Tower of London Tour + City of London Walk – 4 Hours

This is the most logical companion to Westminster Abbey + Westminster Walk.

If Westminster Abbey plus Westminster introduces you to royal and ceremonial London, then Tower of London plus the City completes the picture by giving you fortress London, medieval London, commercial London and the old Roman core of the capital.

We normally recommend this tour after you have already seen Westminster — either through our Westminster Walking Tour, or ideally through Westminster Abbey + Westminster Walk, because the format matches so well. In both cases, you are using a half-day guide booking in the smartest possible way: you combine one major interior visit with a shorter but meaningful exterior walk through the district around it.

This is a private four-hour tour.
The first part is a guided visit inside the Tower of London.
The second part is a shorter walk through the City of London, the Square Mile.

Tickets for the Tower are arranged by us in advance and added to your invoice. Historic Royal Palaces strongly encourages advance booking, and group visitors without a timed slot may have to wait for availability on site.

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Why this combination works so well

It solves the same practical problem as the Abbey combination.

A fully detailed standalone Tower tour can easily justify its own half day, and a full standalone City walk can also fill a separate half day. But many visitors want both: they want to go inside the Tower, see the Crown Jewels and the great fortress properly, and then still come away with a sense of the Square Mile around it.

That is exactly what this page is designed to do.

You spend roughly two to two and a half hours inside the Tower, and then, depending on pace and timing, around one and a half to two hours walking through the City. It is efficient, coherent and unusually satisfying.

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Why the Tower of London matters

The Tower of London is one of the great landmarks of Britain.

Historic Royal Palaces describes it as a secure fortress, royal palace and infamous prison, and the site is also a World Heritage Site. It is the home of the Crown Jewels, the Yeoman Warders, the famous ravens, and one of the most recognisable medieval silhouettes in Europe.

For many visitors, the emotional centre of the visit is the Jewel House. Historic Royal Palaces says the Crown Jewels comprise more than 100 objects and over 23,000 gemstones and have been protected at the Tower since the 1660s.

The highlights most people care about most include:

• St Edward’s Crown, used at the moment of crowning itself;
• the Imperial State Crown;
• the Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross;
• the great stones associated with them, especially Cullinan I and Cullinan II.

The Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross contains Cullinan I, which Royal Collection Trust describes as the largest colourless cut diamond in the world, at 530.2 carats. The Imperial State Crown contains Cullinan II, the Black Prince’s Ruby and the Stuart Sapphire. Historic Royal Palaces gives Cullinan II as 317.4 carats.

So yes — if someone asks what the main thing to see inside the Tower is, the answer is usually the Crown Jewels.

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What else you will see inside the Tower

The Tower is not only about the Jewel House.

A focused visit may also include:

• the White Tower;
• the overall fortress layout and defensive story;
• the Yeoman Warders, commonly known as Beefeaters;
• the Tower ravens;
• selected towers, walls and passages;
• and, if you wish, the Torture at the Tower display with replicas of historical instruments.

Historic Royal Palaces says the Yeoman Warders have guarded the Tower since the Tudor period and notes that “Beefeaters” is the common nickname. One Historic Royal Palaces explanation says Henry VII’s personal guards were the first “Beefeaters”, supposedly so called because they were allowed to eat as much beef as they wanted from the King’s table.

If legend is to be believed, the ravens matter too: Historic Royal Palaces’ Ravenmaster material says the birds are bound up with the fate of the kingdom in Tower tradition.

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Accessibility and comfort inside the Tower

The Tower is fascinating, but it is also a historic fortress, and that has practical implications.

Historic Royal Palaces states plainly that the site has difficult stairs and passageways, including spiral staircases, and that wheelchair access is limited in parts of the Tower. There are also cobbles, uneven ground and low doorways. At the same time, the Jewel House — where the Crown Jewels are displayed — does have level access.

So the fairest way to describe it is this: the Tower is generally manageable for most visitors, and many of the narrow or enclosed sections are short, but it is still an old fortress rather than a modern museum. If anyone in your party has mobility concerns or is unsure about steps, please tell us in advance so we can guide you honestly.

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After the Tower: a shorter City of London walk

Once you leave the Tower, the second half of the tour begins.

The City section is exterior only. You do not go inside additional attractions during this part. Instead, the walk helps you understand the Square Mile around the Tower: old and new London layered together.

Depending on pace and route, the City walk may include many of the following:
Tower Bridge, wider riverside views, the City skyline, Leadenhall Market, the Lloyd’s Building, 30 St Mary Axe (the Gherkin), the Bank of England area, the Royal Exchange, St Paul’s Cathedral, and views towards The Shard, Tate Modern and HMS Belfast.

This is a very different London from Westminster. The atmosphere is more compact, more commercial, more vertical, and much older in origin. The City of London Corporation still describes it as the Square Mile, and one of the world’s leading international business centres.

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Highlights of the City section

Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge is one of the most photogenic places in London, but on this combined tour it is viewed from the outside. Officially, it is both a bascule and suspension bridge.

Leadenhall Market

This is one of the most atmospheric stops in the City. Leadenhall Market traces its history back to 1321, and the current Victorian structure dates from 1881.

Lloyd’s Building and the Gherkin

This is where the City’s modern identity becomes most visible. The Lloyd’s Building, opened in 1986, is one of London’s great high-tech landmarks, while 30 St Mary Axe — the Gherkin — is one of the signature towers of the skyline.

St Paul’s Cathedral

St Paul’s remains one of the defining domes of London and the cathedral church of the Diocese of London. The current building was designed by Sir Christopher Wren after the Great Fire.

The Shard, HMS Belfast and Tate Modern

These are normally seen as part of the wider skyline and river context rather than as interior stops on this particular tour. The Shard is 309.6 metres high and describes itself as Western Europe’s tallest building. HMS Belfast is moored on the Thames between London Bridge and Tower Bridge. Tate Modern describes itself as the world’s most visited museum of modern and contemporary art.

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Duration

The standard duration is up to four hours.

In practice, the Tower portion is often around two to two and a half hours, followed by around one and a half to two hours walking in the City. That balance can shift depending on queueing, how long you spend at the Crown Jewels, how much of the White Tower or battlements you want to include, and how fast your group walks afterwards.

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Start times

Morning slot

The standard morning start for this tour is 10:00 am.

That timing works whether the Tower is operating on a 9:00 opening day or a 10:00 opening day.

Afternoon slots

The practical afternoon start times for this combined tour are:

• 2:00 pm
• 2:30 pm
• 3:00 pm

I have not included 4:00 pm as a standard start because the Tower’s published last entry is currently 15:30 on many dates and can be 15:00 on some winter dates.

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Meeting point

For this tour, the meeting point is at the Group Ticket Office / on-site ticket office area by the main entrance to the Tower of London. The exact pin will be reconfirmed after booking.

Historic Royal Palaces states that group visitors can pay for and obtain admission at the ticket office on site, and also notes that the main Tower of London Shop is located outside the main entrance.

This is the right meeting point for this product because the tour begins with timed Tower entry and you do not want to waste guide time walking in from another part of town.

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Tickets

Tower admission is separate from the guide fee.

We purchase the tickets in advance for you and add them to your invoice. Historic Royal Palaces limits timed visitor entry and advises advance booking.

As with most timed attractions in London, once tickets and guide time are secured, changes are often limited. Please see our Terms and Conditions for the full position.

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Where the tour ends

This tour starts at the Tower and ends in the City of London.

The guide does not accompany you back to your hotel at the end. Because the City is a little farther east than where many visitors stay — especially guests based in Mayfair, Belgravia or Kensington — it is worth allowing generous time to reach the Tower in the morning and to return afterwards.

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Extra options

We can also help with additional Tower-related arrangements on request, including:

• Ceremony of the Keys tickets, where available;
• special occasion planning;
• and other Tower-related hospitality ideas.

Historic Royal Palaces describes the Ceremony of the Keys as the traditional locking-up of the Tower, taking place daily and lasting roughly 21:30–22:05, with separate advance-booked tickets.

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Safety and practical advice

Please wear:

• comfortable shoes;
• weather-appropriate clothing;
• a waterproof layer or umbrella if rain is likely.

This tour includes both an interior heritage site and an outdoor City walk.

Please also remember:

• traffic in the UK moves on the left;
• you remain responsible for your own safety and the safety of your children and group;
• you should cross roads carefully and use pedestrian crossings wherever possible;
• you should watch your footing, especially on cobbles, uneven stone and older stairways.

Ordinary rain does not cancel the tour.

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Photography and filming

You are welcome to photograph yourselves and the landmarks, and you may ask the guide to take pictures of you.

We do ask that you do not closely film or photograph the guide without first asking permission.

Please note that photography is strictly prohibited in the Jewel House, where the Crown Jewels are displayed. By booking this tour, you agree to follow this rule and to respect all instructions given by Tower staff and your guide. This is important, as we do not want to place our guides in an awkward or uncomfortable position during the visit.

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Why this tour is such a strong booking

Because it gives you the single best compact pairing on the eastern side of historic London.

You get:

• the Tower itself;
• the Crown Jewels;
• fortress atmosphere;
• one of London’s greatest bridges;
• and then the City skyline and Square Mile story afterwards.

If Westminster Abbey + Westminster Walk is the best western half-day combination, this is the best eastern one.

Complete the enquiry form below to request your Tower of London Tour + City of London Walk.

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