London in January?

Thankfully for you, they have a plethora of warm and cozy pubs to get comfy in.

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It will be cold, wet,windy and very short days...maybe 8 hours of daylight....sun will set around 4pm. I would try to go at a different time of year or go to someplace more warm such as Barcelona.

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Geez man way to rain on his parade! I don't disagree but OP just needs to plan accordingly. Plenty of things to do and still can have a great time.

I’ve already booked my trip leaving 12/26 through 1/5 splitting the time between London & Paris. Not that it’s the optimal time to go, I just have a shite ton of time off (company is closed between Christmas and New Years) & think it’s pretty cool we have direct fights from MSY. It’ll be cold & get dark early. But London (and Paris) is beautiful at night and plenty to do indoors. At least that’s how I’m justifying it, lol.

I don't have anything that's "January specifics," I would just recommend visiting the same sites and museums that I would any other time of year. Don't be discouraged about going in January. I would recommend you bring a nice packable coat (Lands End and LL Bean usually have great options). And the good news is pretty much every place has a coat check, so you don't have to carry the bulky layers around museums.

Some of my favorite London museums:
Churchill War Rooms
British Museum
Museum of London
London Transport Museum
National Gallery

If you're near Gloucester Rd Station, you should totally visit the Natural History Museum and the Victoria and Albert (both likely within walking distance).There is (or was) a nice crepe place near the South Kensington station.The Hereford Arms is a decent pub, and if I remember correctly Caffe Forum had cheap pizza in the evenings. And The Muffin Man (near the Kensington High Road tube stop) is a good place for tea.

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London in January?

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take a boat down the Thames to Greenwich

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Are you taking the piss?!

Thanks - we were in Barcelona last December (as well as southern France) so not looking for a repeat though.

Thank you all for the recs. Definitely going to hit up a lot of the museums. Any shows on the West End that would be recommended over others?

(We've seen Hamilton and Lion King. )

We went once in late December. It was cold for sure, but London doesn't tend to get the big day/night swings in temp like we often do. It may be 45 and just sit around there day and night.

Wenlock Arms Pub is one of my favorite spots. It's out in a neighborhood. You seldom see another tourist there. The locals will have a wood fire burning, probably a darts game, local sport on the telly, and it has a famously good beer selection.

Prospect of Whitby is another old pub we liked. Has more tourists. Sits right on the Thames.

Borough Market is a good place to graze and look at food. And it's semi-indoors.

Notting Hill and Portobello Road Market is big on weekends. Lots of good food options, and you can go in and out of shops and pubs along the way to get out of the cold.

Plays would be my night time plan if you are into those. Good way to get out of the weather.

It's not the West End, and I'm not sure how long it's running for, but it looks like there's currently a production of Antony and Cleopatra at the National Theatre (on the Southbank): LINK

I second the recommendation for Wicked, and I also really enjoyed Matilda: the Musical. The Phantom of the Opera and Les Mis are probably solid options as well. Phantom came to New Orleans last year, and the new production was one of the best musicals I have ever seen. If the London version has been similarly updated, I'd say it's a must-see.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was pretty good if you are into it. The tickets sell out well in advance, but if you check daily, the theatre always has some tickets that become available. My wife and kids loved it and they said it was the highlight of our trip (followed closely by a Fulham game for my son).