London in Spring 2027: Weather, Easter, Blossom, the Boat Race, the Two-Day Marathon and Chelsea Flower Show

Spring is the value season: hotel rates sit well below summer, the parks switch on, and the big events arrive one after another from mid-March. The 2027 dates below are confirmed unless marked expected.

01 / WEATHERWhat spring is actually like

March is still winter in a coat: 3–10°C, nine wet days, sunset at 18:00. April turns — 6–13°C, blossom, sunset near 20:00 after the clocks change on 28 March. May is often the best month of the year: 8–17°C, long evenings to 20:45, and the lowest rainfall before summer. Pack layers and a waterproof whatever the forecast; hotels are heated and pubs have gardens open by mid-April.

02 / EASTEREaster 2027 and the bank holidays

• Easter is early in 2027: Good Friday 26 March, Easter Sunday 28 March, Easter Monday 29 March. Shops open reduced hours on Easter Sunday (large stores closed) and Good Friday; transport runs a Saturday-style service with engineering works — check tfl.gov.uk.
• Easter services at St Paul's and Westminster Abbey are free (arrive early); the Easter egg hunts at Kew and Hampton Court need tickets.
• May bank holidays (3 and 31 May) bring three-day weekends: hotel prices rise Friday–Sunday, fall Monday–Thursday.
• School Easter holidays run roughly 29 March–9 April 2027 for London boroughs — family attractions are busiest then.

03 / BLOSSOMCherry blossom and the parks

• St James's Park blooms first (late March), then St Paul's Cathedral churchyard, Greenwich Park's blossom arch near the Ranger's House and its 130 new trees, Kew's Cherry Walk behind the Palm House, Regent's Park (Chester Road and the Avenue Gardens), Notting Hill's side streets, and the Kyoto Garden in Holland Park.
• Peak is usually mid-April; a warm March brings it forward two weeks, a cold one pushes it into May.
• Magnolias in Chelsea and Kensington (April), bluebells at Kew and Wanstead Park (late April), wisteria on Notting Hill and Kensington façades (early May).
• Hampton Court and Kew gardens hit their stride in May; RHS Wisley is an hour away by car.

04 / EVENTSThe spring calendar, 2027

• St Patrick's Day Festival: expected Sunday 14 March 2027 — parade from Hyde Park at noon via Piccadilly and Regent Street to Whitehall; free stage in Trafalgar Square 12:00–18:00.
• The Boat Race: Sunday 11 April 2027, women's race 15:40, men's 16:40, Putney to Mortlake; free from the towpath — Putney Embankment, Hammersmith's riverside pubs and Furnivall Gardens fill by 14:00; 2027 is the centenary of the first women's race.
• London Marathon 'The Double': Friday 23 April (Mini Marathon, Running Show, Friday Night Lights 5K), Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 April 2027 — a one-off two-day race with mass and elite fields on both days over the Greenwich-to-Mall course; 100,000 runners from a record 1.33 million ballot entries. Roads across Greenwich, Docklands, the City and Westminster close both days; it returns to one day in 2028.
• RHS Chelsea Flower Show: Tuesday 18–Saturday 22 May 2027 (RHS members only 18–19 May, public 20–22 May). Tickets go on sale Wednesday 21 October 2026 at rhs.org.uk; 2026 prices started at £107 with the show guide £18. Sloane Square station is the one to use; Chelsea hotels sell out that week.
• Also: London Coffee Festival (April), Vaisakhi on the Square (April), the FA Cup Final at Wembley (expected May), the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition opening (June).

05 / COSTWhat spring costs

Hotels run 15–30% below July: a central Premier Inn £110–150 midweek, rising at Easter, the May bank holidays, Marathon weekend and Chelsea week. Flights from Europe and North America are cheapest in March. Attractions are open with shorter queues than summer; Buckingham Palace's State Rooms are not yet open (July–September). Budget £150–180 a day mid-range, £60–75 backpacking.

Transport on the day: tap contactless on Tube and bus (daily cap £8.90 in Zones 1–2); check tfl.gov.uk for closures the week before. Where roads close or crowds make apps surge, a pre-booked fixed-fare car with Rushxo keeps the price agreed and drops you at the nearest open road.

07 / SEE & DOWhat to see — and what to skip

The big national museums are free, which is the single biggest reason London can be done on a budget. Book the paid icons online at least a day ahead for discounts and to skip the queue.

A three-day shape that works: Day one, Westminster — Changing of the Guard, the Abbey, Parliament from Westminster Bridge, Whitehall, Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery, St James's Park, then Covent Garden and Soho in the evening. Day two, the City and South Bank — Sky Garden at opening, the Tower, Tower Bridge, the river walk to Borough Market for lunch, the Globe or Tate Modern, Millennium Bridge to St Paul's, then Shoreditch or Camden. Day three, the West — Portobello Road (Saturday), Notting Hill, Hyde Park, Kensington Palace, the South Kensington museums and a West End show. Two or three big sights a day, one area per day, and comfortable shoes.

Day trips: Windsor (40–60 minutes), Oxford and Cambridge (about an hour), Bath (1h20), Brighton (an hour), Canterbury and the White Cliffs, Stonehenge by coach, the Cotswolds by car or tour, Margate (1h30). Trains are cheapest booked in advance on a split-ticket app; for groups of four or more, a fixed-fare car for the day often beats four walk-up rail fares and removes the connection hassle.

Frequently asked questions

Dates and prices were checked in October 2026; items marked "expected" follow the usual pattern and were not yet confirmed by organisers. Confirm with the organiser before you travel.