London dazzles year-round, so consider visiting in winter, when the city dresses up to the nines and bursts with festivities. Despite the season’s drearier weather and shorter days, London’s museums, theaters, and pubs always offer a warm, cozy welcome. And come January, tourist crowds are at a minimum, and airfare and hotel rates are generally cheaper.
London is especially appealing (though crowded) in the weeks leading up to Christmas. In mid-November, ye olde Christmas markets spring up all over the city. The market on Leicester Square is perhaps the most central, but the Southbank Centre Winter Market (between the London Eye and the Royal Festival Hall), is one of the biggest. Other major markets include one in London Bridge City (also on the Thames’ southern bank, between London Bridge and Tower Bridge) and in the center of maritime Greenwich.
