The Tower of London is probably the most macabre of London’s landmarks. Littered with legends of bloody executions and ghostly hauntings, the historic castle is known throughout the world as a fearsome prison. Although, interestingly its primary purpose was to serve as a grand royal residence, and to this day it’s the home of the precious Crown Jewels. We’ve put together some tips to help you experience the ancient palace for yourself. Follow this guide to find out how to get your hands on cheap Tower of London tickets.
The Tower of London
Standing tall along the banks of the River Thames since 1066, the Tower of London is an iconic, intriguing and, in many ways, gruesome London landmark. Over the years, scores of political prisoners have been locked up, beheaded, hanged and executed by firing squad here. A grisly past, indeed.
When you visit the Tower of London, your ticket grants you access to lots of informative and fun exhibitions along with a slew of historic buildings. You’ll also get to see the dazzling Crown Jewels, meet the famous ravens and take a tour of the grounds with a Yeoman Warder.
Official Tower of London tickets
You can buy official Tower of London tickets online or in person at the Box Office. It’ll set you back £28.90 for an adult ticket.
Kids under five go free, children aged 5-15 can get a ticket for £14.40 while students, visitors with disabilities and over 65s can purchase a concessions ticket for £23.10.
If you are a parent of three children aged 5-15 then there is value in the family saver tickets. One adult and three children costs £43.30 while two adults and three children costs £72.20. Both of these deals will save you £28.80.
The official tickets offer a simple solution. But we don’t recommend paying full-price. There are discounts to be had elsewhere!
Cheap Tower of London tickets
There are a few little tricks that could help you get hold of cheap Tower of London tickets.
Tower Hamlets residents
The absolute cheapest tickets are reserved for Tower Hamlets residents. If you live in the borough of Tower Hamlets and present your library card or Idea Store card, along with proof of your address, you’ll be able to pick up a Tower of London ticket for just £1.00 at the Box Office.
365 Tickets
If you don’t happen to live in Tower Hamlets, you can get an 18% discount on Tower of London tickets at 365tickets.co.uk. At £23.60, this is the cheapest option for a single adult ticket at the time of writing. Just make sure you opt to receive your ticket by email as there are additional charges for postal orders. It’s also important to print your ticket and bring it along on the day of your visit, as the attraction has been known to refuse entry for digital tickets.
As an added little bonus, this deal also includes an online voucher for a free postcard. You just need to upload a photo, some text, and an address. It can be sent anywhere in the world.
Tower of London tickets 2 For 1
If you’re visiting from outside of London and plan to visit the Tower of London with a friend (or indeed any multiple of the number two), you can get a hefty discount by purchasing a 2FOR1 ticket as part of an awesome scheme run by daysoutguide.co.uk.
Bear in mind, this offer does not run during Easter (6th-13th April) or the school summer holidays (13th July-6th September).
To take advantage of this Tower of London discount, you’ll need to pick up a 2FOR1 leaflet at a rail station, fill in the details of your visit and bring it to the Box Office. You’ll need one voucher for every two people taking part in the deal.
Each person will also need to purchase and bring with them a valid train ticket to participate. Any single or return rail ticket into London on the day of the visit will do the job.
Oyster card fares will not be accepted. But you can use a printed day travelcard from a National Rail station, such as: London Waterloo, London Victoria, London Bridge, London Blackfriars, London Charing Cross, London Waterloo East, City Thameslink or London Cannon Street. Printed travelcards cost £13.50.
Having looked through the various ticket stipulations, we believe your cheapest and easiest valid option is to buy an off-peak digital ticket for Clapham Junction to London Waterloo on the National Rail site. This ticket costs £3.70.
You can check here for the full rules. Fair warning: staff are allowed to reject these tickets if they suspect you’re trying to cheat the system—so try it at your own risk!
Other cheap ticket outlets
It’s worth checking in at ticket outlets such as Klook and lastminute.com to see if they are offering any discounts or deals. You never know what offers they might be running when you plan to visit. Klook’s credit scheme also gives you points for buying tickets and reviewing attractions. That can usually save you a couple of quid off tickets for other attractions worldwide, so might be worth considering if you’re a regular tourist.
What to do nearby
Within a mile of the Tower of London you can find some great attractions to keep you occupied after your visit.
Tower Bridge is another classic landmark. You can take in panoramic views of London here for around a tenner.
Head to Tayyabs for its famous mouth-watering curries.
Pizza Union Aldgate and nearby Pizza Union Spitalfields offer delicious thin and crispy pizzas at very reasonable prices.
The Miller has a big selection of craft beer and cider. The pub has a ping pong table and also cooks up gourmet burgers and hot dogs.
Get your German fix at The Bierschenke Tower Hill. This beer hall serves huge steins of Bavarian lager and traditional dishes like bratwurst and sauerkraut.
Whitechapel Gallery is one of the city’s top free art spaces.
Peruse Maltby Street Market for a tasty snack or homemade souvenir.
