UNESCO Reviews

The Tower of London, officially Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle located on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the square mile of the City of London by the open space known as Tower Hill. It was founded towards the end of 1066 as part of the Norman Conquest of England. The White Tower, which gives the entire castle its name, was built by William the Conqueror in 1078 and was a resented symbol of oppression, inflicted upon London by the new ruling elite. The castle was used as a prison from 1100 (Ranulf Flambard) until 1952 (Kray twins), although that was not its primary purpose. A grand palace early in its history, it served as a royal residence. As a whole, the Tower is a complex of several buildings set within two concentric rings of defensive walls and a moat. There were several phases of expansion, mainly under Kings Richard the Lionheart, Henry III, and Edward I in the 12th and 13th centuries. The general layout established by the late 13th century remains despite later activity on the site.

The Tower of London has played a prominent role in English history. It was besieged several times, and controlling it has been important to controlling the country. The Tower has served variously as an armoury, a treasury, a menagerie, the home of the Royal Mint, a public record office, and the home of the Crown Jewels of England. From the early 14th century until the reign of Charles II, a procession would be led from the Tower to Westminster Abbey on the coronation of a monarch. In the absence of the monarch, the Constable of the Tower is in charge of the castle. This was a powerful and trusted position in the medieval period. In the late 15th century, the castle was the prison of the Princes in the Tower. Under the Tudors, the Tower became used less as a royal residence, and despite attempts to refortify and repair the castle, its defences lagged behind developments to deal with artillery.

The peak period of the castle's use as a prison was the 16th and 17th centuries, when many figures who had fallen into disgrace, such as Elizabeth I before she became queen, Sir Walter Raleigh, and Elizabeth Throckmorton, were held within its walls. This use has led to the phrase "sent to the Tower". Despite its enduring reputation as a place of torture and death, popularised by 16th-century religious propagandists and 19th-century writers, only seven people were executed within the Tower before the World Wars of the 20th century. Executions were more commonly held on the notorious Tower Hill to the north of the castle, with 112 occurring there over a 400-year period. In the latter half of the 19th century, institutions such as the Royal Mint moved out of the castle to other locations, leaving many buildings empty. Anthony Salvin and John Taylor took the opportunity to restore the Tower to what was felt to be its medieval appearance, clearing out many of the vacant post-medieval structures. In the First and Second World Wars, the Tower was again used as a prison and witnessed the executions of 12 men for espionage. After the Second World War, damage caused during the Blitz was repaired, and the castle reopened to the public. Today, the Tower of London is one of the country's most popular tourist attractions. Under the ceremonial charge of the Constable of the Tower, it is cared for by the charity Historic Royal Palaces and is protected as a World Heritage Site.
The Tower was orientated with its strongest and most impressive defences overlooking Saxon London, which archaeologist Alan Vince suggests was deliberate. It would have visually dominated the surrounding area and stood out to traffic on the River Thames. The castle is made up of three "wards", or enclosures. The innermost ward contains the White Tower and is the earliest phase of the castle. Encircling it to the north, east, and west is the inner ward, built during the reign of Richard the Lionheart (1189 1199).

An awesome place to check out the extensive history of one of the most impactful nations on earth. Certainly worth the cheesy tourist time.

A great day out. The tower was quite quiet, which meant there were no queries anywhere and the Beefeaters were free to chat for ages. Very informative visit

A must see while in London. Join in on a tour and wander around to see some very interesting parts of British history. Very easy to spend most of a day here.

Amazing castle and grounds. Unfortunately I didn't take the tour and will hopefully get a chance next time. Just seeing it from the outside is impressive and worth thr visit.

Another must do thing while in London. It's great and well built. You can cross the bridge and watch it rise. Per scheduled time.

This is a castle near London bridge and is a museum. You can see the rare items made up of gold and diamond. The world famous Kohinoor diamond is also kept there. There is a big shop as well where u can buy souvenirs

This was one of the most interesting places I visited on my trip to London. The tour experience there was spectacular, filled with hilariousness which essentially just amazingly great and well timed stand up comedy, while also being extremely interesting and informative. I was pleasantly surprised at how much fun I had here. Great experience, absolutely worth the money.

Another must visit attraction, can easily spend all here, so much history. The beefeater guides are amazing.

Amazing!! Depending on what time you go it can be crowded or not crowded!! I got through almost everything in an hour or so!! Loves going through and exploring all the different areas!! You can see the royal jewels here as well!!

No photos allowed in some galleries and guards are very unfriendly about that

We took advantage of the free guided tour from one of the yeoman guards which was very informative and very entertaining with many amusing anecdotes. It would have been nice to see at least one area in the tower set out as it would have appeared in the past rather than just accommodation for exhibits.

So much to see. Leave aside a couple of hours. Make sure you take the free tour it's a great way to get key info, delivered in a really engaging and humorous way.

This is in excellent condition and houses some world-class exhibits, including of course, the Crown Jewels. It's a must-see. Impressive

A world heritage site, with a history going back over a 1000years. What more needs to be said.

Must visit. There is so much to see. The storyteller dressed in traditional attire. The ravens. Arms museum. Jewellery. The fortified walls

Fantastic place to visit our boys loved the history of the place, and staff very helpful

Great place to check out if you like history. Decent place to check out even if you aren't big on history.

A must visit when you are in London!and the Yeomen are great and entertaining!

We spent half a day there and loved the place so rich with history. The cafe inside was quite good with interesting British food.

Great place to visit loads to see could spend all day here

Not to be missed if your are in London. A wealth of history, a impressive armory, the crown jewels and some other interesting exhibits. Plan on spending at least half a day here, could easily be entertained the whole day if history is your thing. Even the cafe food was quite hearty, getting it is a bit chaotic if it's crowded. This was my fourth time at the tower.

One of the busiest touristic place in London. I have visited this place on two occassion, once during winter in December and other one very recently in Late June 2019. It is crowded and at the same time there is plently to see. Be prepared to be in queue to the Jewels..one might have to wait for 1 hour atleast on a weekend.

Didn't get to see all of it, but the crown jewels were worth the wait.

No words to describe the overwhelming sence of historic ways of life and nostalgia

Plenty to look at and read but can get very busy, especially PM's! Can be a long queue!

This is a top grade tourist attraction. Best to plan your timing and type of guide you are going to use.

So lively and wonderful for people watching. The views are amazing.

Really cool. There is more than we could see in an afternoon. We saw the armory, the crown jewels, and we walked the walls. Note that in the winter it closes early.

Fantastic place well worth the money. Would definitely recommend it .

Yeoman tour is very fun but does not take you inside the tower which you tour on your own

Loved the history here however if you want to see the Crown Jewels be prepared to wait in a very long line. We decided to skip in light of the fact that it was raining.

Great old place. See the Ravens "the Crown will fall if they leave you know", see the white tower the middle famous bit) and chat to a Beefeater. It's a fun few hours, and free if you live in Tower Hamlets and have a library card (or if you borrow one).

The expensive ticket worth every cent. Extensive tower with a lot to see, you can visit the King s room and most of the rooms in the castle, plus the crown s jewels. Excellent

Lots of neat history. Admission is pricy but what can you do.

Interesting place to visit. Well organised tourist attraction with little waiting time. There are free tours with some rather informative stuff. I really liked that the staff also lives there. It's like a separate microcosm in the middle of London.

Horrible experience. Don't go!!! Huge lines everywhere, not enough sitting space. My wife was pregnant and we couldn't find anywhere for her to sit. No accessibility options at any site. The attractions are just walls of text, nothing interesting and nothing to see. Just watch a video on YouTube for better experience, at least you'll see something instead of a never ending crowd of tourists standing in one place at each attraction. Not worth your time or money!

A VERY expensive place to visit for very little return. The 'torture dungeon' is a 45+ min plus wait in line for a tiny room with a rack and a body shackle - not worth the wait. The ravens are beautiful quirky creatures. The crown jewels are a 2 hour wait (on a quiet day). There are far more interesting and cheaper places to visit in London (Like the museums for instance).

We were so lucky to get there early on a bank holiday so the queues were very manageable. The beefeater tour was informative and humorous. The Crown Jewels are stunning and worth the visit. Able to get something to eat and drink (though you do pay for being inside the tower!

Very typical historical attraction in London. A bit expensive of the ticket, but it is worthy.

Wear comfy footwear. Was crowded in places but managed well. Line to view the Crown Jewels looks daunting but moves quickly.

It's completely covered due to the work it's being done at the moment... I know it has to be done but... It's heartbreaking to come to London and not being able to see the clock tower

Lot's of stuff to see here. The view from the tower to London bridge is lovely

I've been there twice and I gotta say I love it! Also wait for the beefeaters to walk you around the place! They are incredibly fun!

What an incredible and moving sight! Hundreds of people queuing in the pouring rain to gaze at the commemorative torches and in their own way paying homage to those who sacrificed their lives for our freedom x

Lovely day out. Enjoyed the talk from the Beefeater which was rather dramatic & humorous. Didn't give it 5 stars because it's rather pricey unless you know how to find deals such as 2 for 1.

Don t miss it. We learnt a lot about History. Great for kids too

Historically awesome! Regrettably too much to absorb in only a day.

The thing I looked forward to most on my trip was seeing castles. This place was worth the cost of admission.
Although crowded, it did not feel overly crowded. Sometimes you'd have to wait a few minutes to get into a tower's exhibit.
For the Crown Jewels, it says outside in the queue 20 minutes, but it's another 20 minutes once you're inside. So it took me about 40 minutes of waiting and then I enjoyed the display for about 30 minutes. I actually really liked the tower next to the exit where they keep the crowns with the jewels removed. It gives you a better perspective of how many jewels are on these things.

We did the free beefeater tour. But since it was so hot, we only went to the chapel to sit and listen. It was very informative and funny. Don't skip it.

Overall I stayed about 4 hours to walk all the towers and look around. The food looked pretty good and reasonably priced but I didn't get any.

Fantastic, visited for the closing gates ceremony and it was great. Very intimate and a totally different perspective. And it s free?!?

Verrrry looong queue to access the treasures. Misleadingly no waiting at the ticket sale and at the fortress gate, but then 1 hour waiting to see the jewels. Photographing is not allowed in the jewel house.

Interesting to learn more about the grounds, history of the coins, and to see the architecture! Didn't take too long to walk around and see everything.

Excellent place, you can easily spend three of four hours here visiting the various exhibitions within the castle. A walk around the top of the walls gives you good views of Tower Bridge and some of the city. The Highlight has to be the "Crown Jewels" magnificently displayed within the vaults of the "Jewel House". For the display of regal crowns they have a slow moving escalator, great idea as allows everyone to get a good close up view of these magnificent bejeweled pieces.
Yeoman Warders provide entertaining stories and tours of parts of the castle. The "White Tower" has a great display of armour and weaponry, but be prepared for plenty of steps. Kids love the gruesome "Torture at the Tower" display. The "Fusilier" museum is also well worth a visit.
There plenty more one could mention. Thoroughly good day out and highly recommend.

Fantastic visit and a must do for the sightseer. The Beefeater who run the free tour when you go in was highly informative and entertaining. We spent just over 2 hours here and probably could have done 3 hours but had to run to another thing we had booked

It was just amazing! I loved the whole atmosphere, all the buildings, the ravens and exhibitions. You could easily spend there half a day/full day. The view is stunning and the area is huge. With the London pass we didn t have to care about entry price and we even got a discount on the audio guides (4 Euro), even entering was very fast. Everyone should see it!

A very important place and it is well worth the time to travel around properly. There are guided tours but the information placards are almost as good; make sure to see the changing of the guard and the Crown Jewels as they are a bit of a trek inside the actual grounds

We love it! many things to see. Great history. What I love the most is the Ravens!

Must See if touring London. By tickets online and get there early and go straight for Crown Jewels as the line is really long.

Fabulous, genuine UK history in the heart of London.

Far better experience than I expected, it gives a fairly good feel of the history of the place, doesn't give the full grasp of the brutal nature of things in the past,and the but overall, A memorable experience. I did like the freedom to explore the areas as you please and informative plaques throughout, certainly didn't expect to enjoy as much

Amazing, kids loved it. We didn't eat there so this is just based on the Tower experience and toilets. Ticket desk staff lady was brilliant, really chatty and helped us pick the best ticket combo as we had 2for1 train ticket money off vouchers. If you travel by train check out daysoutguide for discount entry

I highly recommend you visit the tower of London. Steeped in history, it still houses soldiers and the community of beefeaters. Exhibits are varied and fascinating.

Worth a visit, get 2for1 voucher with your train ticket

Very nice place to visit and lots of fun to be enjoyed for

Great tour with Lawrence the beefeater ,very busy despite it being a week after xmas

If you don't have a wonderful day out at this world famous tourist attractions I would be amazed. True British history at its best.

The Tower of London is an enormous dose of history in one busy day. There is a lot to see here beyond the Crown Jewels. The towers, the chapel, the Ravens. The Ravens are breathtaking. The beefeater tour is a must do. It's free with entry, and don't forget to check out the mint and the Royal Fusiliers exhibition.

The Tower of London is a wonderful step back in time. The campus is huge and you have multiple options for your visit--a self-guided audio tour, a guided tour with costumed guides or a basic self-guided tour. You'll walk through tower after tower of history--the Salt Tower where prisoners were kept, and the Broad Arrow Tower, where a portion of the garrison was houses and battle plans were likely formulated. You'll want to wear comfortable shoes as you'll walk extensively. If you're claustrophobic, skip some of the smaller interior towers as they may have tight circular staircases. This is also the home of the Crown Jewels. If you arrive after noon, be prepared to wait in Long lines for your glimpse.

The closest Tube station is Tower Hill, and the Tower of London offers great photo spots for the Tower Bridge as well.

Wonderful historical castle and a great day out! Beefeaters, ravens AND the Bloody Tower! Lots of real British history associated with this place. Difficult for people in wheelchairs to look at all exhibits though as some stairs involved.

Really rich history, so much to see, excellent venue.

Jewelry... Crows... Storytelling... Full day out. Take a sandwich...

A very interesting place to visit if your interested in history. UK

Great value for money. It's a placed submerged in rich history going as far back as 250 AD. We did a Yeoman Warden tour led by Clive and got so much information in 1 hour. There are lots of toilet facilities around and there are 2 cafes. Some of the areas aren't disable access friendly though due to spiral staircases built centuries ago.

Amazing history, amazing museums. However line for Crown Jewels fills up quickly, but it's not worth it. If you go on the wall of the tower (near the entrance) you will see the previous crowns, a breathtaking sight.

If you are patient enough to endure the crowed tourist situation,you can actually learn a lot of interesting UK history here. So strongly recommend you to spend extra money to rent a audio guide. I ended up staying till they closed the door!

An amazing place. So much history and culture to experience. Well worth the entrance fee.

Good place but long queues on weekends, don't miss the Crown jewels even if there is long queue

Full of history a good place to see. Especially when they do there special tributes.

If you visit London don't miss the visit to the London tower

Been to London many times in business trips and never visited the London Tower. Now that i have it is a most do here. Worth catching one of the guided tours that take place ever half hour starting from the main entrance.

Wow what a place to go . Been 2 Time's so far plan on going back . The staff ,yeoman are so knowledgeable and willing to tell you more after there tours

Very interesting! A must do with beefeaters and the kingdom history!

The site seems a lot larger inside than I had imagined from the various angles I have seen it form externally. Some beautiful architecture and of course the crown jewels. The crown jewels are impressive but are a somewhat vulgar display of wealth. But then I guess that was their purpose