Is there anywhere better than London in the sunshine? We might be biased at Condé Nast Traveller, but once summer rolls around, we’re hard-pressed to find the motivation to travel outside of the city. Why would we, when we can spend sun-baked weekend mornings strolling the city’s best markets (head to Columbia Road Flower Market for opening time or stroll along Portobello Market on a weekday to avoid the crowds); followed by a snooze under the trees in one of the prettiest London parks; a bracing, shrieking run through the fountains at Granary Square near King’s Cross and then a late supper sat outside one of the best restaurants in London?
Thriving during a London heatwave does require you to adjust your routines a bit, whether you’re a local trying to enjoy the weather around office days and work meetings or a tourist who’s happened to visit during a stretch of good weather. Avoid mooching around in the midday sun, limit time spent on the tube, and consider getting out of the city centre, where the heat can feel a little oppressive, in favour of the leafier neighbourhoods where you’ll find more space and fewer people.
But for all the moaning you might come across from sleep-deprived Londoners, this really is the best time to be in the capital. Below, find our favourite sunshiny street scenes of London showing off under cloudless blue skies – from Notting Hill Carnival to bucolic Richmond Park, there are endless adventures to seek out before, inevitably, the rain follows…
King’s Cross
