The Tower of London & Tower Bridge: Private Half-Day Tour
Explore two of London’s most iconic sites – the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, and learn all about the last 1000 years of royal history.
On your private half-day tour, you will:
- Enjoy a privately guided tour of the Tower of London, with an expert Blue Badge Guide;
- Admire the dazzling Crown Jewels and learn all about their place in coronations;
- Visit the Royal Apartments and Prison Cells inside the Castle;
- Learn all about the long history of the Tower of London, from the royal castle to the infamous prison;
- Visit the White Tower, the battlements, and the Chapel Royal where three executed Queens are buried;
- Hear the tragic stories of Anne Boleyn and Catharine Howard, wives of Henry VIII who were held prisoner and executed at the Tower;
- Learn about the mysterious legend of the Princes in the Tower, and walk past Traitor's Gate;
- See the famous ravens of the Tower, and meet the Beefeaters in their historic uniforms;
- Leave the Tower and walk to the Victorian Engine Rooms of Tower Bridge and learn about the history of this famed icon.
- Take your tickets to Tower Bridge from your guide who will direct you to and leave you at the entrance;
- End by walking the 42 metre-high walkway and stand on the spectacular glass floor, where you can see the traffic and river below.
First erected as a safe castle fortress by William the Conqueror, the Tower of London was first and foremost a royal residence. It was built as a defensive castle, with a moat, battlements, and arrow-slit windows. Later it became the Royal Mint and Armoury - indeed it was a veritable marketplace.
During the reign of Henry VIII, it became infamous as a place of imprisonment and execution: Trader's Gate became known as Traitor's Gate! This is where Anne Boleyn and Catharine Howard - the unfortunate wives of Henry VIII, Lady Jane Grey, and Sir Walter Raleigh would have entered the Tower by boat when the Thames water was higher than it is today.
You'll hear many stories of the Tower's unlucky residents over the years - from the mysterious events surrounding the young Princes in the Tower to poor Lady Jane Grey, an innocent pawn in the power struggles of Tudor England.
Visit the impressive White Tower, admire heavily polished suits of armour, walk the battlements, and of course gaze on the dazzlingly beautiful, priceless Crown Jewels in the Jewel House. Due to tight security measures, your guide will explain the Jewels and their historic significance outside as you enter alone - there is a moving platform and the jewels are kept behind bulletproof glass. Your guide will meet you at the exit to the Jewel House.
After you tour the Tower of London, your guide will take you to the magnificent Tower Bridge, where you will be given a tour of the Victorian engine rooms, which control the mechanism to raise the bridge, and then left with tickets to ascend to the top of the bridge at your own pace.
There is both an elevator entrance and stairs, so you may choose how you wish to get to the top of the tower to see the spectacular views below!
