Tower of London: the fortress, the jewels and the ravens
William the Conqueror built a castle here to hold London down, and the kings after him kept adding to it. It has been a palace, a mint, a zoo, an armoury and the country's most feared prison, and it still guards the Crown Jewels.
- Tickets
- From £38
- Open
- 9:00 to 17:30 in the week it was checked
- Closed
- See the Tower's calendar
- Allow
- 2½ to 3½ hours
London this week
What to see at the Tower of London
The Crown Jewels
In the Jewel House: the crowns, orbs and sceptres used at coronations, among them the Imperial State Crown and the sceptre set with the largest clear cut diamond in the world. A moving walkway carries you past the cases.
The White Tower
The Norman keep, with walls more than four metres thick. Inside are the royal armours, Henry VIII's among them, and on an upper floor the Chapel of St John, plain round arches of the eleventh century.
A Yeoman Warder tour
The Beefeaters lead tours from near the entrance through the day, and they are included in the ticket. The stories are of executions and escapes, told by someone who lives here.
Tower Green and the chapel
A quiet lawn with a memorial on the place where seven prisoners, three of them queens, were put to death in private. Their bodies lie in the Chapel Royal of St Peter ad Vincula beside it.
The ravens
At least six ravens are kept at the Tower, on a legend that the kingdom will fall if they leave. They have names, a keeper called the Ravenmaster, and the run of the lawns.
Traitors' Gate and the Bloody Tower
The water gate through which prisoners were brought in by boat from the river, and above it the tower where the two princes were held and where Raleigh spent thirteen years.
Tickets and tours for the Tower of London
Sold by GetYourGuide
London: Tower of London and Crown Jewels Exhibition Ticket
Entry to the Tower of London with the Crown Jewels, the White Tower and a Yeoman Warder tour.
Included
- Entry to the Tower of London and the Crown Jewels
- The White Tower, the wall walk and the Bloody Tower
- A tour with a Yeoman Warder, when one is running
More tickets and tours in London
Visiting the Tower of London: hours and admission
Opening hours
- Wednesday 7 October 2026, the day this was read
- 9:00 to 17:30, last entry 16:30
- The Tower publishes its hours a date at a time. It opens later on some days and closes earlier in winter: choose your date on its calendar.
- The last Yeoman Warder tour that day left at 15:15. The 13:00 tour is cancelled on days of a gun salute.
- The Chapel Royal of St Peter ad Vincula is a working chapel and can close for services.
Who gets in free
- A carer or companion who comes with a disabled visitor: the Tower's site explains how to get the ticket.
Getting there
- Tube
- Tower Hill (District, Circle), five minutes on foot down the hill.
- DLR
- Tower Gateway, five minutes on foot.
- River
- Tower Pier is at the foot of the walls, served by the river buses and the sightseeing boats from Westminster.
Address
Tower of LondonTower Hill
London EC3N 4AB, United Kingdom
Entrances
The way in is on the west side, by the Middle Tower, down the slope from Tower Hill station. A ticket bought online is shown at the gate. Bags are searched. The wharf between the walls and the river is open without a ticket.
On the map
Before you go
- Go to the Crown Jewels first, as soon as the gates open. By late morning the queue for the Jewel House is the longest in the Tower.
- Then join a Yeoman Warder tour. It lasts about an hour, costs nothing more, and the last one leaves in mid-afternoon.
- Allow two and a half to three and a half hours. Almost everything is up stairs and across cobbles: wear flat shoes.
- The wall walk, along the top of the inner wall from tower to tower, has the best views of Tower Bridge and far fewer people.
- Tower Bridge is five minutes' walk from the exit, and the two fit well into one day.
A castle to hold London down
The White Tower, the great square keep in the middle, was begun about 1078 on the orders of William the Conqueror, twelve years after he took England. Two rings of walls and towers were built round it in the thirteenth century, and the plan has hardly changed since. It has been a World Heritage Site since 1988.
For five hundred years the Tower was where the Crown put the people it feared. Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard and Lady Jane Grey were beheaded on the green inside the walls. Thomas More, Walter Raleigh and Guy Fawkes were all held here, and two young princes went into the Bloody Tower in 1483 and were not seen again.
It is still a working fortress. The Crown Jewels are worn at coronations and the opening of Parliament and return here afterwards. The Yeoman Warders, the Beefeaters, are retired soldiers who live inside the walls with their families and lock the gates every night in a ceremony seven hundred years old.
Tower of London: common questions
- What are the opening hours of the Tower of London?
- Wednesday 7 October 2026, the day this was read: 9:00 to 17:30, last entry 16:30. The Tower publishes its hours a date at a time. It opens later on some days and closes earlier in winter: choose your date on its calendar. The last Yeoman Warder tour that day left at 15:15. The 13:00 tour is cancelled on days of a gun salute. The Chapel Royal of St Peter ad Vincula is a working chapel and can close for services.
- Is the Tower of London ever free?
- A carer or companion who comes with a disabled visitor: the Tower's site explains how to get the ticket.
- What does the ticket include?
- Entry to the Tower of London and the Crown Jewels. The White Tower, the wall walk and the Bloody Tower. A tour with a Yeoman Warder, when one is running. It is sold by GetYourGuide.
- Are the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London real?
- Yes. The crowns, orbs and sceptres on show in the Jewel House are the ones used at coronations and at the State Opening of Parliament. When a piece is in use, a card in its case says so.
- How long does a visit to the Tower of London take?
- Allow two and a half to three and a half hours for the Crown Jewels, the White Tower, a Yeoman Warder tour and a walk along the walls.
- Is a Beefeater tour included in the ticket?
- Yes. The Yeoman Warders lead tours through the day from near the main entrance, and there is nothing more to pay. A tour lasts about an hour.
What visitors say about the Tower of London
Rating from Google
More to see in London
The British Museum
Westminster Abbey
The National Gallery
London Eye
Tate Modern
St Paul's Cathedral
Tower Bridge
Victoria and Albert Museum
Things to do near the Tower of London
The nearest of this site's best things to do in the city. Distances are in a straight line.
- 9Walk the glass floor of Tower Bridge300 m awayMonument, 1 to 1.5 hours, ticket, bridge free to cross
- 15Look down on London from The Shard850 m awayMonument, 1 to 1.5 hours, ticket
- 17Eat your way round Borough Market1.0 km awayWalk, 1.5 to 3 hours, free to walk, pay for what you eat
- 7See modern art in a power station at Tate Modern1.6 km awayMuseum, 2 to 3 hours, free
Where to eat near the Tower of London
The nearest of the famous tables this site lists in London. Distances are in a straight line.
- The George Inn4.3Coaching inn, Southwark1.1 km away
- Sweetings4.5Fish restaurant, City of London1.3 km away
- M.Manze4.6Pie and mash shop, Bermondsey1.4 km away
- E. Pellicci4.8Café, Bethnal Green2.2 km away
Hotels near the Tower of London
The five-star hotels closest to it, of those this site lists in London. Distances are in a straight line.
- Four Seasons Hotel London at Ten Trinity Square4.7Five-star hotel, Tower Hill, facing the Tower of London300 m away
- Shangri-La The Shard, London4.6Five-star hotel, London Bridge850 m away
- The Ned4.5Five-star hotel, Poultry, by the Bank of England1.2 km away
- Rosewood London4.7Five-star hotel, High Holborn3.1 km away