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Recommended: Tower of London and Crown Jewels Exhibition Ticket

Recommended: Best hotels near Tower of London & London Bridge


The Tower of London is one of London’s most iconic landmarks and has been a central part of London for nearly 1,000 years. Built by William the Conqueror back in 1078, it’s been a royal palace, a prison, and even a zoo! The stories about the zoo will make you laugh and it’s hard to not feel sad for some of the animals. But it’s moved on, and today it’s best known for housing the Crown Jewels (which are an incredible sight) and you’ll also see the famous Beefeaters who know all the interesting stories about its past. Whether you’re into history or just fancy a stroll around a place that’s seen it all, the Tower’s got plenty to offer.

Welcome to The Tower of London walk, we’ll start at ‘Tower Hill Station‘.

Let’s get going – If you need help organising this trip, see links below.

My ‘London Resource Kit‘ at the bottom of this page, will help you organise your travel, trips, food, accommodation and bus tours when planning your visit to London, it’s all there to help you plan, give it a go.


You’ll start at ‘Tower Hill Station’, walk 100 yards outside, cross at the traffic lights, head right and make your way to the visitor centre. I’d recommend buying your tickets before you arrive.

You’ll see the Tower once you step out of the station, and we made our way to the visitor centre and shop, walked past the long queue for tickets as we already had ours, and then went for a coffee and cake at ‘Pauls’. Once our time slot arrived, it’s a very short walk to the entrance gate, they will scan your ticket and in you go.

Moving on – We picked up a map, and made our way around the tower, it doesn’t matter what order you do them in, but I suggest you take your time and take it all in, there is so much to see and read. There are also opportunities to have a break and get something to eat and drink, then carry on. Close to the entrance in the shop you can also purchase headsets to use as talking guides.

The Medieval Palace – St Thomas’s Tower, the Wakefield Tower and the Lanthorn Tower are today known collectively as ‘the Medieval Palace’. Point 6 on the map.

The short history of the 3 towers is that Henry III’s son, Edward I built St Thomas’s Tower between 1275 and 1279, and at the time it looked directly on to the river. The Wakefield Tower was built by Henry III as royal lodgings between 1220 and 1240, and today has a replica throne and canopy and a beautiful 19th-centuary vaulted ceiling. The Lanthorn Tower, was originally built as part of Henry III’s queen’s lodgings, but was then adapted into the king’s chambers. Read the history as you walk around, it’s really fascinating and you have great views of the Thames and the South Bank.

Moving on – Leaving Lanthorn Tower you will explore the Battlements along the wall heading towards Broad Arrow Tower onto Martin Tower. All the while you will have stunning views of this part of London, including the City of London, Tower Bridge, The Shard and the River Thames. If you are planning on staying close to this area, I have a list of places close to ‘Tower Bridge‘.

The Battlements which consist of the defensive inner wall and its towers have protected the Tower for centuries. We walked the South Battlements first via the Medieval Tower then the East Battlements. North Battlements we did later.

The East Battlements are named ‘Broad Arrow Tower’, ‘Fighting Platform’, ‘Constable Tower’ and ‘Martin Tower’. These all recreate the atmosphere of a fortress in operation, and read about the only time it was ever breached, by Peasants’ of all people during the Revolt of 1381.

Moving on – Just as you leave the Constable Tower, we left the wall to the left, and made our way for a coffee and toilet break, popped into the shop and went to see The Ravens. We returned to the wall a bit later on. On our way we walked past the White Tower, which we decided would be next on our journey, after The Ravens.

The Ravens – ‘If the ravens leave the Tower, the Kingdom will fall’. Meet the famous ravens learn why they are known as the guardians of the Tower, at their lodgings on the South Lawn.

Charles II is thought to have been the first to insist that the ravens of the Tower be protected after he was warned that the crown and the Tower itself would fall if they left. The King’s order was given against the wishes of his astronomer, John Flamsteed, who complained the ravens impeded the business of his observatory in the White Tower. These magnificent birds respond only to the Ravenmaster and should not be approached too closely by anyone else.

Moving on – Refreshed, purchased (I bought a coaster) and learnt some new history, we made our way to the incredible White Tower. This is what I was most excited about visiting, and it just blew my mind. This structure is huge and the history about it and inside it will leave you gobsmacked.

The White Tower – Almost a thousand years old, this iconic building is the heart of the Tower. It is Britain’s most famous castle. Along with the rest of the Tower fortress, the White Tower is part of a World Heritage Site. Inside is a unique Romanesque chapel, the beautiful 11th-century Chapel of St John the Evangelist.

Instantly recognisable, the White Tower is the most famous castle keep in the world. It was built to awe, subdue and terrify Londoners, and to deter foreign invaders. It is an iconic symbol of London and Britain. The White Tower showcases the historic and world-class Royal Armouries collections, including the 350-year-old exhibition, Line of Kings, as well as other treasures. On the top floor of the White Tower, you will find an original executioner’s block of the 18th century, with an axe that possibly dates back to Tudor times. The basement of the White Tower is traditionally thought to be the site of the torture and interrogation of prisoners such as Guy Fawkes and the Jesuit Priest John Gerard. There is way too much history to write here, buy your tickets, seriously you will love it!

Moving on – Next stop is The Crown Jewels. There is a strict no photography policy, so no pics from the inside unfortunately, and it is a very short walk from The White Tower. Get ready to feast your eyes, and really feel the history ooze out of this building.

The Crown Jewels at the Tower of London. It has protected royal treasures for more than 700 years. The Crown Jewels only leave the Tower of London for ceremonies like the State Opening of Parliament, coronations, and royal baptisms.

Inside we saw the Imperial State Crown which is worn by the monarch at the end of the coronation ceremony, and the State Opening of Parliament. The Koh-i-Noor diamond which is one of the most famous diamonds in the world, and principally a symbol of conquest, has had many previous owners, including Mughal Emperors, Shahs of Iran, Emirs of Afghanistan and Sikh Maharajas. We also got to see the Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross which was made for the coronation of Charles II in 1661. It has been used at all coronations since.

Moving on – Once you leave out of the side door, you are pretty much in the same place where we left the wall earlier in the day, so we returned up the stairs and carried on our walk, taking in the North Battlements.

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Recommended: Best hotels near Tower of London & London Bridge

The North Battlements – Walk through the Royal Beasts, the Bowyer Tower and the Flint Tower. Read about exotic animals kept at the Tower, the story of the Duke of Wellington and how this ancient fortress continued to play its part in a modern-day war.

These towers show a different perspective, and again very interesting to read about the animals that were kept at the Tower, and how they were treated. Some of the stories are a little disturbing by today’s standards, and some are quite funny also. You can read about the Duke of Wellington who became a war hero, prime minister and Constable of the Tower of London. There is a small presentation in the Flint Tower, showing how the Tower itself played an important defensive role for Britain across the ages.

Recommended: Tower of London and Crown Jewels Exhibition Ticket

Moving on – At the end of the North Battlement Towers, a set of stairs will take you down to the main area, next to the Chapel Royal of St Peter ad Vincula. From there we went into the Beauchamp Tower to read about the various people who have been imprisoned at The Tower.

To finish off the tour, we visited various remaining towers to learn about ‘Torture at the Tower’, ‘Imprisonment at the Tower’ and the ‘Bloody Tower’ itself. There are many harrowing stories, and the various torture methods are unimaginable, but it did happen!

That’s it, you’ve completed the ‘Tower of London Walk!’ Hopefully, the weather has been on your side, and you’ve had an incredible experience. We gave this day a 10 out of 10, it’s fantastic for all ages, it’s way bigger than you think and we were there nearly 5 hours, so excellent value for money. But it does get booked up quickly, and because of the nature of the building, some places are not accessible to those in wheelchairs, and even able bodied people should be careful on some of the winding stairs.

I truly hope you’ve enjoyed this walk, and I would greatly appreciate it if you could share this post. Your comments are also more than welcome, I love connecting with new people and discussing our shared experiences. Who knows, we might even meet up on one of our future walks. Thank you for joining me on this memorable adventure, and here’s to many more to come!

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