Is the Tower of London Worth It? Budget Traveller Review

What to expect at the Tower of London? Is the ticket price worth it? How long should I spend there? What is there to see?

The Tower of London is one of England’s most important historic sites and one of the most popular tourist attractions. 

As a budget traveller, I admit that the ticket price is a little heftier than I’m normally comfortable with. I decided to take one for the team and find out if the Tower of London is worth its pounds.

To save you having to read this whole thing, I will say now I did not regret coughing up the £30. There was so much to see and it was pretty amazing to be in a place that holds so much history. If you are interested in history, architecture, or the royal family, then it would totally be worth it for you.

*Some of the links included in this post may be affiliate. I may receive a small commission from purchases made through these links at no additional cost to you. Please know that I only recommend products and services that I 100% trust and believe in*

When to Visit London

London is a great city to explore at any time of year. However, the busiest travel periods are during summer (June-August) and Christmas. If you are travelling during these times of year, make sure that you are pre-booking your flight and accommodation well in advance to get the best price.

How to Get to London

Before booking your flight, always check which airline is offering the best price. An easy way to do this is using WayAway; just put in where you’re going and when you want to go, and WayAway will give you the cheapest option, as well as a price chart to compare the best day to travel.

I also like to use Google Flights to track flight prices over a couple months; they send you an email when the flight is the absolute cheapest it’s going to get!

Where to Stay in London

$ Hostel $

Onefam Notting Hill
63 Prince’s Square, London, England.
Honestly, London just doesn’t do hostels well. For the most part, they’re not much more than over-priced dungeons. I love Onefam Notting Hill because it is social and vibrant, with outdoor space to hang out, clean bathrooms and a variety of dorm room options. They run social events every single night. I love that it’s located near Hyde Park (love me a park) and Portobello Markets. It’s 7 minutes walk to Bayswater station, which is part of the Circle tube line. Check availability or see other options.

$$ Hotel $$

Kensington Gardens Hotel
9 Kensington Gardens Square, Westminster Borough, London, W2 4BH, United Kingdom.
This hotel is also located in the Notting Hill area, 5 minutes walk from Bayswater tube station. It has simple but clean furnishings and overlooks the gorgeous Kensington Square Gardens. This hotel is adults-only, perfect for a romantic weekend getaway. Check availability or see other options.

How to Get Cheap Accommodation

• Peak time to travel to York is in summer (June-August) and around Christmas. Accommodation is the most expensive during this time. To get the best deal, travel during the off season, when beds can be as low as £20 (as of May 2024). Off season includes January to early May, and September to early December.
• Book in advance, especially during the peak seasons. 
• Booking via the official hostel website can sometimes (not always) get you a better deal than booking via third-party websites. However, third party websites do sometimes provide more flexibility for cancellation or changes.

How to Get Around London

London is a HUGE city, spanning 1,500 square kilometres across 32 different boroughs. Lucky London has such a great public transport system: an underground train system, extensive bus services and taxis. Transport for London makes it easy to plan your journeys and figure out which service, station and ticket you need.

Read my blog post to learn how to use the London tube like a pro, including how to get to and from the airport for cheap!

The London City Pass gives you up to 50% off sights and activities! If you want to visit several of the major sights in a short period of time, check if this Pass will save you some money. 

Tower of London Background Information

The Tower of London is found on the eastern edge of the city of London. It was founded in 1066 by William the Conqueror after the Norman Conquest, with the first building, the central White Tower, completed in 1078. 

The castle has served as a royal residence, a treasury and occasionally a prison. The grounds continued to be expanded over the following centuries. Today, it is a listed UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Tickets cost £34.80 for adults.

The price includes access to the Tower of London as well as a free tour from a Beefeater, the castle’s ceremonial guards. Audio guides can be purchased for another £5. 

The Beefeater tours start every half an hour near the front gate. I didn’t realise that the Beefeaters were part-time tour guide, part-time comedians.

They were cracking jokes and sharing gruesomely gory details about the castle. It was definitely interesting, but as I joined a rather large group I couldn’t really hear him too well and ended up splitting off by myself not long after.

If you are heading to London, check out my Perfect 4 Day London Itinerary!

When to visit the Tower of London

Most blogs recommend that you book the first slot of the morning to avoid the crowds. I followed this advice and still found there to be a pretty decent line at the front gate, and a MASSIVE crowd waiting for the first Beefeater tour. If I visited again, I would try to book a weird slot, like 9:30am or 2:30pm that most other people would avoid. 

Pre-book your ticket in advance, especially in summer.

As someone who is not a huge history or royal fanatic, I spent about 3 hours exploring the Tower of London.

The Crown Jewels

The first port of call for most visitors are the Crown Jewels. 

Honestly, I found them a little overrated. There was a huge queue, and the jewels are in the centre of the room with two moving walkways on either side. A 30 second ride from the entrance to the exit and you’re done. 

London Travel Essentials

SIM cards: Airalo offers eSIMS for over 200 countries which you can install BEFORE travelling, saving you the stress of running around to find a store or from being ripped off by local vendors. This is perfect for backpackers who are travelling to multiple destinations in a short period of time.

Insurance: You should NOT go overseas without getting travel insurance. Travel insurance protects you in case you get injured or your plans change or are cancelled. I always use Covermore, because the cover is comprehensive and they were easy to work with when I needed to make a claim.

Banking: When travelling and saving for travel I use Up Bank, an online Australian bank, that allows fee-free overseas transactions, unlimited savings ‘pools’ and easy transfers. If you join Up with my invite code we both get $13! 

The Medieval Palace and The Traitor’s Gate

The Medieval Palace was the royal lodgings built by King Henry III and his son Richard I. It features a re-creation of the bedchamber, including a four poster bed and a big luxurious fireplace. 

In the tower is a chamber containing the King’s private chapel. It is said that Henry IV was killed while praying here, and there is a plaque on the floor commemorating this. 

Before the wharf was built along the Thames in front of the castle, the royal bedchamber looked out directly onto the river. Directly below was the entrance to the castle, where the King could arrive by boat and easily access his sleeping quarters. 

This gate is now called the Traitor’s Gate because many victims arrived via this gate before their execution, including Anne Boleyn. 

The Bloody Tower

The Bloody Tower was named after the mysterious disappearance (and suspected murder) of young Edward V and his brother Richard, by their uncle, King Richard III. 

Additionally, famous explorer and botanist Walter Raleigh was imprisoned for 13 years here by James I after being suspected of discussing rebellion.

He actually had it quite comfortable though, as far as prison goes. His family was allowed to stay with him and he had three servants!

The White Tower and Crows

The White Tower is by far the most recognisable building on the grounds of the Tower of London. It was the first building constructed on the site by William the Conqueror, and it was intended to be a fortress to protect from and intimidate enemies.

The White Tower now mostly contains artefacts of war; armour, swords, pistols, clothing, shields… 

I’m not a big fan of war memorabilia (if you are, this is your place for sure), but I enjoyed just wandering around the building. The great stone walls and pillars, tiny hallways and steep winding staircases hold so much history just on their own.

I couldn’t help but imagine I was walking on the very same stone that many of history’s great kings and soldiers had. From the Tower there is a great view of the Tudor-style buildings in the courtyard below.

How to Use the London Tube like a PRO!

The Armoury 

There are three floors filled with armoury. There are not just a couple of suits, but literally hundreds of suits of armour, swords, daggers, shields, and pistols. And not just armour for people, for horses too! 

Armour was custom made for the wearer, so I found it fascinating to see how tall (or rather, how very short) the kings were. Honestly, there were a few surprising ones! 

St John’s Chapel

Built in 1080, this chapel is the oldest surviving chapel from the Norman period. 

Kings used this space for private worship alongside only their closest friends and family. 

From 1312 onwards, other chapels were built and this one became used mostly as a storage space until Prince Albert restored it in 1858. 

I found the chapel to be very peaceful, and the rounded wall and great stone pillars were pretty incredible architectural feats of the time. 

Prison and Torture Room

For a building that wasn’t constructed to be a prison, a whole lot of people were imprisoned here. 

Elizabeth I, Guy Fawkes, Anne Boleyn, Robert Dudley, and Lady Jane Grey were among the hundreds that were held within these walls.

My favourite part about visiting the prison chambers was seeing the graffiti on the walls. Symbols and names engraved in the stone and on the windowsill are reminders that despite hundreds of years between us, they really were not any different to us today. 

London on a Budget: 10 FREE or CHEAP Things to Do

Exploring the Battlements

The best thing to do, in my opinion, is walk along the battlements. They are the walls that surround the castle grounds from where the King’s soldiers defended against invaders. You can walk most of the way around, stopping in at the different towers along the way. 

From the battlements, there is a nice view of the Tower Bridge, the Thames, and Southbank. 

The Chapel and Execution Block

In the far left corner of the grounds you’ll find the Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula. This chapel has been a place of worship for over a thousand years, predating the Tower of London (rebuilt since then of course). 

Many Tower residents were buried in the chapel, including Anne Boleyn and Lady Jane Grey. 

The grassy square in front the chapel was where many executions took place. The square is surrounded by Tudor-style buildings. 

Phew, there we have it! A detailed review of everything there is to see at the Tower of London. If you’re a big history buff, or obsessed with the gory details of the royal family, then you cannot miss it. 

I don’t think you’re missing out on anything absolutely crucial to English culture if you don’t visit the Tower of London, especially if it’s simply not in your budget, because that is totally valid. 

However, I think most people would not regret visiting it. After all, most of us aren’t coming back to London any time soon!

Let me know your thoughts on the Tower of London below!

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