Tower of London - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)
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Tower of London

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Tower of London
4.5
#6 of 2,721 things to do in London
Historic SitesPoints of Interest & LandmarksArchitectural Buildings
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
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About
The Tower of London is a 1,000 year old castle that protects the Crown Jewels. Throughout its long history, it was a secure fortress, a royal palace, and an infamous prison. Kings and queens demonstrated their power from here, shaping society and influencing our world. Today within the walls of this mighty fortress you can see the spectacular displays of the Jewel House, the Tower’s Mint and the Royal Armouries (including the armours of Henry VIII). Meet the Yeoman Warders, who have guarded this castle for centuries, and the Tower’s symbolic guardians – the Ravens.
Duration: 2-3 hours
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The area
Neighborhood: City of London
From its ancient past as a Roman trading outpost to its 21st century status as the wealthiest square mile in the world, the financial district known simply as “The City” is one of London's most historic and fascinating neighborhoods. Here high rise office towers such as Norman Foster’s Gherkin mingle with Roman ruins and architectural marvels from virtually every era in between, including Christopher Wren's glorious St.Paul's Cathedral, and John Soane's dauntingly classicist Bank of England. This neighborhood is also home to some of the finest restaurants and plushest hotels in Europe, in addition to an assortment of watering holes, upscale shops, and Tube stations. During the week, the City is abuzz with white collar workers going about their business; the weekend sees this area turn into a quiet haven for sightseers.
How to get there
  • Tower Hill • 3 min walk
  • Tower Gateway • 4 min walk
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Best nearby
Restaurants
9,574 within 3 miles
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Attractions
2,318 within 6 miles
White Tower
26
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Royal Armories
15
63 ftSpeciality Museums
Jewel House
24
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The Crown Jewels
36
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See what travelers are saying
  • Kate G
    Los Angeles, California18 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Beefeater Tour is so cool
    Beefeater Mark Anderson was amazing! He was so funny and engaging with the group even though it was quite large. We had an absolute blast and the crown jewels were shiny and very cool. The ravens are awesome don’t miss them. Definitely do the tour with the beefeaters.
    Visited April 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written April 24, 2023
  • Kay
    4 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    This place is AMAZING!!!
    The Tower of London is so much more than just a tower. It is a whole city behind walls with a rice and fascinating history! Tickets give you access to a self-guided audio tour, which is an absolute must. We could easily have spent all day here, and there is a cafe where you can eat lunch, but sadly, we needed to head out shortly after noon. The audio tour is done wonderfully and allows you to find out as little or as much as you want to know, while moving at your own pace. Enjoyed seeing the crown jewels, visiting the White Castle and seeing all the suites of armor on display, and so much more. A must if you are visiting London!
    Visited April 2023
    Written May 2, 2023
  • Mian
    London, United Kingdom12 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Majestic and grand piece of history
    With its many towers, fortified walls, and royal palace, the Tower of London is a must-see for any visitor to London. From the iconic White Tower to the Bloody Tower, there are so many stories to explore. The Crown Jewels are on display, and the Yeoman Warders provide an informative and entertaining tour. The Tower of London is also home to a variety of wildlife, including ravens, which are said to protect the Tower. Whether you're a history buff or just looking for an interesting day out, the Tower of London is sure to leave you with lasting memories.
    Visited May 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written May 2, 2023
  • Thomas Gallo
    Northampton, United Kingdom6 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great day out with the family
    Great family trip, filled with lots of history and astonishing buildings. Had some good entertainment for adults as well as children and learned a lot about British History. Much more entertaining for my children than through a book!
    Visited July 2022
    Written May 3, 2023
  • ranatza62
    West Palm Beach, Florida7 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Magnificent - but not during holiday week
    The Tower of London was massive and impressive. We did a self-guided tour which was good because we could move around at our own pace. There were plenty of signs and items on display. I would strongly urge not to visit during a holiday (we were there at Easter) or when school is otherwise out. The Tower itself is a treasure.
    Visited April 2023
    Written May 3, 2023
  • Travelling1
    Greater Manchester, United Kingdom180 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Really worth a visit - free carer ticket
    My boyfriend and I visited here as part of our trip to London and it was so educational. The guards did a tour about the background of the tower, and how it came about. There are museums in the tower, as well as The Crown Jewels, which is the only place where you are not allowed to take pictures. Everything is beautifully set out.
    Visited April 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written May 10, 2023
  • abzee
    4 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Got lost in the maze of corridors and stairs.
    I had a great time visiting the Tower of London last week. It was amazing to see the Crown Jewels, the Yeoman Warders and the ravens. I also learned a lot about the history of the Tower, from its origins as a Norman fortress to its role as a palace, prison and mint. The Tower is a must-see attraction for anyone who loves history and culture.
    Visited April 2023
    Written May 14, 2023
  • Explorer531098
    Calgary, Canada9 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    The one MUST do in London.
    We only had one day in London, so we decided to hit this site. We were very impressed with the grounds, the castle, the tower, Crown Jewels, armoury, chapel, and interesting guides on site. Well worth the time and cost of the tickets.
    Visited April 2023
    Written May 16, 2023
  • Belysa
    London, United Kingdom7 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    An Unforgettable Visit to the Fascinating and Well-Preserved Tower of London
    It is filled with fascinating stories and secrets, making it a must-visit destination for any history enthusiast. From the iconic White Tower to the Bloody Tower, the Tower of London is steeped in history and provides a unique experience for visitors. The Crown Jewels, Yeoman Warders, and Tower Ravens are all highlights of the Tower that make it a truly unforgettable experience. With its rich history and well-preserved architecture, the Tower of London is a must-see for anyone looking to explore England's past.
    Visited May 2023
    Written May 17, 2023
  • Gog72
    Conwy County, United Kingdom151 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Excelkebt- arrive early beat the masses
    Excellent value. Arrived at 8.30 for our 9 entry and were able to see opening ceremony. Also very quiet to see crown jewels. Fascinating seeing graffiti left behind by prisoners. Friendly staff
    Visited May 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written May 18, 2023
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles68,055 reviews
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mcmonScotland
Girvan, UK844 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Takes a Half Day (at least) to Tour the Tower
Jan 2020
I’ve been inside the tower not long ago but, this time I was taking some visitors on a whirlwind tour of London and we didn’t go inside. We just stopped for some photos and talked about it. I know from before that you really need to spend at least half a day, if not longer, to get around the tower and see everything. Some of the best places for photos outside the tower are the sundial at the Tower Hill underground station and the boat dock - Tower Millenium Pier. We were here on a dry, warmish day in January and the area was not overly busy. When you have the time, I highly recommend booking directly on the official Historic Royal Palaces website for the best price and taking four or five hours to view the Tower of London properly. Sometimes the bus tour companies offer discounted tickets in conjuction with the Hop On-Hop Off tours. If you are doing that tour anyway, it might be a good deal but the official website adult price is currently less than £25 and the bus tours are offering “discounted” tickets at £27.50.
Written February 28, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
nurias77
Exeter, UK207 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Interesting place
Jun 2019 • Couples
We visited the Tower of London during a weekend away in London. This place has lots of history and I would recommend arriving early and being able to spend a few hours there.
I can’t give it 5 stars as we queued for nearly 45 min to see the Crown Jewels and the way they have displayed the exposition you get 10-15 seconds to see them, not enough time at all.
Inside the tower there is a cafe were we had a lovely cake and coffee.
Written March 2, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
David K
Maidenhead, UK57 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Quite simply Amazing!!
Jan 2020 • Couples
Myself and my wife recently visited The Tower of London for the first time.
The whole experience was mind blowing and it makes me so proud to be English knowing that we have so much amazing history even if some of it is a bit on the dark side....
The Beefeaters are so informative and humorous during the tours which are included within your entry fee.
We both found it so interesting learning so much about the past of Old England.
Also seeing the Tower of London Ravens close up was absolutely amazing!!!!
The only downside I found was that the Tea room/restaurant prices are quite extortionate.
£4.40 for a slice of cake and with a cup of tea nearly £7.00😩
Having had my little whinge I would still highly recommend a visit to one of the most famous and iconic buildings in the whole world.
Written February 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AKJNRM
Preston, UK12 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Awful and dull queue for The Crown Jewels!
Jan 2020 • Family
Such a great place to visit in many ways. The staff are excellent and really know their stuff. The guides answered lots of questions from my children (age range 3-16) and were incredibly engaging.

They do need to sort out the Armed Forces Discount- our neighbour (serving officer) and family were let in for free last week; we (also serving officer) just got a discounted price).

However what really ruined a five star rating was the awful organisation of the queue for The Crown Jewels. We queued for about 80mins. There is no entertainment or really interesting things to look at- once you are inside there are a few displays but with minimal information. This exhibit should really have a timed entry to avoid such a lengthy queue. This exhausted our children and our patience!

We spent about 3 hours there; we didn’t visit the cafe etc. Almost 50% of the time was spent queuing for the one exhibit. We went the Bayeux this summer and saw the tapestry which was far more organised and significantly better value!

Your guides and staff saved the day but the Historic Places need to do a lot better.
Written January 2, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Keir S
London, UK192 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Must do when in London
Aug 2021 • Couples
I have lived in London almost 10 years and have always had Tower of London on my doorstep so never got around to do it and I’m SO glad I finally have.

We started our tour with the Yeoman Warder who was incredible. He made the door so engaging through his theatrics and incredibly projected voice.

The tour started by the entrance gate and ended in the central court by the White Tower and took roughly 45 mins. I definitely recommend tagging along, it doesn’t cost extra and you learn quite a lot more.

I also recommend queuing for the Crown Jewels as soon as you can as they can get quite long so best get them out of the way earlier rather than later.

There is SO much to see around the Tower and loads of interesting rooms to read about. Our entire visit took around 3.5 hours but you can easily spend more or less than that.

So much history and interesting stories in one location so I would thoroughly recommend a visit for residents and tourists alike
Written August 21, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
lentheman
Penyffordd, UK609 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Expensive unless you have a voucher
Jan 2020
We had been here about 20 years ago when the kids were small so decided to go by ourselves this time. We had printed 2 for 1 vouchers from the Days Out website which gets you both in for the price of one with a current rail ticket. Entrance otherwise is £27.50 or £30.20 with a donation. I asked what the donation was for and was told it was for the upkeep of the Tower. Why they don't just add it to the ticket price then I have no idea. There is lots to see in the Tower which is divided into several parts including the Crown Jewels but you must not miss the free guided tours by one of the Beefeaters who are funny and bring the Tower to life. You could easily spend all day in here if you wanted. Happy that I went for £30 for us both but not sure I would have paid £60
Written January 13, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Chocky59
West Midlands, UK344 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Prison, Fortress, bit of a Jewel!
Mar 2020 • Couples
Have visited quite a few times over last 50 years and always find a new bit of information! This time wasn’t planned but nether the less very enjoyable. ( Corona virus put paid to Yorkshire visit!) Yeoman tours this time of year start every hour at half past the hour. Our Yeoman of the Guard Clive was on top form and be proud of your job we enjoyed your hour long talk. Already knew things about Tower and was pleasantly surprised to know a few more bits after Clive’s presentation.
Didn’t do White Tower as did couple years ago and had changed then as a lot less armour in there think it’s gone to Leeds.
Jewel House had altered their format and was much better for visitors to get excellent views. Do they hire that punch bowl out I wonder as you can get 144 bottles of wine in it! Lol perfect for a celebration bbq when this Corona Virus ceases!!!!
Ravens were in form squawking around and flying in and out their pens. Visited Armouries Cafe loads of seats had tuna & cucumber sandwich which was a bit hard priced £3.95 tea was £2.20 and a scone with butter £2.20 was nice.
Fusilier Museum,Torture Tower, Traitors Gate, Royal Mint worth a visit and spent around 4 hours there for just viewing those few things. So allow plenty of time if viewing everything. (Train ticket you can get buy 1 get 1 free still on offer. )
Written March 15, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sidney
7 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Must See!
Jan 2020
If you are in London then you have to go to the Tower of London! Not only does it look incredible from the outside and inside, but it also has a fascinating history very vital to England
I know a lot of people go there to see the crown jewels, and they are cool to see for sure, but me personally, I found other parts of the castle more interesting than the jewels.
You can do an optional free tour with one of the Beefeaters, and I highly recommend that because they are hilarious but also give great information and insight into what it is like to live there.
There are so many different parts of the castle, with different histories, and you can pretty much walk through the entire thing. I didn't buy an audio guide, but you can still get so much information from the plaques, the workers, games, and small movies throughout the castle.
You can spend as little or much time as you'd like there. I got there on a Sunday, right at 10 when it opened, and I spent about 4 hours there. That was me seeing everything and reading almost every plaque.
I definitely think kids and adults would like it, but some of the information is probably not suitable for really young children as it can get slightly gruesome.
Overall, it's a fantastic sight and piece of history and I recommend touring it
Written January 23, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Pinayaq
Dayton, OH118 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
A Historical Delight
Dec 2019 • Couples
My husband and I took a self-guided tour of the tower and got audio guides for a minimal fee. The place is enormous so plan to spend a couple of hours here if you choose to see all the buildings in the compound. The interior of the buildings are spectacular and the history attached to it are even more interesting to hear. The grounds are gorgeous and are well maintained. Not to be missed are the Crown Jewels which is absolutely breath taking. Photography is not allowed in the Crown Jewels but is allowed in most of the other buildings. Some of the buildings have steep, narrow staircases that may not be suitable for people with mobility issues. There are plenty of restrooms, gift shops and snack shops on the grounds. Take advantage of pictures with beefeaters and the guards outside the Crown Jewels.
Written April 25, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Annie143Florida
Sedona, AZ545 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
NOT TO BE MISSED
Dec 2019 • Friends
A visit to the Tower of London is fascinating. It was suggested that we arrive early in the morning and go straight to see the Crown Jewels. We are so happy that followed that advice. By the early afternoon, the line to see the jewels rivaled a Disney park at peak time. We took the Yeoman tour and highly recommend that any visitor do the same. The Yeoman was John Kelly and he made the tour enjoyable for children and adults. He had a wonderful wit and had the crowd laughing during the tour. We learned that the Yeoman are military personnel and are there to protect the Tower. They are not merely tour guides. Highly recommended.
Written January 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Tower of London - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

Frequently Asked Questions about Tower of London
Tower of London admission prices can vary. Entrance tickets currently cost $44.10, while a popular guided tour starts around $4.90 per person.
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