-organized artifacts from nearly every age of nearly every civilization are on display here.

7. Pay your respects at Westminster Abbey, where English monarchs have been crowned and buried for most of this millennium.

Tips & Warnings

• London is so big that the "tube" (subway) is a must. Beware: This complex system bears little resemblance to the streets above, making the transition a confusing one.

• London is a world-class city with innumerable sights. Unfortunately, these sights attract world-class crowds in July and August.