Visit the tower of London

The Tower of London is a fantastic fortress that has reached an exemplary state of conservation in relation to its long history of almost 1000 years. It is an exceptional testimony to the history of England which makes us live through its rooms, its keep, its ramparts, the various events that took place during the history of English royalty.

Tower of London

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Tower of London

The Tower of London, view of the Thames.

Useful information

Adresse

Opening hours

The opening time amplitude of the Tower of London is not that great. It opens in the morning at 9 or 10 am, depending on the day, and closes at 5.30 pm, or soon enough for a Frenchman. This is due to British habits, the days end a little earlier than in France.

Last admission at 5pm. You will then have only half an hour of visit!

Rates

There are several fares to visit the Tower of London. One tariff on the Internet, if you pay online, and another at the counter, more expensive. It is also possible to be a member of the royal palaces or to pre-pay its entrance through a map allowing the visit of several London monuments.

• Buy your ticket online
• Buy your ticket at the counter
• Becoming a member of the royal palaces
• Use the London Pass

The first two solutions are easy solutions, it's convenient and it's cheaper if you only visit the Tower of London. But as soon as you want to visit other things in London, it is better to use the London Pass. Also if you want to visit other royal palaces or return to the Tower of London several times, privilege the fact of being a member of the royal palaces, it will be much cheaper.

Buying a ticket on the Internet

The ticket price is offered with or without donation. Making a donation costs more, the surplus goes to the maintenance of the monument. You do not have any personal benefits to take "with donation" if not the satisfaction of participating in the safeguarding of the patrimony. Note that these prices date from 2017 and are not authentic. Please refer to the official website: www.hrp.org.uk for any updates.

Additional Information:

Child: 5 to 15 years inclusive. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Free under 5 years.

Adult: 16 to 60 years old inclusive.

Entitled: Students aged 16 and over, over 60, disabled visitors.

Composition of families of type 1: 1 adult and up to 3 children. Type 2: 2 adults and up to 3 children.

Purchase of a ticket at the ticket office

This is the same principle as on the Internet, with the same conditions, but much more expensive.

Use the London Pass

The London Pass is one of the best ways to visit London at an acceptable rate. It is a card to be picked up in town or sent home (if you do it in advance) that you pay for and which gives access to a visit to 70 attractions in and around London . Some attractions offer privileged access, a guide and special deals negotiated with London merchants.

The website: https://www.londonpass.fr/

Tower Bridge, Westminster Abbey, Thames Cruise, Shakespeare's Globe, HMS Belfast, a tour bus tour, etc. are among the activities on offer.

The London Pass is available in 1, 2, 3, 6 and 10 days, for adults and children, and with or without a metro transport card. Depending on the combination you want, prices vary but remain attractive compared to buying single entries. It's up to you whether you will amortize it, depending on your interests.

For rates and terms of use, please refer directly to https://www.londonpass.fr/.

Being a member of royal palaces

For casual visitors, being a member of royal palaces does not seem to be an option, and yet ...

In fact, it is simply a matter of registering and paying the right of access to the various royal palaces. One obtains then the free entry, at will in:

• The tower of London
• Hampton Court Hotel
• Banqueting House
• Kensington Palace
• Kew Palace
• Hillsborough Castle

We also have access to exclusive events, reserved Hampton rooms, news magazines, references to the history of the monarchy, etc. And all that for ... just a little over 2 times the standard price in the Tower of London. So it's not so stupid to become a member. Especially that the membership status lasts one year.

It's up to you to do the math. But for a family of 2 adults and 2 children, membership is 66 pounds, while in internet tickets you get 2 times 21.50 + 2 times 9.70, or 62.40 pounds. Less than 4 pounds of difference, to have free access to the Tower of London during your stay (even a whole year), plus free admission to the other palaces.

Do not forget to check the prices on the official website, as well as the conditions of sale: www.hrp.org.uk.

Additional Information :

Adult: 16 years and over.

Composition of families of type 1: 1 adult and up to 6 children. Type 2: 2 adults and up to 6 children.

All cards are nominative.

Terms of use

What is included in the ticket price?

When you purchase a ticket, regardless of how you purchase it, you are entitled to:

• Full access to the Tower of London,
• Entry to exhibitions, including crown jewels,
• A visit with a Yeoman Warder,
• The historical show,
• Fun activities for children.

Validity of ticket

A purchased ticket is valid for 7 days from the chosen date. So you can buy your ticket online without worrying about the exact day you want to visit, you just know you have to go there in the week.

How to retrieve the ticket purchased online?

You have two possibilities to have your ticket purchased online. It is best to print it at home. In this case, print them separately, without changing the format of the documents you will receive by email. Otherwise, you may have to return to the ticket office after waiting in line at the entrance. If you can not print the ticket by yourself, go to the ticket office with your booking voucher, you will be provided the ticket.

Note that there is no entry queue reserved for Internet ticket holders (of the "fast entry" type). Buying through the Internet only makes you pay a little cheaper but does not offer you additional services.

Book by phone

Yes, it is possible to order and pay for your ticket by phone, but this is not recommended because the payment service will charge you 2 extra pounds for this service, plus 5 cents per minute, plus the price of your telephone service provider . If you can not do otherwise, here are the telephone numbers for the booking (in english, of course):

0844 482 7799, if you are calling from the UK

+44 (0) 20 3166 6000, if you are calling from anywhere in the World

The telephone line is open from 9 am to 5 pm every day except on weekends, it stops at 2 pm

Access

Although London is not a busy city, it is better to get there either by metro (fast), or by bus (see the scenery). Here is the map of the metro, to help you:

Metro

Map of the metro

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Map of the metro

Map of the London Underground, with the tower of London indicated

The subway station is called "Tower Hill", it is on the "District" line (in green, which starts in the districts) and "Circle" (in yellow, which as the name indicates, needs a circle) . This station is in Central-East London, north of the Thames. When you leave it you will have to follow the pedestrian path that will lead you to a tunnel to cross the avenue, you will arrive on the pavement, opposite the tower of London, with a magnificent view on its ramparts. The sidewalk leads to Tower Hill Square, then to the Thames Embankment where you will see the entrance to the Tower of London.

Buses

Tour buses stop at the Tower of London, you do not have to worry about it. You just have to take the right bus as there are several tours and several companies that render its services. It is up to you to make your choice.

Taking a tourist bus is therefore a good opportunity to discover the city while visiting the most famous monuments. The stop is a stone's throw from the entrance, there you can not go wrong.

Taxi

Yes, why not, it's a convenient way to get around London. The city is little bottled, and taking a good old English cab is also part of the tour of London. He will drop you in front of the entrance for a not too high sum because the taxis in London are not that expensive.

Well, be careful not to go too far anyway ...

Standard visiting tour

In the Tower of London there are no mandatory routes, the fortress can be visited in any order. We can pass on the ramparts before going to see the towers, we can see only one element without being obliged to pass in front of others, we can not even go to see the white tower, which would still be a staggering considering its interest!

But if nothing is obligatory, one can nevertheless come out a proposal of visit which will agree for the discovery of the majority of the elements to be seen, especially the principal ones.

See a standard visiting tour.

To see at the Tower of London

The white tower

The white tower was one of the strongest of the Norman fortresses, it measures 32m by 36 on 27m of height, not counting the corner towers. According to the traditional style of a Norman castle, the north side of the White Tower was built on an existing mound and the entrance to the building was accessible only from a wooden staircase which could be removed in case attack of the enemy. The west, south and east corners of the building have square towers, while in the northern corner it is a round tower containing a spiral staircase leading up to the upper floors and in the southern corner there are a large semicircular section in which the chapel of Saint John is located. Given that the castle was to be a royal residence with some comfort, four fireplaces were added to provide heat and latrines were integrated into the walls.

Learn more about the white tower.

The chapel St John

St John is located in the southern part of the white tower on the second floor. The chapel is a marvelous example of Norman architecture built with stones imported from France (stone Caen). It has a vaulted nave and round piers that support simple arches with well-made decorations behind the altar. There are also very beautiful stained-glass windows representing the Virgin Mary and the Holy Trinity.

Much later, the jewels of the crown were placed in this chapel, in the crypt, and more precisely in a niche of the crypt, along the north wall. There were also important documents for royalty. Today, the Saint-Jean chapel is still used for various services, throughout the year.

Learn more about the chapel St John.

Exhibition "Line of Kings"

This permanent exhibition is in one of the rooms of the white tower. It shows a fantastic set of armor and royal weapons presented on pedestals or, more rarely, in showcases. Some are presented on a real-sized horse with characters representing the kings of England over the past centuries. Of course the way we present weapons has been changed several times since the beginning.

Today we can see 325 years of history through the armor of several kings, including those of King Charles I and King James II. An interesting showcase shows two armor, one of a "giant" and the other of a "dwarf". But the centerpiece of the exhibition "Line of King" is the impressive armor of King Henry VIII.

Learn more about the Exhibition "Line of Kings".

The St Thomas Tower

The function of the Tower of St. Thomas has changed over the centuries, it was originally intended to be a royal residence for King Edward I, but it was also later used as a place of detention for prisoners. The St Thomas Tower was built in the late 1270s and is known as the Tower's Medieval Palace. Now, when visitors visit the tower they see a reproduction of King Edward I's bed and generally all the period furniture. Historians have really tried to be as specific as possible. King Edward was known to travel across the country from one palace to another, so for his comfort, the room was made to travel with him. The large four-poster bed, required because it was an exceptionally large man for the time, could be disassembled and re-positioned in the various places where it was staying. In addition to the bed, the raised deck or canopy, curtains and other furniture could easily be transported by trolley from one place to another.

Located below the St Thomas Tower, a stone arch with a double door is known as the Traitor's Gate. It is the famous entry via the Thames and is the place where many prisoners were brought during their incarceration inside the Tower of London.

Learn more about the St Thomas's tower and the traitors gate.

The bloody tower

At the time when this tower was built by King Henry II in the mid-1200s, it was originally conceived as part of the castle defense line and was logically called "Tower Garden" since the view from Superior floors overlooked a garden. Over the centuries, the role of the building changed and later it was used to detain prisoners and, because of the cruel events that occurred there, it received the name "Bloody Tower" bloody ").

One of the first prisoners of this tower was Sir Walter Raleigh, he was held here during his long imprisonment and the lower part of the tower is currently furnished as it was during this period. On the upper floors, there is an exhibition telling the story of the two "Petits Princes" of the Tower and their mysterious disappearance, with their possible murder.

Learn more about the bloody tower.

Tower green

Tower Green is considered the site of the execution of two Queen of England, Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII and Catherine Howard, the fifth wife of Henry VIII. Normally, executions were made outside the Tower of London, on the "Tower Hill", the esplanade located north of the fortress, so as to receive a large crowd. The privilege of being decapitated in the privacy of Tower Green was peculiar to a person of higher rank to avoid the insults of the crowd and die with dignity.

In 2006 a contemporary memorial created by the artist Bryan Catling was erected on this site, it has the shape of a glass cushion resting on two polished discs, a glass disc with the name of ten people (seven people historically famous and three soldiers deceased on Tower Green) and the other disk is in granite with a poem whose subject is the memory.

Learn more about the memorial.

Jewels of the crown

The jewels of the crown are pieces of splendor of incredible value. They belong to the crown of England and are only really used very rarely, at the coronation of a new king or a new queen for example. Most parts have been made for a given occasion and are reused later.

The jewelry collection and really fantastic. Su a scepter may even see the world's greatest diamond.

Learn more about the Jewels of the crown.