Learn the rich history of the Tower of London

The Tower of London...a World Heritage site that spans over 900 years of royal history and is an icon of London. An essential destination for every visitor to the capital. The spectacular Crown Jewels are just one of the highlights.

Throughout its long history the Tower has served as a royal palace and fortress, prison and place of execution, an arsenal, royal mint, menagerie and jewel house. Today, London's great royal fortress is home to some of the most potent symbols of British history - the Yeoman Warders, Ravens and Crown Jewels. The Tower is also home to the Royal Armouries collection which includes Henry VII.

Your ticket includes access to the Tower plus Yeoman Warder guided tour and talk, live historical re-enactments, Whiter Tower tour, children's activity trails, entry to the Henry VII: Dressed to Kill exhibit, Prisoners of the Tower exhibition and much more!

Schedule
Summer
March 1 to October 31
~ Tuesday through Saturday 9:00 am - 5:30 pm
~ Sunday & Monday 10:00 am - 5:30 pm

Winter
November 1 to February 28
~ Tuesday through Saturday 9:00 am - 4:30 pm
~ Sunday & Monday 10:00 am - 4:30 pm

Tower is closed January 1, December 24 - 26.

What to See

Jewel House
The Jewel House occupies the whole of the ground floor of the Waterloo Barracks. The western half contains a 'Hall of Monarchs' in the style of St. George's Chapel in Windsor, and three video theatres showing parts of the 1953 Coronation and high definition pictures of the Regalia. The videos last 2-3 minutes each and there is no commentary to the videos, although background music is played for the duration. The eastern half is the Treasury, containing the Crown Jewels.

The Chapel of St. Peter Ad Vincula
Only accessed as part of a Yeoman Warder Tour
Tudor Chapel contains monuments to residents of the Tower, and also its prisoners, including those executed on Tower Green.

The Constable Tower
As part of the Fortress experience, the Constable Tower now contains a model the reconstructs the Tower of London in the middle of the Peasants' Revolt, 1381. From the scene of the break-in to the execution of the Archbishop of Centerbury, Simon Sudbury, the Constable Tower tells the story of the only time the royal fortress was ever breached.

White Tower
The Stone Keep, built on the orders of William the Conqueror as a fortress and palace, now houses part of the collection of the Royal Armouries. There are four floors of displays and some remaining features of the Normal palace, including the chapel, well, fireplace and lavatories (garderobes).

Dressed to Kill: Henry VIII Exhibit
Attention: exhibit contains flashing lights and images
A Stunning exhibit in the iconic White Tower. Come and discover a slim, handsome Henry VIII with a lust for weapons and sport. Marvel at the flexibility of his armour, take a look behind the scenes of a jousting tournament, learn about the chivalry and pageantry of the times and uncover the stories hidden in the famous painting of the Field of the Cloth of Gold.

Bloody Tower
This tower is traditionally where the 'Little Princes' were thought to have been imprisoned. The tower contains lower and upper chambers and workings for a portcullis. The chambers contain room settings and displays on Sir Walter Raleigh's imprisonment and on the disappearance of the two princes. The upper floor leads outside to Raleigh's Walk with views over the Thames.

Medieval Palace
Part of the old Royal Palace, built by Henry III and Edward I containing a reconstruction of the king's bed chamber, including three towers, Lanthorn, Wakefield and St. Thomas's. The video presentation is not audio described nor does it have BSL interpretation. Both videos have subtitles.

The Wall Walk
The is a walk around the inner wall of the Tower with views over the River Thames, the City and the rest of the castle. It passes through four wall towers; the Salt Tower has many prisoner's inscriptions; the Broad Arrow Tower; the Constable Tower and the Martin Tower, which contains the exhibition 'Crowns & Diamonds', a history of the Crown Jewels.

The Tower was known for its formidable defenses, but a rabble of peasants managed to successfully attack in 1381 - find out how they succeeded in breaching the walls. You will be watched from the battlements by a metalwork garrison. Get up close and to the life size metalwork soldiers and their weapons on the wall walks inside the Tower.

There is also a medieval shooting gallery under St. Thomas' Tower. Peer through the gate and imagine what it was like to be a medieval soldier working in this cramped but beautiful space.

Torture at the Tower Exhibition
The Torture at the Tower Exhibition brings together replicas of instruments of torture known to have been used at the Tower over the centuries such as the rack, the Scavenger's Daughter and manacles. Original stonework surrounding the remains of the Plantagenet kings' private entrance to their Royal Palace, the bottom of Henry III's spiral staircase to his private apartments and the large guardroom for the soldiers protecting the watergate.

The Ravens
Legend says that the kingdom and the Tower will fall if six resident ravens ever leave the fortress. It was Charles II, according to stories, who first insisted that the ravens of the Tower should be protected. This was against the wishes of his Astronomer, John Flamsteed, who complained that the ravens impeded the business of this observatory in the White Tower.

Despite having one wing clipped, some ravens do in fact go absent without leave and others have had to be sacked. Raven George was dismissed for eating television aerials, and Raven Grog was last seen outside an East End pub.

There are seven ravens at the Tower today (the required six plus one spare!). Their lodgings are to be found next to the Wakefield Tower. These magnificent birds respond only to the Ravenmaster and should not be approached too closely by anyone else.

Hotel pick up is NOT included; this order is for admission tickets only. Rates are per person in US Dollars. Please reserve online, or call us toll-free at 800-887-2860.