Tower of London

What it is

The Tower of London is a working fortress on the north bank of the Thames that has been a castle, a royal palace, an armoury, a mint, a menagerie, a prison and a place of execution, and is now the vault of the Crown Jewels. Its core is the White Tower, raised by William the Conqueror in 1078 and possibly unfinished at his death in 1087 — a Norman keep planted inside the Roman city wall to hold London rather than to defend it. The concentric castle around it is the work of two later kings: Richard I dug the moat and created the inner ward between 1189 and 1199, and Edward I built the outer ward and rebuilt the moat in a remodelling running from 1275 to 1285. Henry III's palatial building in the innermost ward sits between them. The Tower became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. It is cared for by Historic Royal Palaces, an independent charity that receives no ongoing government funding, which is why admission is charged here and not at the national museums a few stops west.

Checked 2026-08-26 · Source

What's inside

One ticket covers the whole fortress, and Historic Royal Palaces lists what that means: the Crown Jewels, the Ravens, the public outside areas, the Moat in summer only, Tower Green, the White Tower including the Line of Kings, Armoury in Action and St John's Chapel, the Medieval Palace, the Battlements, the Bloody Tower, the Torture at the Tower exhibition, and whatever seasonal programming is running. The Fusiliers Museum and the Royal Mint exhibition are also inside the ticket. The Yeoman Warder tour is included subject to availability, and it is the single best-value hour on the site — a guided walk led by a serving Yeoman Warder rather than an audio track. Audio guides in a choice of languages are a paid add-on bought with the ticket. Historic Royal Palaces notes that conservation work is currently reducing access to some rooms and routes, so a visitor with one specific tower in mind should check before travelling. Toilets are in the Brick Tower behind the Jewel House, the Salt Tower and the Cradle Tower, with a Changing Places facility in the New Armouries building.

Checked 2026-08-26 · Source

How long to spend

Allow three hours. Historic Royal Palaces recommends "allowing up to two or three hours for the best experience", and three is the right end of that range for anyone who intends to queue for the Crown Jewels and take the Yeoman Warder tour rather than choose between them. The tour is the hard constraint on the day's shape: the last Yeoman Warder tour included in the ticket sets off at 14.00, so an afternoon arrival after two has already lost it. Last entry is 16.30 and the buildings close at 17.30, which leaves a visitor arriving at last entry one hour inside a site that wants three. The Tower also refuses re-entry — the admission ticket is valid for one entry only — so a lunch break outside the walls ends the visit. Plan to eat on site or to eat before arriving.

Checked 2026-08-26 · Source

Season and crowds

Historic Royal Palaces states that the Tower of London is quieter in the afternoons, after midday. That advice runs against the usual instinct to arrive at opening, and it collides with the 14.00 last Yeoman Warder tour, so the sweet spot for a visitor who wants both a thinner crowd and the tour is roughly midday to half past one. Hours are published date by date rather than as a fixed weekly pattern, and they change through the year: for the week commencing 24 August 2026 the calendar showed 09:00 to 17:30 every day, Monday to Sunday, with last entry at 16:30. Check the calendar for the actual date before travelling. Two named closures were published at the time of writing: the Middle Tower is shut on 1 and 2 September 2026, with visitors entering instead over the Middle Drawbridge. Gun salutes are a separate disruption — they take place at 13.00 and consist of 62 rounds, the Wharf closes at least an hour beforehand, and the 13.00 Yeoman Warder tour is cancelled on salute days, resuming at 13.30.

Checked 2026-08-26 · Source

Tickets

Admission is charged, and Historic Royal Palaces publishes two columns for every ticket type: a base price and a price including an optional ten per cent donation. The base adult rate, age 18 to 64, is £37.00, or £40.70 with the donation. A child aged 5 to 15 is £18.50 and must be accompanied by an adult; children aged 0 to 4 go free and need no ticket. Young people aged 16 to 17 pay the child rate of £18.50. Seniors aged 65 and over, full-time students aged 18 and over, and disabled visitors pay £29.50, and a disabled visitor's carer or companion is admitted free. Groups of fifteen or more pay £34.10 per person. There is a £1.00 ticket for people receiving Universal Credit and other named benefits. Membership starts from £65 a year for unlimited entry and needs no pre-booking. Tickets can be bought on the day at the ticket office, but Historic Royal Palaces advises booking online in advance during holidays and other busy periods.

Checked 2026-08-26 · Source

Getting there

Tower Hill Underground station is a five-minute walk and is the obvious approach: it is served by the District and Circle lines and has step-free access to street level. Historic Royal Palaces gives its own walking times from the alternatives — 10 to 15 minutes from Monument, Bank, Aldgate and Aldgate East, 10 to 15 minutes from London Bridge and Fenchurch Street, 20 minutes from Liverpool Street and 25 minutes from Charing Cross. River boats stop at Tower Pier, which is next to the Tower entrance and connects to piers including Westminster and London Eye, making the Thames a genuinely practical link between this site and the Westminster cluster rather than a sightseeing detour. Buses 15, 42, 78, 100, 343 and RV1 stop nearby. There is no on-site parking and Tower Hill is a vehicle-free zone; the nearest options are Tower Hill Coach and Car Park two minutes away at 50 Lower Thames Street, and Minories car park ten minutes away. The Tower sits inside the Congestion Charging Zone.

Checked 2026-08-26 · Source

What to watch out for

Historic Royal Palaces is blunt about the queue: the Tower is a fortress with limited entry points, there is no fast-track option of any kind, and an element of queuing is to be expected on most days. Every visitor undergoes a bag check before admission, and popular exhibitions can generate a second queue once inside. There is no left luggage and no bag storage anywhere on site — suitcases, large bags and any rolling luggage are refused at the gate, and belongings must be kept with the visitor at all times. Anyone arriving between trains needs to solve that before reaching Tower Hill. The single-entry rule bites harder here than at most sites, because the fortress is large enough that a visitor may want to step out and does not get back in. Dogs are not permitted on site or in the palace gardens unless they are trained assistance dogs. There is no on-site car park, including for Blue Badge holders, though allocated bays exist at Tower Hill Coach and Car Park nearby.

Checked 2026-08-26 · Source

Photography

Non-commercial photography without flash is welcome in most of the palace, with three named exceptions where it is not allowed at all: the Jewel House, the Martin Tower, and some temporary exhibitions. The Jewel House ban is the one that surprises people — the Crown Jewels are the reason many visitors come, and there will be no photograph of them. Additional items or images may be signposted as not to be photographed, and staff will confirm on request. Tripods and selfie sticks are prohibited throughout. Commercial photography, filming and even sketching require advance arrangement with the Historic Royal Palaces press team, and wedding photography is excluded. What remains is generous: the White Tower from Tower Green, the Battlements looking out over Tower Bridge, and the ravens, which are inside the ticket and photographable. The Wharf, open daily 07:00 to 19:00 unless posted otherwise, gives the exterior view of the curtain wall and moat without needing a ticket at all.

Checked 2026-08-26 · Source

Where it is

• 45 min

  3 min walk · London Borough of Tower Hamlets

  Portion Of Old London Wall

  • Historic monument
• 1 hour

  3 min walk · London Borough of Tower Hamlets

  Compass

  • Art and culture venue
• 1 hr 15 min

  4 min walk · London Borough of Tower Hamlets

  Tower Bridge

  • Must see
  • Historic monument

External links

• Official site
• View on Wikidata