Things to Do in London in January
New-year calm, cut-price culture and frost-bright parks
January is London at its most restorative. The crowds of December have gone home, hotel and restaurant prices drop, and the city settles into a reflective, slower rhythm that rewards anyone willing to wrap up warm. It is the month of the winter sales along Oxford Street and Regent Street, of near-empty galleries where you can stand alone in front of a masterpiece, and of long lunches in fire-warmed pubs. Veganuary and Dry January reshape the menus, so it is a brilliant time to discover the capital's plant-based kitchens and low- and no-alcohol bars. If you want London without the queues, this is the month to have it.
Weather
Cold and often grey, with average highs around 8°C and the occasional crisp, blue-sky frost. Pack a proper coat, gloves and waterproof shoes.
Daylight
Short days — the sun rises around 8am and sets before 4.30pm early in the month, though the evenings begin noticeably lengthening by the end of January.
What's on in January
The annual events and traditions that return to London every January.
The winter sales
The capital's biggest discounts land across the West End, Westfield and the boutiques of Marylebone and Spitalfields, making early January the best-value shopping of the year.
London International Mime Festival
A long-running fixture of the January calendar, bringing inventive visual theatre and physical performance to venues across the city.
Final weeks of the ice rinks
The open-air rinks at Somerset House, the Natural History Museum and Hampton Court usually skate on into early January before they pack up for another year.
Seasonal ideas for January
Take shelter in the museums
January is the ideal month for the big free museums — the British Museum, the V&A and the Natural History Museum are calm and unhurried after the holidays.
Find a fire-warmed pub
Sunday roasts and real ales taste better in a historic boozer with a working fireplace. Camden, Hampstead and the City are full of them.
Planning your January visit
- Book restaurants that take part in January dining deals — many run reduced set menus to tempt diners out.
- Layer up: London's damp cold cuts through more than the temperature suggests.
- Check ice-rink closing dates in advance, as they vary each year.