How to Book Tower of London Tickets + 8 Useful Tips to Know!

With a tumultuous past and lots of stories that give us the chills even now, this attraction is one of London’s most important landmarks! If you’re getting ready for an unforgettable visit, then stick around for a while.

In this super detailed guide on how to buy the best Tower of London tickets, you’ll find all the details you need regarding ticket types, prices, discounts and tours! I’ve searched the web and compared all the options so you can find the most convenient one!

Once you finish with the first section, make sure you also check the second part of the post, it has some super useful things to know before you buy your tickets.

Well, it looks like today we’ve got lots of things to talk about!

Let’s hit the road!

Quick Picks for Your Stay

If you are here just to get your tickets, here are the best links to do so:

• Refundable tickets – £29.9 GetYourGuide
• Family ticket – £52 (1 Adults + 3 Kids)
• Discounted ticket – £14.9 for kids

	Adult Entrance	Kids Entrance	Family Pass*	Guided Tour	Cancelation Policy
Official Website	£29.9	£14.9	£52	Included	No refund	Book tickets
GetYourGuide	£29.9	£14.9		Included	>24-hour free cancellation	Book tickets
Klook	£29.9	£14.9		Included	>24-hour free cancellation	Book tickets

*You can get different family tickets depending on how many members you’re bringing. In the table above I only added the tickets for 1 Adult + up to 3 Kids, if you’re looking for other options and more details check out section #1 where I talk about all the tickets.

Get your tickets to the Tower of London

1. Different types of Tower of London tickets

Preparing your list of things to do while you’re staying in London? I know the Tower is undoubtedly among the top ones, and how could it not be since the UNESCO World Heritage Site has played such a vital role through the centuries? 

Buying your Tower of London tickets should be easy peasy after reading my super detailed post, of that I’m sure!

All ticket access:

All the tickets give you access to most parts (except a few that are closed for the public), some activities, and exhibitions of the Tower, and these include:

• The Crown Jewels
• Yeoman Warder tours
• The Ravens
• The White Tower
• The Line of Kings
• Tower Green and Scaffold Site
• The Bloody Tower
• Torture at the Tower Exhibition
• Fortress
• Medieval Palace
• Armory in Action
• The Fusilier Museum
• Imprisonment at the Tower Exhibition  

FUN FACT: The ravens that sit at the Tower of London are known as the guardians of the place

Entry times:

Unlike other attractions, the Tower of London doesn’t always have specific time slots. It’s only on certain days that they give the option to pick a time slot.

I contacted them to find out exactly which days require you to book and entrance time but all they could tell me is that they do this when they know they’ll get many visitors (usually during summer time, bank holidays, school holidays)

So if you visit on one of the days with time slots, you’ll have to pick one between 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM, (the last time you can enter the Tower). Each slot is 30 min, so that’s the time you have to present your ticket and enter the attraction.

NOTE: If you miss your time slot then the staff will try to get you in on the next one (without having to pay a fee) but chances are that the other ones may be fully booked (especially during peak times) so it’s possible to miss your entire visit. That’s why it’s important to arrive within that 30 min slot.  

For the days when they’re not operating on a time slot schedule, you can just buy your ticket in advance for that day and then go there any time during the working hours!

1.1 General Entry Tower of London tickets

These tickets will grant you entrance to the Tower of London and to all the exhibitions and activities that I mentioned above. One of the main activities that is included in your ticket is the Yeoman Warder tour, which is the only live guided tour the official website offers. And I’ll talk more about it in section #2.

Fun Fact: The Crown Jewels are the most viewed objects in the UK and they have been locked away in the Tower of London ever since the 1600

You can buy your general entry ticket from the official website, but there’s one thing that you should know, they are non-refundable! Don’t worry though, because GetYourGuide sells the same tickets at the same price, but with a much better cancellation policy!

If you buy the tickets from their website, you can cancel 24h before your visit and still get a full refund back! That sounds like a good deal to me, so I’d definitely recommend getting your tickets from GetYourGuide when buying in advance. Once you’ve purchased your ticket, you’ll get a confirmation email with your ticket. There’s no need to print it out, you can simply show it on your phone at the gate!

PRICE: £30

Get your Tower of London tickets

1.2 Family Tickets

Finding the best deals when you’re traveling with your family is difficult at times, but don’t worry you’ll find all the details you need to buy the most convenient Tower of London tickets.

There are 2 different bundles that you can pick depending on how many members you’re bringing and you will save up to £23 per family with both options. You can find them either on the official website (non refundable) or on Tiquets (refundable for an additional cost).

• 1 Adult + up to 3 Kids = £52
• 2 Adults + up to 3 Kids = £82

As I mentioned, if you buy these through the official website the tickets are non refundable.  However if you are not 100% sure you will make your chosen date, I recommend buying them through Tiquets instead, as they offer a 24h cancellation policy for an additional 12% of the price. So you’ll pay £9 extra for the 5 member ticket, or £6 for the 4 member ticket.

Although you’ll pay the extra few pounds at least you’ll know for sure that you’ll get the money back if you can’t make it.

Book a family ticket to the Tower of London

1.3 Ceremony of the Keys tickets

If you’re one who loves good old traditions then you might be interested in this!

The Ceremony of the Keys is an old tradition and it basically shows how the guards lock up the Castle. Nevertheless, since it’s so old and it hasn’t been changed for centuries, the ceremony is very important.

Fun Fact: The Ceremony of the Keys is one of the oldest military rituals still active

This ticket does not give you access to the regular parts of the Tower of London as it takes place outside of open hours but instead is performed daily at the main gates from 9:30 PM to 10:05 PM. You can only buy the tickets online, in advance for £5.

NOTE: It’s super important to get these ones in advance because they don’t sell them at the door! Also they’re super popular and usually sell out 1 month in advance!

Fun Fact: The keys of the Tower were stolen in 2012 by an intruder who broke in. Luckily they didn’t open any of the important places!

PRICE: £5

1.4 The Gunpowder Plot Tickets

Who doesn’t love a bit of an adrenaline rush? With all the mad stories that the Tower of London has gathered over the centuries, you can be sure there’s definitely a whole vibe when you come here.

The Gunpowder Plot of 1605 is actually a real story that involves the famous Guy Fawkes and other Catholic conspirators who wanted to blow up the Parliament and kill king James I.

This super fun activity offers visitors the chance to go down into the Tower Vaults (which are located near the Tower not inside of it) and enjoy a few hours of live action, combined with virtual reality, that makes you feel as if you’ve time-traveled back to the 1600s when the original Gunpowder Plot happened!

The event takes place from Thursday through Sunday from 1:00 PM to 7:30 right next to the Tower of London.

NOTE: Since this is a separate activity, Tower of London tickets are not included in the price.

There are different types of tickets that you can get:

• Standard: £40 – £70
• For Children (under 16): £10 saving
• VIP Tickets: £90 – £110

PRO TIP: The prices change depending on availability so the earlier you book, the cheaper the tickets will be!

NOTE: Please know that this is a 12a rated event which means is not suitable for children under 12 years old.

You can buy your tickets from here and I advise you to do it in advance since they sell pretty quickly!

2. Take the famous Yeoman Warder Tour

The Tower of London doesn’t offer any official guided tours of the whole grounds (but they do have audio guides, which I’ll talk about in the important things to know section).

Instead, they do offer these quick talk tours which last between 30 and 45 min made by the Yeoman Warders (also known as ‘Beefeaters’), the Royal bodyguards!

Fun Fact: The Beefeaters and their Families actually Live in the Tower of London

These quick tours are included in the entrance ticket, so you don’t have to pay any extra money to participate!

The tours take place every 30 min between 10am – 3:30pm, right near the main entrance of the Tower of London which you’ll find at Byward Tower.

During the tour the royal guards will take you around the outdoor areas of the Tower while telling you fascinating stories on the attraction’s history, and how over time it served as a fortress, palace and prison. Plus some things on who was executed here and why!

NOTE: These tours can’t be booked in advance, but since they’re every 30 min you should manage to get a spot either when you arrive or after half an hour.

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3. Combo tickets & tours

If you’re not one who likes planning, and buying tickets for each attraction you want to visit in London, then I’ve got a great solution for you! I’ve looked around and found 2 awesome combo tickets and 1 combo tour that I’m sure you’ll love!

Combo tickets

Save a few pounds and visit some of the most important attractions in London! I’ve done all the calculations below so you’ll know how much you’ll save for each one:

Tower of London + Hampton Court Palace + Kensington Palace: £53 

Individual prices: 30 + 26 + 20 = 76 – 53: You save £23

Tower of London + Tower Bridge Tickets: £39 

Individual prices: 30 + 11 = 41 – 39: You save £2

Full day combo tour

If you want to fit a bunch of the main London attractions into one day but you don’t want to be stressed by all the planning, I found this really cool day tour that will take you to 3 of the most iconic things to do in one day.

For £85 you’ll get to explore the beautiful St. Paul Cathedral along with a guide and visit the famous Tower of London, then you can enjoy a cruise on the Thames to end your day perfectly.

I think that’s pretty amazing for entrance tickets to 3 attractions, a tour guide all day and of course a bus that will take you to each place!

Book a full day tour

4. London City Pass – Is it worth it?

If you’ve checked any of our posts on how to buy tickets for other famous attractions like St. Paul’s Cathedral or Kensington Palace on your quest to get ready for this unforgettable holiday in London, then you’ve seen that I mentioned the London Pass.

For anyone who doesn’t know, the London Pass is 1 big ticket that offers access to many attractions in the city, and usually a discount, depending on how many attractions you see in a certain number of days.

Fun Fact: Originally the Tower was a Royal Palace and defensive fortress, built by William The Conqueror, not a prison.

If this is the first time you’re hearing about it, then I’m sure you’re like wow, I want to do this for every city I’m visiting. But it’s important to remain super aware that sometimes these passes have a really good marketing team, and they don’t really benefit you.

That’s why it’s important to do all the calculations, which can take you a while. But you’re in luck because I’ll help you with that today. So let’s find out if the London Pass is worth it!

Depending on how long you’re in town you can buy different passes from 1 to 7 or 10 days of validity:

Check out all the adult prices below:

• 1 Day Pass: £71
• 2 Days Pass: £93
• 3 Days Pass: £110
• 4 Days Pass: £125
• 5 Days Pass: £136
• 6 Days Pass: £141
• 7 Days Pass: £145
• 10 Days Pass: £159

The London Pass offers access to 86 attractions, which is a lot! So I’d thought I’d narrow down the list to only a few attractions that I think you should definitely see and show you their general entrance price if you bought them all separately:

• Tower of London – £29
• Kensington Palace – £20
• St Paul’s Cathedral – £18
• Westminster Abbey – £25
• Buckingham Palace – £30
• Royal Botanic Gardens – £20
• Shakespeare’s Globe Theater – £17
• The Shard – £28
• Hampton Court Palace – £26
• London Zoo – £36
• Windsor Castle – £27
• Royal Observatory Greenwich – £16

So the main question is how many attractions can you see and in how many days?

I did all the calculations and I’d recommend buying the 5 days pass. That’s how much you’ll need to visit all the attractions I mentioned above without having to hurry too much. Below I’ve added all the calculations so check it out:

Tower of London (£30) + Kensington Palace (£20) + St Paul’s Cathedral (£18) + Westminster Abbey (£25) + Buckingham Palace (£30) + Royal Botanic Gardens (£20) + Shakespeare’s Globe Theater Tour (£17) + The Shard (£28) + Hampton Court Palace (£26) + London Zoo (£36) + Royal Observatory Greenwich (£16) + Windsor Castle (£27)

30+ 20 +18 + 25 + 30 + 20 + 17 +28 +26 +36 +16 + 27 = 293

You Save £157 (293 – 136 = 157)

As I said earlier the 5 day pass costs £136, which means that you’ll have to see 6+ attractions while you’re in London, for the pass to be worth your money. You can always add more days but of course, that will be more expensive.

Buy a London Pass

5. Historic Royal Palaces Membership

If you love visiting historical places and palaces and you’re planning to see a few while you’re in London then I think you may want to check out this membership!

It grants you access to the following attractions:

• Tower of London
• Hampton Court Palace
• Kensington Palace
• Banqueting House

Below you can see my calculations and how much you’d have to pay if you were to see all these attractions without the membership:

Adults: £30 (Tower of London) + £26 (Hampton Court Palace) + £20 (Kensington Palace) + £12 (Banqueting House) = £88

Kids: £15 (Tower of London) + £13 (Hampton Court Palace)  + £10 (Kensington Palace) + £12 (Banqueting House) = £50

There are 4 types of memberships that you can get, and below I’ll also add my calculations for each one to see how much you can save:

• Individual Membership – £62 (88 – 62 = 26, you save £26)
• Joint Membership (2 Adults) – £94 (176 – 94 = you save £82)
• Family 1 Adult Membership (1 adults + up to 6 kids) – £82 (350 – 82 = you save £268)
• Family 2 Adult Membership (2 adults + up to 6 kids) –  £122 (388 – 122 = you save £266)

As you can see, each membership offers quite a big difference, so check out their website if you want to buy it!

6. Buying tickets at the entrance

I usually don’t recommend buying tickets at the entrance, except for places that you know for sure don’t run out of tickets, or that don’t have really long lines.

Unlike other attractions in London like The Shard or the London Eye, the Tower of London doesn’t really get sold out. However, it’s possible to not find tickets at a specific time, during their busy periods when they work under a time-slot schedule (remember, this is not always, mostly during the summer season, school holidays, and half-term holidays).

I wanted to offer you all the information possible so I’ve reached out to them and asked about buying your tickets at the entrance and here are some things you should know:

• If you’re visiting on a day when the lines to buy tickets are long, you can just head online, buy the ticket for the next time slot and skip the ticket line
• When they operate under a time slot tickets can get sold out, but you can usually find others for a future time slot on the same day
• There is no price difference if you buy the tickets online in advance or on the day, at the gate

Fun Fact: The Tower was heavely bombed during the II World War but rebuilt after

Although it’s possible to buy your ticket at the gate, on the day, if you’re visiting during the busy periods (especially in the summer) you may have to wait a while to get it. Plus if you have any other places you want to visit in London, then you might miss them too.

I would recommend buying the tickets in advance through GetYourGuide since they offer such a good cancellation policy. At least then you can rest assured that you’ll get in at a specific time and if anything were to happen you can always cancel 24h in advance and get your money back.

Important things to know about Tower of London tickets

1. How far in advance do you need to buy your tickets

As I mentioned in the section above, the Tower of London doesn’t really sell out on tickets nor does it have super long lines that will keep you from visiting on that day. They also keep the same price if you buy the tickets on the day, online or at the gate.

Basically, you can buy your ticket at the same price, no matter when you get it. Still, if you’ve read the section below you’ll see that on busy days (during summer, school holidays, and half-term holidays) they use time slots.

On those days it’s possible to get there and have to wait for a little to get it. So if you have to be in other places on that day I would recommend buying your ticket a couple of days in advance so you can be prepared in case there’s a big turnup.

2. Opening hours & the best time to visit

Here are the opening times for the Tower of London. You can check their website, to see if there are any changes on the day of your visit:  

• Summer (March – October):
  • Mondays and Sundays: 10 AM – 5:30 PM
  • Tuesday to Saturday: 9 AM – 5:30 PM
    
• Winter (November – February):
  • Mondays and Sundays: 10 AM – 4:30 PM
  • Tuesday to Saturday: 9 AM – 4:30 PM

NOTE: Their last admission is 1h before closing time.

PRO TIP: I would recommend visiting the Tower of London as early as possible and go first to see the Crown Jewel Room, because that’s usually where everybody crowds up and stays the longest. But if you go around 9:30, you can check out all the beautiful pieces at your own pace, without lots of people behind you.

3. How to get to the Tower of London

Whether you’re coming by tube, bus or car I’m here to help you with all the details you need on how to get to the Tower of London:

• By tube – The closest station is Tower Hill Underground Station (5 min walk) which is served by the Circle and District line  
• By bus – You can stop at Tower of London Stop TA (6 min walk) if you’re coming with the 15, N15, 786, 788 and 789 buses or at Tower of London Stop TB (6 min walk) if you’re coming with the 15, 734 or N15 buses
• By car – You won’t find any on-site parking here but there is one super close (2 min walk) the Tower Hill Coach and Car Park where prices start from £4 per hour

4. Entrances to the Tower of London

To enter the Tower of London you must use the West Gate (at the Byward Tower) and exit from the middle drawbridge opposite River Thames (just around the corner from where you enter)

NOTE: There used to be 2 entrances which visitors at the Tower of London could use but now it seems that one of them is closed so don’t be confused by old information online.

5. What to bring (and not to bring)  to the Tower of London

With your mind preoccupied with so many things while you’re traveling, I’m sure you might forget a thing or 2 on what you should and shouldn’t bring when you’re visiting the Tower of London, but don’t worry, you can find all the information you need below:  

✅Tickets – You don’t have to print out your tickets, you can just scan them from your phone
✅ID – Bring with you some sort of photographic identification when visiting the Tower of London
✅Camera – You can take pictures wherever you want inside the Tower of London except inside The Jewel House and The Chapel of St. John (in the White Tower) where you’re not allowed to take any pics or videos.

❌Tripods and selfie sticks – are not allowed inside the Tower
❌No foods & drinks – Foods and drinks are not allowed inside the Tower of London
❌No large items – No large bags are allowed into the Tower of London as there are no cloakrooms or luggage facilities inside

6. Things to see inside the Tower of London

As one of the most important attractions in London the Tower hosts many incredible sites and I’m here to make sure you don’t miss any of them.

Check out this handy map and have a look at my list of the most important things you shouldn’t miss during your visit:

• The Crown Jewels: Get ready to see many diamonds and pearls that belong to the Royal Family
• The White Tower: Built in the 11th century, this tower is considered one of the most important sites inside the complex
• The Watergate: This was used to torture prisoners accused of treason in the 16th century
• The Ravens: Which are known as protectors of the Tower of London
• Tower Green: The famous place where Anne Boleyn was executed

7. Audio guides

Want to learn super fascinating facts about the Tower of London on your own? Great news, you can pre-book your audio guides (or get them on-site) and find out cool new things while you’re exploring the grounds!

If you buy your ticket in advance, you can add the audio guide right after you pick your ticket type. Otherwise, if you buy your ticket on-site then ask them for one. The audio guides cost £5 for adults, £4 for kids, and £14 for families (2 adults + up to 3 kids).

NOTE: You can bring your own headphones, they just need to be the type which plug into the handset, rather than using Bluetooth

Their audio guides are available in English, Dutch, French, German,Italian. Japanese, Korean, Chinese Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Ukrainian.

The tower of London offers different types of audio-guides, so you can pick your favorite from the list below:

• Highlights of the Tower: 2h tour on the history of the Tower of London
• Imprisonment and execution: Learn which important characters were imprisoned here throughout history
• The Medieval Palace: Find out fascinating facts about the medieval times
• The Crown Jewels: Hear some interesting information on the jewelry collection inside the Tower
• The Tower’s beginnings: Want to know who built the Tower and why? Then this one’s for you
• Life at the Tower: Hear stories on the ancient traditions that the Yeoman Warders perform every day from them
• Family tour (available only in English): A family-friendly tour on the highlights of the Tower 
• Alternative tales from the Tower (available only in English): A super interesting tour that lets you hear poetry, stories from young people about those who were imprisoned here throughout the centuries

8. Facilities inside the attraction

Toilets – You can find toilets inside the Brick Tower, Salt Tower and Cradle Tower
Accessibility – The tower of London has difficult stairs and passageways and wheelchair access is limited, however visitors can bring an accompanying carer free of charge
Wifi – There is free wifi available for all visitors at the Tower of London
Buggy parks – You can find these at the entrance to the White Tower under the wooden stairs and at Middle Drawbridge
Baby changing – You can find these in the Brick Tower ladies toilets, behind the Jewel House and in the Brick Tower accessible toilets, behind the Jewel House
Gift Shop – The Beefeater Gift Shop is located near the Byward Tower (main entrance of the Tower)
Cafe – You can find the  New Armouries Café near the Salt Tower

👩‍ Adult Price:	£30
👧 Kids Price:	£15
💲Cheapest Tickets:	Official Website
🎟️ Refundable tickets:	GetYourGuide
🎤 Yeoman Warder Tour:	Official Website
🕖 Best Time to Visit:	10 AM
📍 Location:	Tower Hamlets

FAQs about the Tower of London

Conclusion

Who needs a cup of tea or coffee after reading all this information? I definitely need 2! While you’re making one as well, I’ll do a quick recap of all the important things you should remember.

You can buy the cheapest Tower of London tickets, with a great cancellation policy from GetYourGuide. You can also buy them from the official website but know that if you can’t make it, you won’t get your money back.

In case you can’t find your preferred time slot or family bundle on these websites you can also check Viator, Headout, Klook and Tiquets (this one especially for the family tickets).

I’ve poured so much information on you that I tried to keep this recap as short as possible. However, you’ll find all the other details in the post, and if I missed anything, just drop me a comment below and I’ll sort it out for you!

Can’t wait to hear your thoughts on this intriguing attraction!

Happy Exploring,

Victoria

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