Autumn is when London theatre gets serious

Autumn is when London theatre is at full strength. Actors are back from Edinburgh, the subsidised houses open new seasons and the long-running musicals keep going, so knowing how to book is worth more than any single recommendation.

Prices and cheap seats

The cheapest tickets we've seen lately for the big musicals start in the mid-twenties for The Book of Mormon, with Wicked and Les Misérables not far behind and Hamilton at about fifty pounds. Plays such as The Mousetrap start at around thirty. Those are floor prices, and a good stalls seat on a Saturday night costs several times more, so the value is in midweek evenings and matinees.

Plenty of West End and subsidised theatres release a few cheap seats on the day, either at the box office when it opens or through an online lottery. The rules vary by theatre and by show, so check the show's own website. If you want flexibility, theatre tokens from the Society of London Theatre are taken at hundreds of theatres and don't expire.

The National and the Royal Court

The National on the South Bank runs three theatres at once, so there's nearly always something good on. It releases a batch of cheaper tickets for most shows, and the foyers, bars and riverside terrace are open to anyone. If you can't get in, National Theatre at Home streams past productions.

The Royal Court on Sloane Square is where new British writing starts. It's small, tickets are reasonably priced and its productions regularly transfer to the West End, and from Chelsea or Knightsbridge it's the easiest serious theatre night in London.

Opera, ballet and dinner

The Royal Ballet and Opera, the new name for the Royal Opera House, opens its Covent Garden season in autumn, and current listings have Carmen from a bit under sixty pounds. English National Opera's La traviata comes in a good deal cheaper, and both houses sell standing and restricted-view seats for far less than the headline prices.

Pre-theatre menus round Covent Garden are built to get you out by 7.15pm. For a traditional dinner after the show, Rules on Maiden Lane, open since 1798, is a sensible choice, and if you're staying within walking distance of the West End theatres the night ends with a late stroll home instead of a fight for a taxi.

London weather by month

July is the warmest month, averaging 23°C by day. July has the fewest wet days (9) and October the most rain (80 mm). For sightseeing on foot, June scores best on our combined warmth-and-dryness measure.

Month	Avg high	Avg low	Rain	Wet days	Chance a 7-day stay sees a washout	Record high / low
January	8°C	2°C	74 mm	13	53%	16°C / -12°C
February	8°C	2°C	51 mm	10	43%	18°C / -8°C
March	11°C	4°C	45 mm	9	44%	23°C / -7°C
April	14°C	5°C	54 mm	10	44%	26°C / -3°C
May	17°C	8°C	54 mm	9	39%	30°C / -1°C
June	20°C	11°C	58 mm	9	35%	34°C / 2°C
July	23°C	13°C	52 mm	9	34%	34°C / 4°C
August	22°C	13°C	68 mm	9	37%	37°C / 4°C
September	19°C	11°C	62 mm	9	39%	29°C / 2°C
October	15°C	8°C	80 mm	11	47%	27°C / -2°C
November	11°C	5°C	76 mm	12	52%	18°C / -6°C
December	8°C	2°C	69 mm	12	50%	16°C / -8°C

Calculated NOAA GHCN-Daily observations at the Hampstead weather station, north London (records 1960–2015; averages from about 25 years per month). A wet day has 1 mm of rain or more.

West End shows: current ticket prices

Show	Type	Tickets
Witness For The Prosecution	Play	from £20
The Play That Goes Wrong	Play	from £24
The Book Of Mormon	Musical	from £24
Stranger Things: The First Shadow	Play	from £25
Matilda	Musical	from £25
Oliver!	Musical	from £26
English National Opera: La traviata	Opera	from £26
Wicked	Musical	from £29
Les Miserables	Musical	from £30
Moulin Rouge The Musical	Musical	from £30

Affiliate links: we may earn a commission if you book through these links. It does not change the price you pay or the order shown (sorted by lowest price).

Observed Lowest ticket prices in the Theatre Tickets Direct feed on 23 September 2026. Prices change daily.