Tower of London: Full Visitor Guide

For nearly 1,000 years the Tower of London has been a royal palace, a prison, an armoury, a treasury and, today, the home of the Crown Jewels. It's the most visited paid attraction in England, and for good reason — few places pack this much history into one site. Here's what to know before you go.

Opening Hours

The Tower is open Tuesday to Saturday from 9:00am, and Sunday and Monday from 10:00am. Closing time is 5:30pm from March to October and 4:30pm from November to February, with last entry an hour before closing. It's closed on 24–26 December and 1 January, and hours can shift for special events, so it's worth checking the official schedule close to your visit date.

Ticket Prices

Adult tickets booked online start from around £37. Children aged 5–17 pay around £18.50, and under-5s go free. Concessions (65+, students and disabled visitors with valid ID) are around £29.50, and family tickets are available for further savings. Booking online in advance is both cheaper and faster than buying at the gate, and if you're planning to see several major sights, a combined attraction pass can bring the per-attraction cost down further.

What's Included

A standard ticket covers every public area: the Crown Jewels exhibition, the White Tower, the Medieval Palace, the Bloody Tower, the battlements and Wall Walk, and the free Yeoman Warder ("Beefeater") guided tours that run throughout the day from the main entrance (last tour around 2:30pm) — genuinely one of the best free tours in London, full of dry humour and grim history in equal measure.

Getting There

The nearest station is Tower Hill (District & Circle lines), a couple of minutes' walk away. Tower Gateway on the DLR is another option, and river boats also stop nearby if you'd rather arrive by water.

Tips for Visiting

• Arrive at opening to beat the crowds to the Crown Jewels — the queue builds fast by mid-morning.
• The Yeoman Warder tour is free with your ticket and worth prioritising early in your visit.
• Allow at least three hours to see the site properly — it's larger and denser than it looks from outside.
• Tower Bridge is a five-minute walk away and pairs naturally with a Tower of London morning.
• The site has cobbles, stairs and low doorways in places — wheelchair access is limited in parts of the historic buildings.

Prices and hours are correct as of publication but change periodically — always check the official Historic Royal Palaces site before booking.