Tower of London

About Tower of London

The Tower of London has stood beside the River Thames for nearly a thousand years, begun by William the Conqueror in the 1070s with the stone keep now known as the White Tower. Over the centuries it has served many roles at once: royal palace, fortress, armory, treasury, and one of the most notorious prisons in English history. It was never a single tower but a walled complex of buildings, battlements, and wards, and a lot of what makes it interesting is how those different purposes pile up on the same ground.

The main draw for most visitors is the Crown Jewels, held in the Jewel House and still used in royal ceremonies today. Elsewhere you can walk the medieval palace rooms, climb the White Tower for its collection of royal armor, and see Tower Green, where a handful of prisoners, including two of Henry VIII's queens, were executed. The Yeoman Warders, often called Beefeaters, live on site and lead free guided tours included with entry; they are a good way to get the stories and the geography of the place straight early in your visit. The resident ravens, kept by a long-standing superstition that the kingdom falls if they ever leave, are usually somewhere near the green.

Plan on roughly two to three hours, more if the Crown Jewels line is long, which it often is in summer and around midday. The nearest Underground station is Tower Hill, a short walk away, and Tower Bridge sits right next door if you want to combine the two. Entry is paid and a timed ticket helps you skip the longest queues, so booking ahead is worth it in peak season.