12 Things to Do in London When It Rains [+ Rainy Day Itinerary]

Rain in the forecast for your London trip? In episode 223 of the UK Travel Planning Podcast, Tracy and Doug talk about one of their favourite topics: the weather and specifically how much it really rains in London, what to pack, and twelve things to do when it is wet, from free museums and covered markets to a matinee and afternoon tea.

London gets about half the rain of Sydney or New York, and two days in three are dry, but it is still worth having a rain plan in your back pocket. This episode covers how to read the forecast and adjust your days without stress, which plans are better moved to a dry day, when it makes sense to hop on a train out of London (we cover the options in episode 96 and episode 97), and a one-day itinerary around Trafalgar Square and Covent Garden that keeps you almost entirely under cover. For more help choosing between the museums, listen to episode 192 next.

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What you’ll learn in this episode

• How much it really rains in London: about 615mm (24 inches) a year, roughly half of what Sydney or New York gets, spread over around 112 days, which means two days in three are dry
• The two free weather apps to use, the Met Office and BBC Weather, and why the hour-by-hour view tells you far more than the rain cloud symbol for the day
• Your three choices when rain is forecast: put your waterproofs on and carry on, swap your days around, or get out of London altogether
• Which plans suffer most in the rain, including Changing the Guard, the views from the Sky Garden, London Eye and the Shard, Kew Gardens, Hampton Court’s gardens and, surprisingly, the Tower of London
• What to pack for a wet day: a lightweight jacket with a hood, water-resistant shoes with good grip, a second pair, spare socks, layers, and why Tracy wouldn’t pack an umbrella
• The pedestrian tunnel from South Kensington Tube station to the Natural History Museum, Science Museum and V&A, and the queueing lesson Tracy and Doug learned there one wet December
• More free options: the British Museum, the National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery (both open until 9pm on Fridays), and Tate Modern with the indoor side of the South Bank and lunch at Borough Market
• The museums worth paying for: the Churchill War Rooms (and who might find the bunker a squeeze), how to pair them with Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s Cathedral, and Doug’s favourite, the London Transport Museum
• Why Madame Tussauds earns its place on a wet day if you have children or teenagers with you, and the smaller museums to know about, including the Postal Museum and its Mail Rail ride
• Shopping under cover: the Covent Garden market halls, Leadenhall Market, Burlington Arcade, Fortnum and Mason, Liberty, Harrods, Selfridges and Hamleys
• How to book same-day West End tickets from your hotel room after breakfast, at the same prices as the official ticket booth in Leicester Square
• Afternoon tea or a long pub lunch: how to find a table on the day, and when a Sunday roast needs booking ahead
• Day trips that still work when London is wet (Bath, Oxford, Cambridge, Canterbury, Brighton and Greenwich), and the ones to save for a dry day, such as Stonehenge, the Cotswolds villages and the Seven Sisters
• Tracy’s stay-dry day: the National Gallery, lunch at the Café in the Crypt, the National Portrait Gallery, Covent Garden, a pre-theatre dinner and a show, plus a South Kensington version for families and what Doug would do instead