The Tower of London has stood on the Thames for close to a thousand years, and its history is as rich and gory as it gets. It is a fixture on any London itinerary, and rightly so.
But how do you make the most of a visit, rather than just ticking it off a list?
I have been several times over the years, and my friend Lisa volunteers there, so between us we have picked up a fair bit of insider knowledge. Here is what I have learned about visiting the Tower of London well, including how to buy tickets and what to prioritise once you are inside, so you can plan a good day out at one of London’s most iconic landmarks.
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A brief history
The Tower of London’s long and colourful history begins with William the Conqueror (r 1066 – 87), who built the White Tower
Although it was built as a fortress and a royal palace – it is one of the greatest European palaces – the Tower of London had several other roles. It was the site of a royal menagerie, the Royal Mint and armouries, and was used to store records of government.
It is best known, though, as a prison. Between 1100 and 1952, around 8,000 people were held within its walls for crimes ranging from treason to sorcery. Anne Boleyn was led from here to her execution. Guy Fawkes was brought here after he was caught with the gunpowder meant to destroy the House of Lords.
Today it houses the Crown Jewels and is home to the Yeoman Warders, better known as the Beefeaters.
Getting your tickets
Book ahead. The Tower gets over three million visitors a year and manages numbers carefully, so ticket availability at busy times is limited. Don’t be a hostage to fortune.
As of 2026 an adult ticket costs £37, with concessions at £29.50 and children aged 5 to 15 at £18.50. Under-fives go free, and there is no time limit once you are inside.
Entry to the Tower of London is included in both the London Pass and the London Explorer Pass. To determine if these sightseeing passes will be good value for you, check my review of the London Explorer Pass or this lowdown on the London Pass.
Your ticket covers the The Crown Jewels, White Tower, Battlements, Bloody Tower, Torture at the Tower exhibition, Fusiliers Museum, Royal Mint exhibition and a Yeoman Warder tour (subject to availability). You get a lot of bang for your buck.
You can buy tickets in person, through the Historic Royal Palaces website, or through GetYourGuide. It’s worth comparing the two online options: GetYourGuide usually allows free cancellation up to 24 hours before your visit, which the official site doesn’t usually match.
If the official site shows no availability, check GetYourGuide before giving up, and look at group tours too, since they run on a separate ticket allocation.
There is no dedicated fast-track queue, but you can cut your wait by booking in advance (which skips the ticket booth queue) or by booking an early access tour with a Beefeater, which gets you in before the gates open to everyone else and is a lovely way to see the Tower with far fewer people around. Some early access tours include the opening ceremony, which is a treat.
When to go and how long to allow
Arrive as close to opening time as you can. This buys you time before the tour groups and school parties arrive, and gets you near the front of the queue for the Crown Jewels.
Visit midweek if your schedule allows it. Weekends bring out Londoners on their days off as well as everyone else in the city on a short break.
Don’t be tempted to merely give the Tower of London a cursory tick on your checklist of things to do in London. The Tower is a large site with a lot of separate buildings, each with its own history, and you need to factor in queuing for the Crown Jewels too. On my last two visits I spent half a day there, which felt about right.
What to see and do
Befiore you start your visit, pick up the free map at the entrance. It’s colour-coded by the Tower’s three main roles (fortress, palace and prison) and makes the layout much easier to get your head around.
An audio guide is worth considering too, since there is a lot to take in and it covers practical details like where to eat as well as the history.
Head for the Crown Jewels first, before anything else. This is what people queue for, and queues can run to 90 minutes according to one of the Yeoman Warders I spoke to.
Follow the signs to the Jewel House behind the White Tower as soon as you’re through the gates. Photography isn’t allowed inside.
The collection is officially known as the Coronation Regalia and includes trumpets, ceremonial maces, swords of state, coronation robes and the crowns themselves, some of which are still used at state occasions.
The White Tower, completed in 1100, is the oldest part of the complex and one of the best-preserved secular buildings left from early medieval England. It houses the Royal Armouries collection, which is worth a slow look rather than a quick walk-through.
Join a Yeoman Warder tour. These free 45-minute walks are included in your ticket, start from the moat near the entrance, and cover tales of treachery, torture and execution with a good deal of dry wit.
Check the board at the entrance for tour times, and don’t be shy about chatting to a Warder or volunteer afterwards. They are a rich source of stories, and used to posing for photos too.
Walk the battlements. Starting at the Salt Tower, this route takes you along the nine towers of Henry VII’s defensive wall, some of which once held prisoners, and you can still see graffiti carved by them into the stone. It’s the clearest way to grasp how the Tower worked as a fortress, palace and prison all at once.
Check the opening times of the Chapel Royal of St Peter ad Vincula before you plan your day. It’s the final resting place of several Tower prisoners executed under Henry VIII, including Thomas More, Thomas Cromwell, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, but as it hosts weddings and christenings on Saturdays and services every Sunday, hours can be unpredictable. Aim for a morning visit, or check with a Warder when you arrive.
Traitors’ Gate is a 3th-century watergate where Anne Boleyn and Thomas More both entered the Tower to meet their fate. Several nobles including Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard and Lady Jane Grey were executed at nearby Tower Green, away from public view.
Look out for the ravens. Legend has it the kingdom and the Tower will fall if the six resident ravens ever leave (there is a seventh kept in reserve, just in case).
They are well fed by the Ravenmaster, but Lisa tells me she spends a fair amount of her shift shooing them off visitors’ picnics. Guard your lunch.
Time your visit around the Changing of the Guard if you can. Buckingham Palace isn’t the only place in London where this happens. The Tower’s 22 guards rotate every two hours, and a Warder or volunteer can tell you the day’s schedule.
At 3pm, look out for The Word, a short ceremony where the Officer of the Guard collects the password needed for after-hours entry.
Keep an eye on Tower Bridge while you’re there. Unlike other London bridges, it’s a drawbridge, and the middle section lifts around 880 times a year to let river traffic through. Check the lift schedule before you go, and you might time your visit to catch it.
Try to get tickets for the Ceremony of the Keys. This 700-year-old ritual, in which the Tower’s outer gates are locked for the night and the keys handed to the Resident Governor, runs nightly from 21:30 to 22:05. I attended five years ago and it was quite something to witness, and a privilege to walk through the empty lanes of the Tower after dark.
Tickets for the Ceremony of the Keys must be pre-booked in advance, online only. Photography is not allowed during any part of the ceremony.
Getting there
The Tower of London is located on the north bank of the River Thames on the eastern border of the City of London. Its address is London, EC3N 4AB. An area map is here.
The closest Tube station is Tower Hill, a 5-minute walk, served by the District and Circle Line. Aldgate, Aldgate East, Tower Gateway, Monument, Bank, London Bridge and Fenchurch Street are all witjin a 15-minute walk.
By mainline rail, it’s 10 to 15 minutes from London Bridge, around 20 minutes from Liverpool Street and about 25 minutes from Charing Cross. All the major hop-on-hop-off bus routes stop here as well
A special way to arrive at the Tower of London is by boat (included in the London Pass and London Explorer Pass). A river pass allows you to hop on and off for 24 hours at any of London’s main destination piers, including Westminster, Greenwich, the London Eye and the Tower. I have done this as a local, and it is a wonderful way to explore London’s main attractions.
A black cab or minicab will get you there in comfort (Uber and Bolt both operate in London), and if you’re looking for a cab afterwards, there are usually some waiting near the Starbucks by the entrance, just past Traitors’ Gate on the riverbank. Don’t rule out walking either. It’s a scenic 20-minute stroll from The Shard, and St Paul’s Cathedral is about the same distance in the other direction.
Practical information
Opening times shift with the season, with doors opening between 9am and 10am and closing between 4.30pm and 5.30pm. Last admission is an hour before closing, and the Tower is shut from 24 to 26 December. Check the current schedule before you travel, since planned closures do happen.
Toilets, including accessible ones, and baby-changing facilities are available across the site, along with a buggy park near the White Tower and the Middle Drawbridge (the cobbles here are not pushchair-friendly).
Free WiFi covers the whole complex, but there’s nowhere to store luggage, and large bags aren’t allowed in.
Wheelchair access is limited given the age of the building, with steps, cobbles and low doorways throughout, though there are measures in place to help. Carers accompanying disabled visitors get in free with proof of registered disability, arranged on the day.
Eating options are limited. The New Armouries Café is reasonably priced and does a decent plate of fish and chips – one of the foods that you must try in London – alongside sandwiches, soup and cakes, plus a children’s menu. A few kiosks around the site sell snacks but aren’t always open midweek.
Bringing your own picnic is often the better plan, and there’s a good spread of sandwich shops, including Pret, Paul’s and Starbucks, near the main entrance.
Photography is allowed everywhere except the Jewel House and the Chapel of St John inside the White Tower. Warders are generally happy to be photographed, but ask first. Tripods and selfie sticks need prior arrangement with the conservation team.
Thank you for reading my Tower of London tips
The Tower of London isn’t cheap, but as a UNESCO World Heritage Site where kings and queens once wielded real power, it’s a must-see.
If Tudor history has got its hooks into you, a day trip to Hever Castle, Anne Boleyn’s childhood home, is a natural next step.
Finally, if you have found this article helpful, take a look at some of my other articles on top attractions in London:
- Visiting the Sky Garden, London
- How to Visit The Shard for Free
- Tate Modern vs Tate Britain: Which is the Best London Tate Gallery?
- 35 Epic Things To Do Alone In London
- 30 Famous Streets in London You’ll Love
About Bridget
Bridget Coleman is a Londoner and has been a passionate traveller for more than 30 years. She has visited 70+ countries, most as a solo traveller.
Articles on this site reflect her first-hand experiences.
To get in touch, email her at hello@theflashpacker.net or follow her on social media.