Explore one of the world's most famous castles and immerse yourself in British history at Tower of London. William the Conqueror originally built the castle in 1066, and today it stands perfectly preserved on the north bank of the River Thames. Start your visit in the White Tower. Frequently mentioned in Shakespeare's plays, the main tower features smaller projecting corner towers that lend it a distinctive medieval appearance. Inside, you'll encounter the 11th-century Chapel of St. John the Evangelist and the Royal Armouries collection of medieval weapons. Next, head for the crown jewels exhibit, which houses 23,578 royal gems. Here you can discover how the British coronation ceremony employs specific jewels--such as the Coronation Spoon--and the symbolism of each item. The tower includes a handful of other notable exhibits, including one showing how prisoners were kept and another detailing the history of the Royal Mint. The price of your ticket includes a free tour with a Beefeater, a retired sergeant major from the British Army, so make sure you take this opportunity to hear entertaining stories from the site's history. Each evening you can watch the 800-year-old Ceremony of the Keys, when guards lock the site. If you visit in winter, you can ice-skate on the moat. Put Tower of London and other London attractions into our London online trip planner, and watch your holiday take shape.
Tours to Tower of London
Tower of London reviews
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Had a great day at The Tower of London. So much more to see & learn than I realised. Lots of History , but not boring ! Great views of the Thames, The Shard & Tower Bridge too The Beefeaters were...
Had a great day at The Tower of London. So much more to see & learn than I realised. Lots of History , but not boring ! Great views of the Thames, The Shard & Tower Bridge too The Beefeaters were... more »
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Excellent value. Arrived at 8.30 for our 9 entry and were able to see opening ceremony. Also very quiet to see crown jewels. Fascinating seeing graffiti left behind by prisoners. Friendly staff
Excellent value. Arrived at 8.30 for our 9 entry and were able to see opening ceremony. Also very quiet to see crown jewels. Fascinating seeing graffiti left behind by prisoners. Friendly staff more »
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Certainly a must see if you are traveling to London! The history of the Tower is hard to comprehend when you consider that the place is older than the United States. Lots of history to take in from the jail cells, torture machines, to the tower, the ravens, and all of the armament, weapons and cannons to see. The Tower also has the Crown Jewels on display. I would plan to arrive early if you do not wish to stand in line for extended periods to see the Crown Jewels. They are worth seeing though…especially if you want to see diamonds, emeralds and sapphires the size of golf balls. Unfortunately, photos of the jewels are not allowed or I would post some. As others have mentioned, there are a lot of stairs, narrow spiraling staircases and some narrow corridors to walk through. That said, it was certainly one of the many highlights on our London trip. I’ve seen people give estimates of time for this visit. I would say 3-4 hours is probably a good estimate (not including a long waiting time in line for jewels). We read some of the signage on displays and then just passed by others. If you are the type who reads it all, maybe longer.
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A must see for any London travelers interested in its rich history. Enjoy this amazing castle and all of its nooks of deep history. There are a lot of steps so keep this in mind. It's easy to get tickets and although there are a lot of people, it's easy to navigate throughout. Tons of amazing photo opportunities. Have fun!
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