Tower of London Tickets and Tours

On the banks of the Thames, the Tower of London is one of the most famous monuments in the United Kingdom. Almost 3 million tourists visit this exceptionally well-preserved Norman medieval fortress every year. There are several ways to explore the Tower of London: if you prefer to see it at your own pace, you can buy a skip-the-line ticket, and if you want to learn more about its history and understand every corner, there are guided tours available.

The best option

Tower of London Tickets Including Crown Jewels and Beefeater Tour

Explore the interior of the Tower of London with access to the Crown Jewels

Perfect for discovering the history of this monument, from its past as a prison to its most famous treasure.

From £37 at Hellotickets

Ready to delve into one of the most fascinating and legendary places in London? With these tickets to the Tower of London, you can explore every corner of this ancient fortress at your own pace. It was once a royal palace, a prison and the setting for some of the most shocking stories in British history.

During the visit, you can see the Crown Jewels, a unique collection of crowns, sceptres and treasures that are still used in official ceremonies. From the imposing St Edward's Crown to the famous Traitors' Gate and the White Tower, the entire tour is a journey through the history of England.

Recommended if... you want to experience the legends and secrets of the Tower of London first-hand, including the opportunity to see the Crown Jewels up close.
If you prefer a different approach or a shorter tour, please let me know.

The price of admission to the Tower of London starts at £34 on Hellotickets. However, if you want your experience to be as complete as possible, you can opt for a ticket to the Tower of London with access to the Crown Jewels and a tour with a Beefeater guard, which starts at £39.

You can also combine your ticket to the Tower with other tourist activities such as a cruise, making it a package deal that includes the Tower of London, the changing of the guard and a cruise on the Thames, priced at approximately £150, or a tour of London and tickets to the Tower of London from £119.

The Tower of London is an essential and highly recommended stop on your trip to the British capital. If you decide to go, you can visit on your own or complement your visit with a tour of London or even a cruise on the Thames. Below are all the available options:

Another option is to go to the entrance and buy tickets at the ticket office. I recommend choosing the ticket that includes access to the Crown Jewels. This gives you the chance to see the glittering collection of Crown Jewels in one day or explore the site at your own pace, but you will have to wait in the long queues that form at the entrance.

You can also explore the interior with a guided tour by a real 'Beefeater' guard If you'd like to join this tour, they start every half hour and last 60 minutes. You'll tour the interior of the Tower through the intriguing stories told by the Yeomen Warders, guides dressed as the guards who once watched over the tower's prisoners and guarded the royal jewels.

As one of London's most important attractions, the Tower of London is included in several sightseeing passes, which you can find out about in this other article on London Tourist Cards. The London Pass includes everything you can visit in London in terms of cultural and historical tourism. You will have access to more than 80 attractions, and you will also save time by skipping the queues at the attractions and money by not having to pay for individual tickets for each one.

The price of the London Pass varies depending on the number of days of use. The maximum duration is 10 days, but you can customise it and pay for just 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 days. To give you an idea of how convenient it is: for example, with a 6-day London Pass for adults, which costs approximately £171, you can visit a number of attractions that would cost more than £600 if you paid for them separately.

On the other hand, if you want to see the essential London in a minimum of 4 days, but would also like to spice up your trip with other leisure activities, such as a visit to Madame Tussauds, the London Dungeon or the London Eye, the London Explorer Pass is your best option. With this pass, you choose the number of attractions you want to visit, avoiding long queues at each tourist attraction and saving up to 35% on tickets.

The monumental complex that encompasses the Tower of London can be overwhelming if you don't have much time for your visit, so I would like to recommend some of its essential areas.

The Tower of London is open every day of the year except 24, 25 and 26 December and 1 January.

The opening hours of the Tower of London vary throughout the year, sometimes opening from 9:00 to 16:30 and other times from 10:00 to 17:30, so I recommend checking the official website for the dates you plan to visit.

The Tower of London stands in St Katharine's & Wapping (Tower Hamlets district), above the historic and financial centre of London, the famous 'City', so it is perfectly connected to the city's public transport system. On arrival, get an Oyster Card, which you can purchase at any of the underground stations, to get around the capital quickly and cheaply:

Underground

The nearest underground station to the Tower of London is Tower Hill (District Line, Circle Line), about a 5-minute walk away. You can also take the Docklands Light Railway (DLR), as the DLR's Tower Gateway Station is right next to Tower Hill underground station.

Bus

Most of London's tourist buses, which you can access if you choose a London Pass or London Explorer Pass, stop at the Tower of London. As for city buses, you can get there by taking lines 15, 42, 78, 100 and RV1.

Train

You can also get to the Tower of London by getting off at Fenchurch Street train station, a 5-minute walk away, or London Bridge station, 15 minutes away.

Boat

There are several cruises on the River Thames, which also include the London Pass and the London Explorer Pass, and stop to visit the Tower of London. The nearest pier is Tower Pier, which can be reached by getting on at Charing Cross, Westminster and Greenwich.

In general, to get from one end of the city to the other, I recommend considering a cruise on the Thames. There are different types of cruises, which I explain in this article about 7 Best Thames River Cruises.

I must make an important note when visiting the Tower of London because, although it is an accessible place that will interest all types of travellers, you should bear in mind that access is not possible for certain visitors, such as those in wheelchairs.

However, there are several volunteers (subject to availability) to help visitors with special needs. For these visitors, there is also the possibility of access with an assistance animal and information in Braille throughout most of the attraction for blind or visually impaired visitors, as well as the possibility of hiring a sign language interpreter for deaf or hearing-impaired visitors.

There are also audio guides available for a fee to enhance your visit (around £4), a lift to access one of the most legendary parts of the attraction, 'The White Tower', and seats to rest your legs at various points around the fortress, as well as several toilets, some of which are adapted (mainly those outside the Tower).

Built in 1066, this fortress overlooking central London has truly been put to good use during its more than nine centuries of existence. It was once a terrifying prison with inhumane conditions, a place of execution for famous traitors to the Crown, and later became a royal residence.

Throughout its history, it has also been used as an armoury, the Royal Mint and treasury, and even as a place to keep the Crown Jewels and as a zoo for wild animals. There is plenty of history to discover within its walls. In fact, a tour of the entire architectural complex will take you at least three hours.

For all these reasons, the Tower of London was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988.

Thanks to the exceptional location of the Tower of London, you can take advantage of your visit to discover other important places in the city. Just 293 metres from the Tower of London, you will find City Hall, the futuristic building that houses London's City Hall, and a little further on, 343 metres away, you can walk across the city's most famous bridge, Tower Bridge.

Nearby, 569 metres from the Tower of London, you can admire the Monument to the Great Fire, a 61-metre Doric stone column representing the great fire that ravaged London in 1666 and its subsequent reconstruction.

If you're interested in naval history, you'll love the HMS Belfast (244 metres from the Tower of London), a floating museum that was once the flagship of the British Royal Navy. In this area, you'll also have the opportunity to cross London Bridge, the bridge over the River Thames that connects the City of London with the borough of Southwark.

Vicky's Traveller Tip

Take advantage of your visit to the area to go up to the incredible viewpoint of The View from the Shard, on the other side of the river.

If, in addition to the history and architecture of the famous Tower of London, you are interested in visiting other key places in English history, I invite you to read this other article I wrote about Westminster Abbey Tickets and Tours, one of the city's most iconic landmarks.

A smart way to get around the big city is by hop-on hop-off bus. Don't be put off by the idea that it's too touristy, because at the end of the day, it allows you to move quickly between the city's attractions while still enjoying the sights. I tell you all about it in the guide to London Hop-On Hop-Off Buses.