London & Paris in November

[CrownPrincess]

I'm so excited that I have booked a trip to London and Paris for this November. Unfortunately, I hear that November (mid to end of the month) is much colder in Europe than it is in New York. I would love some advice on items to pack. I wear 90% black clothing so I believe I'm good on the color scheme I just want to make sure I can remain warm.

Also if you lovely ladies have any other suggestions for me please PM me! I would appreciate any help with planning what to do

 

[classichic]

For London just regular winter clothes is fine for November it usually doesn't get that cold here until Jan.
- a good winter coat
- thick wool or cashmere scarf
- gloves
- sweaters, sweaters and sweaters
- thick socks
- boots
- winter hat
- umbrella or coat with hood. Be Prepared to get wet.

If you wear dresses or skirts tights.

Paris is very similar to London weather wise but less rain. It can be hit or miss with either being warmer or colder than London but generally it's colder in Paris.

You can PM me if you want me to give suggestions on anything else more specific too. I can also give ideas for Paris too.
Hope you have a nice time.

 

[CrownPrincess]

For London just regular winter clothes is fine for November it usually doesn't get that cold here until Jan.
- a good winter coat
- thick wool or cashmere scarf
- gloves
- sweaters, sweaters and sweaters
- thick socks
- boots
- winter hat
- umbrella or coat with hood. Be Prepared to get wet.

If you wear dresses or skirts tights.

Paris is very similar to London weather wise but less rain. It can be hit or miss with either being warmer or colder than London but generally it's colder in Paris.

You can PM me if you want me to give suggestions on anything else more specific too. I can also give ideas for Paris too.
Hope you have a nice time.

Great ideas! I always forget how necessary a hat is in the cold. Do you think it would be wise for me to bring my hunter rainboots? They are such a pain to pack but if London rains so often as I hear then they might be necessary.
Going to PM you with the area the hotel is located in to see if you have any suggestions on where to shop/eat/drink etc..

 

[Scratch]

I personally wouldn't bring your hunters. I think that, unless you're in the countryside (i.e. wandering through fields) or at a festival, wellington boots are serious overkill. It does rain a fair bit in London during the autumn but it's rarely heavy rain and nothing that a normal pair of ankle boots can't handle.

 

[sabine]

I'm also happy to give recommendations on what to do etc while you're here. I recommend bringing thin thermal singlets to wear under everything. I hate compromising style for the weather so like little tricks like thin thermals that allow me to wear whatever I want otherwise. A good woolen coat is a must though, or fur, but fur is annoying in the rain. And yeah, some form or waterproof footwear will make your life a lot easier, I have a pair of waterproof boots by Opening Ceremony that are a lot less bulky than Hunters so if you don't have room to pack yours it's worth looking into some other options, they are out there

 

[classichic]

Great ideas! I always forget how necessary a hat is in the cold. Do you think it would be wise for me to bring my hunter rainboots? They are such a pain to pack but if London rains so often as I hear then they might be necessary.
Going to PM you with the area the hotel is located in to see if you have any suggestions on where to shop/eat/drink etc..

Don't need hunter boots. I would say any other boots would suffice - preferably something comfortable to walk in. I think London is best to explore on foot but because of the cold I can understand the need to travel by bus/ tube or cab.

 

[alexandtm]

No advice, but just wanted to say I'm super jealous. What a fun trip!

 

[Silent Night]

London has less rain than NYC in November but it's distributed over more days, so it's likely to rain two days out of three. I'd bring a portable umbrella It'll be a few degrees C colder than NYC too (8-12 C ave) but extreme temperatures/snow are extremely unlikely at that time of year.

During autumn I usually go for dresses/skirts, thick tights and boots, as getting the hems of your trousers wet and then having to walk around like that all day is pretty grim. I'd definitely recommend waterproof boots but wellies (rain boots) aren't necessary. Just something strong and comfortable. Then I wear a light woolen jumper, thick wool coat and a scarf.

Feel free to contact me for suggestions as well if you need yet more inspiration.

 

[CrownPrincess]

Thank you for all the responses! I definitely don't want to appear touristy so the hunters will stay back in the states. I always travel with a compact umbrella so that will be easy for me to remember to bring along on the trip. I know that Sloane Square shopping, Harrods and the London eye are on our itinerary. Otherwise I think we are planning to explore any markets and do afternoon tea.The first place we are going to after arriving is a blow dry bar, it's a sister tradition when needed to feel pampered after a flight . If any of you girls have been to one please let me know your thoughts on the places.
We like to do what the locals do when they have a day off so any hidden neighborhood spots would be great We are in London for 5 days and 4 days in Paris.

We do like museums but only if there is a interesting exhibit. Typically I'll only go to the Met for the McQueen exhibit, Prada exhibit, etc.. I'm super excited to see the brand new Louis Vuitton exhibition that is opening in Paris late October and also to see the Frank Gehry design of the building since I'm used to his work at my place of work

I'm also happy to give recommendations on what to do etc while you're here. I recommend bringing thin thermal singlets to wear under everything. I hate compromising style for the weather so like little tricks like thin thermals that allow me to wear whatever I want otherwise.

Those sound perfect!! Do you have any website ideas of where to purchase them?

 

[classichic]

Thank you for all the responses! I definitely don't want to appear touristy so the hunters will stay back in the states. I always travel with a compact umbrella so that will be easy for me to remember to bring along on the trip. I know that Sloane Square shopping, Harrods and the London eye are on our itinerary. Otherwise I think we are planning to explore any markets and do afternoon tea.The first place we are going to after arriving is a blow dry bar, it's a sister tradition when needed to feel pampered after a flight . If any of you girls have been to one please let me know your thoughts on the places.
We like to do what the locals do when they have a day off so any hidden neighborhood spots would be great We are in London for 5 days and 4 days in Paris.

We do like museums but only if there is a interesting exhibit. Typically I'll only go to the Met for the McQueen exhibit, Prada exhibit, etc.. I'm super excited to see the brand new Louis Vuitton exhibition that is opening in Paris late October and also to see the Frank Gehry design of the building since I'm used to his work at my place of work

Since you're planning Sloane square and Harrods. Just so you know you can do these in one day since they're walking distance from each other. I would try to go to Harrods first thing early morning when it opens though since it's super packed. Also within walking distance is Harvey Nichols which a lot of the tourists miss.

 

[Scratch]

If you want to do markets, a great food market is Borough Market (London Bridge tube). Good day to go is a Thursday afternoon - you can get all sorts of healthy lunch options there and sample various things.

Given your location, maybe have a look at the royal albert hall website and see if there's anything you want to see showing there.

If you want a really lovely blowdry, and you're going to Harrods anyway, maybe book in at their Urban Retreat (020 7893 8333). It's not cheap though - a blowdry is around £45.

For something more cost effective, check out South Kensington blowdry bars on Wahanda, along with the various reviews, where you can get a voucher deal:
Wahanda

 

[CrownPrincess]

If you want to do markets, a great food market is Borough Market (London Bridge tube). Good day to go is a Thursday afternoon - you can get all sorts of healthy lunch options there and sample various things.

Given your location, maybe have a look at the royal albert hall website and see if there's anything you want to see showing there.

If you want a really lovely blowdry, and you're going to Harrods anyway, maybe book in at their Urban Retreat (020 7893 8333). It's not cheap though - a blowdry is around £45.

For something more cost effective, check out South Kensington blowdry bars on Wahanda, along with the various reviews, where you can get a voucher deal:
Wahanda

Oooh! Thanks for the Wahanda link! We like using sites like those when traveling. Have you heard any opinions on Taylor Taylor London in Nottinghill? http://www.taylortaylorlondon.com/p...hill-celebrity-hairdressing-salon-west-london

Not too many events are listed at Royal Albert Hall for November but I'll check in a month or two when the schedules are more finalized. Otherwise the champagne tea tour sounds perfect for an afternoon.

 

[Scratch]

I actually go to Taylor Taylor myself - weird! I go to the Shoreditch branch though - didn't know they had one westside. Anyway, it's really good. The hairdressers are great, the decor is great, they do you free drinks - whether you want wine, diet coke or whatever - and give you a nice head massage when you're getting washed. I recommend

More ideas for stuff to do --- the V&A will have a Horst exhibition on when you're here so that might be worth a look.... and, despite me being totally Team Nigella, the Saachi gallery always has some pretty fascinating exhibitions - lots of provocative modern art.

 

[Olen]

We like to do what the locals do when they have a day off so any hidden neighborhood spots would be great We are in London for 5 days and 4 days in Paris.

We do like museums but only if there is a interesting exhibit. Typically I'll only go to the Met for the McQueen exhibit, Prada exhibit, etc.. I'm super excited to see the brand new Louis Vuitton exhibition that is opening in Paris late October and also to see the Frank Gehry design of the building since I'm used to his work at my place of work

Ooh, if you're there in mid-November then the Natural History Museum ice rink will be open. Not only is the NHM one of the most gorgeous buildings, and has wonderful permanent exhibits, it has a temporary ice rink every winter and it's really fun. Very pretty too, they decorate all of the trees that grow outside in blue lights, I like it best after dark. That's also about a five minute walk from the V&A, which has a wedding dress exhibition and a Horst: Photographer of Style exhibition on at the time you're over here. You need to book tickets for those, but the V&A fashion exhibits I've been to have been exquisitely curated.

Quo Vadis in Soho has a members' club upstairs, but downstairs is both open to the public and extremely cool. The owners are absolutely wonderful and gave me champagne because I got my degree results when having lunch there. Close by is the Algerian Coffee Stores, which has been going since 1877, and you can both buy coffee and get lovely bags of it as well.

Have masses of fun!