Tower of London Ticket Prices 2026: What Entry Really Costs

The Tower of London is one of the capital’s great days out — the Crown Jewels, the ravens, a thousand years of genuinely bloody history. But it’s not cheap. Here’s how much entry to the Tower of London costs in 2026, plus every legitimate way to pay less.

Standard ticket prices

Tickets are sold by Historic Royal Palaces. Book online in advance for the cheapest rates:

• Adults: around £34–£36 online (more on the door)
• Children (5–15): around £17 online
• Under 5s: free
• Concessions (students, over-65s, disabled visitors): reduced rates available

Yes, that’s real money. A family of four pays over £100. So — is it worth it, and how do you cut the cost?

Is it worth the price?

In my opinion: yes, once. The Crown Jewels alone justify it — the Imperial State Crown up close is genuinely staggering — and the free Yeoman Warder (Beefeater) tours are superb, funny and packed with stories you won’t get from the audio guide. Allow 3–4 hours minimum; rushing it in 90 minutes is a waste of £35.

If you’re weighing it against other paid attractions, check our honest breakdown of whether the London Pass is worth it — it can bundle the Tower with other sights at a discount.

Ways to pay less

1. Historic Royal Palaces membership

An annual individual membership costs around £70 and gives unlimited entry to the Tower plus Hampton Court Palace, Kensington Palace, Banqueting House and Kew’s royal kitchens. Visit the Tower twice — or the Tower plus one other palace — and you’ve broken even. If you’re a Londoner or a repeat visitor, this is a no-brainer.

2. 2-for-1 with National Rail

The Days Out Guide 2-for-1 offer covers the Tower of London: travel by train to London with a paper ticket (not Oyster/contactless) and two adults get in for the price of one. This is the single best discount available and it works for tourists too — buy a cheap rail ticket into London and flash it at the till.

3. Tesco Clubcard vouchers

Clubcard points convert to “reward partner” tokens at face value for the Tower (unlike the old triple-value days). Still, if you’ve got points sitting around, it’s effectively free entry.

4. Go late in the day

There’s no official twilight discount, but arriving after 2pm means thinner crowds at the Jewel House — the queue for the Crown Jewels can hit 45 minutes at midday in summer. Same ticket, better experience.

5. Under-5s and carers

Under-5s go free, and disabled visitors’ essential companions get in free. The Tower is also part of the Art Fund network benefits on certain passes — worth checking if you hold one.

What’s included in the ticket

• The Crown Jewels exhibition
• The White Tower (arms and armour)
• Yeoman Warder guided tours (free, several daily)
• The ravens, the Bloody Tower, the Medieval Palace
• All temporary exhibitions on the day

Not included: food and drink (the cafés are pricey — eat before you go or bring a picnic for Tower Green), and the audio guide is sometimes an extra few pounds.

Planning your visit

Book the earliest timed slot you can — the Jewel House queue builds fast. Enter via the main gate, head straight for the Crown Jewels, then join a Beefeater tour (they leave from the entrance, roughly every 30 minutes). Do the White Tower after lunch when school groups thin out. The Tower is right by Tower Bridge, so pair it with a walk along the Thames and Borough Market for lunch — a classic London day.

The bottom line

At £35 a head, the Tower of London isn’t a casual purchase — but with the 2-for-1 rail offer or an HRP membership, the effective price drops sharply. Book online, arrive early, take the Beefeater tour, and give it the half-day it deserves. It’s one of the few London attractions I’d genuinely call unmissable.

Visiting the Tower with children: tips that save the day

The Tower is brilliant for kids — armour, ravens, gruesome history — but £17 a child means you want to get it right. Take the Beefeater tour first: the Yeoman Warders are natural storytellers and pitch it perfectly for ages 7+. The stories (executions, escapes, the princes in the Tower) are gory enough to thrill without being traumatic.

Let kids try on the armour in the White Tower’s interactive areas and hunt for the ravens (there are at least six resident ravens, each with a name — the Ravenmaster does talks). The Line of Kings exhibition and the Royal Armouries displays have enough swords and cannons to occupy any child. Bring snacks — the Tower cafés are expensive and the queues at lunchtime are long. And manage expectations about the Crown Jewels queue: 30–45 minutes of shuffling in summer. Go there first thing or last thing, not midday.

Under-5s go free but will get bored after 90 minutes — plan a shorter visit. Ages 7–12 is the sweet spot: old enough for the stories, young enough to be amazed.

Tower of London FAQs

How long should I spend there? 3–4 hours minimum. Rushing it in under 2 hours wastes the ticket — there’s too much to see.

Can I take photos? Yes, everywhere except inside the Jewel House (no photography of the Crown Jewels). The White Tower and battlements are photographer’s heaven.

Is it accessible? Partially — it’s a 1,000-year-old fortress with cobbles, stairs and uneven surfaces. Wheelchair users can access the Jewel House, White Tower ground floor and some areas; the medieval wall walk is not accessible. Check the Historic Royal Palaces access pages before visiting.

Can I bring food? Yes — picnics are welcome on Tower Green and the moat area. No BBQs, obviously.

When is it least crowded? Weekday mornings right at opening (9am), or after 3pm. Avoid school holidays and summer weekends if you can — the Jewel House queue is the bottleneck.

Combining the Tower with a full day (the perfect itinerary)

The Tower deserves a half day minimum — here’s how to build the perfect day around it. 9:00: arrive at opening, head straight for the Crown Jewels (the queue is shortest in the first 30 minutes — by 11am it’s 45+ minutes). 10:00: join a Yeoman Warder tour (free, ~45 minutes, leaves from the entrance — the stories bring the stones to life). 11:00: White Tower (arms and armour — quieter late morning as tour groups move on). 12:30: lunch — bring a picnic for Tower Green, or walk 10 minutes to Borough Market (the superior option — world-class street food, 10 minutes along the Thames).

Afternoon: Tower Bridge (the glass floor walkway — £12–£15, book ahead) + Thames riverside walk to Shakespeare’s Globe or the Tate Modern (free). Total day cost: Tower (£35, or £17.50 with 2-for-1) + Tower Bridge (£13) + Borough Market lunch (£12) = £60–£75 per person for one of London’s great days. With the London Pass (see our pass analysis): Tower + Tower Bridge + river cruise can all be covered — run the numbers for your itinerary. End the day: a pint at The Mayflower in Rotherhithe (London’s oldest riverside pub, 15 minutes along the Thames Path) — the perfect full stop.