Now that our trip is over, I have the best recommendations for what to wear in London in April if you’re planning a spring break trip like we did. Before you dig in on the recommendations below, let me comfort you with this thought: The #1 most important consideration is your jacket. You’ll be wearing it for most of the trip and it is what will show up in almost all of your pictures. What you wear underneath will keep you comfortable, but most times no one will even see it. The mornings were always quite cold but by afternoon it always warmed up. It hardly rained at all during our visit, just a tiny drizzle for a few moments. However, it was grey and overcast most of each day which kept things quite cool. Sometimes the sun would come out, so sunglasses will still be important to pack. However, we were lucky. Typically springtime in London is the rainy season and we’ve heard stories of families that had downpours every day of their trip. So rain is absolutely a strong consideration when planning what to wear. April in London can be chilly but you can always warm up with an extra layer. Add a sweater under your raincoat and maybe a scarf and hat if you’re extra chilly. You’ll do so much walking, you’ll warm up as you tour around. However if it rains, you’ll be so grateful to be kept dry by a nice quality rain coat. If it has a hood, you can even avoid using an umbrella. We spotted so many classic trench coats during our trip that at one point even my husband noticed and commented on it. If you really want to fit in, buy a classic tan trench coat like this: I wore both coats over the course of the week, but only chose the winter coat twice. I found that with all the walking we were doing, I got hot way too quickly and was desperate to take my jacket off whenever I got the chance. I vastly preferred to err on the side of being a little chilly but dry. The temps during our trip did some times dip down to 40°F so if you do want to bring a winter coat just in case, I recommend a lightweight packable insulated coat with a hood like this one: You should definitely wear a shoe that is comfortable enough to get you through the day. Bonus points if those shoes are also waterproof in case it rains. Personally, I do not find boots comfy enough for seriously walking like we did. We spotted tennis shoes, or trainers, on pretty much every person we passed during our adventures. So if the most comfortable shoes you own happen to also be athletic shoes, go ahead and wear them. My teen girls and I all wore clean, nice looking tennis shoes. My husband purchased a pair of black waterproof hiking shoes. By the end of the week, he was complaining about his feet hurting which isn’t usual for him. I think tennis shoes would have been a better option for him, too. He wears his hair very clean-cut and short, so he found that the hat helped him stay much warmer during the cooler temps. If you have one, pack it. If not, plan to buy one as a special treat! Not only will they keep you warm outside and be flattering to wear, but they disguise any dirt or spills that occur throughout the day. I brought a few pairs of navy pants and some jeans for myself. The kids brought cargo pants, jeans, and black dress pants. I told them to pack “real pants” and not athletic leggings for this trip since we’d be visiting churches, museums, and nicer restaurants. My husband mostly wore jeans and a pair of darker dress pants for Easter Sunday. When there was sunshine in the afternoons and we were walking, it was quite warm. But the mornings were darker, chilly, and often a little drizzly. London is all about layers. Bring a nice variety of options including:
Short Sleeved Shirts: I packed layering basics like white tees, etc. Cardigan Sweaters: Easy to take off when it gets too warm. Thinner Long-Sleeved Sweater Tops: I had some nicer tops that looked like sweaters but were quite thin and kept me from getting too hot. I found these most comfy to wear under my jackets. Thicker Sweaters: For super-chilly days, you may prefer a shirt plus thicker sweater if you plan to use your rain coat instead of a winter coat.
My husband wore a crazy amount of layers. He dressed in this order: This was his uniform for almost every day of the trip.
Sunglasses Warm Hat Scarf Jewelry and/or Watch
One daughter did wear a small crossbody bag to keep her sunglasses and phone in. My husband just used the millions of pockets on his safety vest in lieu of a bag. That said, we saw outfits of all kinds during our visit and the biggest surprise for me was how casual everyone was dressed on Easter Sunday. I expected Easter dresses, high heels, and fascinators on the ladies and was so worried I’d stand out in my pants and a sweater. Pretty much everyone at Westminster Abbey services was dressed exactly like me. Most people kept their jackets on the entire time because the church was so cold so we couldn’t really see their outfits anyway! The one thing I strongly recommend not bringing from home is an umbrella. You’ll find them all across London if you decide you want one, but the sidewalks can get very crowded and you’ll be far better off with a rain jacket with a hood.
