Travel
London in summer from Dubai: what I packed and how we planned it with kids
What to pack for London in summer: layers, not outfits. One light jacket, two knits, a packable rain layer and two pairs of walking shoes, because July is 22 to 24°C by day and 13°C at night. Sort the ETA or visa first, then split London and the countryside.
Pack layers, not outfits. London in July is around 22 to 24°C by day and 13 to 14°C at night, with rain on roughly a third of the days, so what earns a place in the bag is one light jacket, two knits, a packable rain layer and two pairs of shoes you can walk in all day. Sort your ETA or visa first, because that is the only part of the trip with a deadline. Then give London three or four days and the countryside the rest.
What paperwork do Dubai residents need for the UK?
It depends on your passport, not your UAE residence visa, and this catches people out every summer. Check your own nationality on gov.uk before you do anything else.
If your passport is visa-exempt for the UK, which includes Emirati and the other GCC passports, you need an Electronic Travel Authorisation. At the time of writing an ETA costs £20, is applied for on the UK ETA app, and is valid for two years or until your passport expires, for unlimited trips of up to six months. Every traveller needs one, including babies. Airlines check it before boarding, so do not leave it to the airport.
If your passport needs a visa, which includes Indian, Pakistani and Filipino passports, you apply for a Standard Visitor Visa from Dubai and give biometrics at a VFS Global centre here. Standard processing takes a few weeks and summer is the busy season, so apply at least six to eight weeks ahead; priority services exist and cost more. The visa allows stays of up to six months.
When should you go?
July and August, because that is when UAE schools break, and it is genuinely lovely: light until after 9 pm, highs in the low 20s, and showers that arrive and leave within the hour rather than ruined days. The trade-off is price. Flights out of Dubai and countryside cottages are at their most expensive. If your children are not tied to term dates, late May or September gives you the same daylight, fewer crowds and cheaper everything.
How we split London and the countryside
We did it in July: London first, then out. London was my son's first time, and we did it on foot, the big sights, a lot of walking, a lot of laughing. Then we left the city, which is the decision I would make again. Do not try to day-trip the countryside from a London hotel; you lose the best hours of every day to trains.
Our two countryside anchors were Stonehenge, where my children treated a 5,000 year old monument as a playground, and Castle Farm in Kent, the lavender farm, which was in full purple bloom in mid-July. Both are an easy drive or train-plus-taxi from London, and both need booking in school holidays: Stonehenge has timed entry and the lavender fields have a short season, roughly late June to the end of July, so check the farm's dates before you plan a day around it.
The rule that saved us with kids: one anchor a day, then pub lunch, a walk and an early night. The Cotswolds are the usual answer for a countryside base and they are beautiful, but they are busy in August; Kent and Wiltshire gave us the same green with shorter queues.
What to pack for London in summer: the list
- One light jacket that works over everything: a trench, a soft blazer or a denim jacket. It will be in most of your photos, so choose it properly.
- Two knits, one fine for daytime and one heavier for evenings and the plane.
- Three or four tops that all work with the same two bottoms: one pair of jeans, one pair of tailored trousers or a midi skirt.
- One dress that takes a knit over it, so it earns its space twice.
- A packable rain layer, not an umbrella. Showers pass in twenty minutes and you will leave the umbrella in a cafe.
- A scarf. The lightest warmth you can carry, and it lifts a plain outfit.
- Two pairs of shoes: one you can walk in for eight hours, one smarter pair for dinner. Broken in before you fly.
- For the kids: a light waterproof each, one warm layer, trainers that can get wet, and a spare pair of socks in the day bag.
Not on the list: heavy coats, boots, a third pair of shoes, or anything you would wear from the car to a Dubai mall. The number that matters is the night low, not the afternoon high. A 23°C afternoon is lovely; the same day at 8 pm, in shade, with wind down a side street, needs sleeves.
What I actually wore
I posted the trip as twelve looks in one carousel, and the ones people voted for were the simplest: jeans, a knit, the jacket, flat shoes. Zara did a lot of the work in London. One day the outfit was quiet luxury and the day itself was family chaos, which is the right balance. Stick to one colour base, navy, black, cream or camel, and let one piece carry the interest. That is how twelve looks come out of a carry-on.
Why no air conditioning changes what you pack
Most homes in England have no air conditioning, and many central London hotels sit in older buildings that cannot easily be fitted with it. In a warm week a room gets stuffy at night. Pack sleepwear for a warm, still room, choose cotton, linen blends and fine wool over heavy synthetics, and if you struggle with heat, ask the hotel whether the room actually has air conditioning before you book.
Getting around London with kids
Tap a contactless card or your phone on the Tube, buses, the Elizabeth line and the Overground; daily fare caps apply automatically, so you do not need a travel card. Always tap out on rail journeys or you are charged the maximum fare. Younger children travel free with a paying adult on most Transport for London services; check the current age rules on the TfL site. Walk where you can.
What I would skip
An umbrella, a heavy coat, heels for daytime, and day-tripping the countryside from a London base. Also skip packing a good leather bag for the day; London rain and pavements are not kind to it. Take something you can wipe down and save the leather for dinner. My notes on looking after bags in Dubai humidity apply just as well to a wet London street: how to care for designer bags in Dubai.
If you are packing for the opposite climate, the Dubai version is in what to wear in Dubai. And if the UK trip is not happening this year, the weekend getaways from Dubai list has the closer options.
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