Tower of London Tour

Curated route · Families

Families and fascinating stories

Ravens, armour, a polar bear that fished in the Thames and a jewel thief: a paced visit for children aged about five to twelve.

Time
3–4 hours
Stops
7 (5 essential)
Pace
relaxed
Essentials only
about 135 min
Adapt it in the planner
Schematic plan of the Tower of London (not to scale) Relative positions of the main places inside the fortress: the entrance at the west, Water Lane along the river to the south, the White Tower at the centre, the Crown Jewels to its north and the wall walk along the east side. Use the list below the map for full details. River Thames Wharf WATER LANE Queen's House 1 Middle Tower 2 Traitors' Gate 3 White Tower 4 Crown Jewels 5 Tower Green 6 The ravens 7 New Armouries Café Schematic plan · not to scale · north is up

The route, stop by stop

Minutes are typical dwell times at a relaxed pace, before queues. Walking between stops and a security check at the entrance are extra; the total above allows for them.

  1. 1

    Middle Tower and the entrance

    Find the wire lions: the Tower kept real ones here for six hundred years.

    Story: A polar bear in the Thames

    10 min
  2. 2

    The ravens

    Spot a raven and read its leg ring colour. Keep fingers away.

    Story: The ravens: a legend younger than it looks

    10 min
  3. 3

    Crown Jewels (Jewel House)

    The moving walkway makes this the easiest interior with small children. Go first, before the queue builds.

    Story: The morning Colonel Blood stole the crown

    40 min
  4. 4

    New Armouries Café optional

    Break before the White Tower stairs; toilets and baby changing are in the Brick Tower behind the Jewel House.

    Break here

    25 min
  5. 5

    White Tower

    Horses in armour, Henry VIII's armour and hands-on displays on the top floor.

    Story: The White Tower and the Line of Kings

    Stairs only, no lift

    40 min
  6. 6

    Tower Green and the scaffold site optional

    Benches, space to run, and a gentle way to tell the execution story if you choose to.

    Story: Anne Boleyn's last seventeen days

    10 min
  7. 7

    Traitors' Gate

    On the way out: imagine arriving by boat through the gate at high tide.

    Story: Traitors' Gate: the name came later

    5 min

What it includes

  • Two interiors, both with things to touch or watch
  • Animals real and sculpted
  • A proper break
  • Stories chosen to be exciting rather than gruesome

What it leaves out

  • The Bloody Tower and Beauchamp Tower (dark, cramped, and their stories are about murder and imprisonment)
  • The wall walk
  • The Yeoman Warder tour, which Historic Royal Palaces warns may frighten young children

Access limitations

  • Pushchairs cannot go up the White Tower; there is a buggy park at its foot. Everything else on this route is step-free.

Queues and timing

With children the Crown Jewels queue is the deciding factor. On a peak day, arrive for opening or after 15:00; on a quiet weekday any time works.

Tickets for this route

Standard admission: children under five are free and 5–15s pay the child rate. The family audio guide (£14) is voiced by two ghost children and pairs well with this route.

Compare tickets and tours

Official information: hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/visit.

Checked 10 Sept 2026

Sources: hrp-visit, hrp-access, hrp-yeoman-tours, hrp-crown-jewels