Arriving in London during our July 2025 trip to England was fantastic and number one on our lists of sites to tour was the Tower of London. We decided, since there is so much history here and and so many places to see within the premises, we would take a guided tour. We chose Viator’s Tower of London Tour with Crown Jewels. While booking we had the option of meeting with a Beefeater or touring the White Town. We decided on the White Tower tour and it was one of the best parts of the tour.
History
The Tower of London was founded in 1066 after the successful battle of Hastings by William the Conqueror. In 1076, he built the White Tower, utilized as a central keep, to show how powerful his Norman Kingdom was. Most noted for its role as a prison, torture, and execution place.
The Tour
We arrived at the meeting spot and met our guide. Our guide was a good historian and had lots of stories to tell us. He definitely was well learned on the subject of the London Tower, its history, buildings, and stories. It was a crowded day so quite hard to snap good photos.
The White Tower
As I mentioned before the White Tower was one of the best parts of the tour. This is where the Royal Armouries of the past are displayed. You will see 500 years of British armour, and weapons of kings and knights.
Line of Kings
In this area is the display of fourteen Kings of England. Created in 1689 from a special commission of life-sized 14 wooden horses and riders. These riders were dressed in period arms and armour which have been stored in the White Tower to make up the Line of Kings. Of course this Line of Kings has changed over the years and the current display includes some of the most impressive items of these times.
The Chapel of St John
Built for William the Conqueror in the 11th century, this chapel was the place of worship for kings and queens throughout centuries. Today the chapel has occasional services.
Tower Armouries
The tower armories have been displaying the armour since 1659. It is a splendid collection of ancient armour. I found this area to be very interesting and well displayed.
Store House
Historically, this is the area where weapons were stored waiting to be issued to England’s military when needed. Now it displays many of these weapons.
More Photos Inside the White Tower
The Crown Jewels
Of course, you can not take photos in the building where the Crown Jewels of Great Britain are on display. Personally, I could have skipped this exhibit. The jewels are absolutely beautiful, but the crowd made getting close to the displays challenging.
Lower Wakefield Tower
This was my least favorite part of our tour. Actually our tour guide suggested to self tour after the group tour was over. He told ghastly stories of torture and also imprisonment that I could have done without hearing. I won’t go into detail but you can google one story here but fair warning, it is awful.
Wakefield Tower
Built by Henry III during the 13th century, as a royal residence, t became part of the Medieval Palace.
St Thomas Tower
St Thomas Tower was built between 1275-1279 by Henry III son, Edward I. In addition, it is part of the Medieval Palace complex. This tower includes the original fireplace and also King Edward I bedchamber.
More Photos Inside the Tower of London’s Walls.
Although our tour guide discussed pretty much everything we saw, some of the areas we toured on our own after the group tour was over. Unfortunately, as much as I enjoyed the tour, I just don’t remember everything we were told. There is a lot to explore here. As always, we enjoyed walking around the tower walls and also the views.
Conclusion
All in all the Tower of London is an amazing place to tour. Personally, I enjoyed the White Tower the most. The history of this tower is amazing and it is easy to picture what life was like in medieval times, although I am sure it was much harder than we can imagine in our modern world. Definitely a must see when visiting London.
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You can find my other posts on England below:
Sopwell House in St Albans-July 2025
Bletchley Park Codebreakers: A Family Connection-July 2025
Two Delightful Villages in England-July 2025
You can also check out my posts from other countries and places I have visited by clicking below:
Greece 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
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This is always a good tour Lori. I think we have been there three times. A visit back to the good old days, if you liked swash and buckling. Happy Wednesday. Allan
I can totally understand why you would return here a few times! I bet you learned something new each time!
Despite visiting London a couple of times, I’ve yet to visit the Tower of London. Looks like it’s quite a large place, and you could spend almost the whole day exploring every nook and cranny of it all. I only know about the Tower of London for its Crowned Jewels, so thank you for letting us know that it isn’t all worth it to see. Thanks for sharing; perhaps I’ll have to visit the Tower of London upon a return trip to the city!
We did spend a lot of time here, about 4 1/2 hours! Maybe other people would say something different about the crown Jules, but I’m just not into pushy crowds! I think seeing the jewels at Kensington Palace were more remarkable to me than going through the entire building at the Tower of London.
For a while, I worked across the square from the Tower of London. At lunchtime, I would see long lines of visitors in the summer sun, or shorter ones in the rain. In the evening, I would pass by at closing time. In short, I wasn’t able to visit during that period. And since then, on none of my visits have I really wanted to plan a visit, perhaps due to the trauma of the long queues.
We did a tour that skipped the line but there were still lines once inside. It was quite crowded but all in all glad we toured. We are planning a May 2026 trip back to England and will return to London. Hoping to visit some other areas.
Sad there was no sampling or availability to “try on” some Crown Jewels. 🙄😏
And, sadly, I find it kind of sad how museums kind of pay homage to weapons of destruction. I too find them interesting and amazing craftsmanship especially the woodworking and metal engraving of the early century weapons. But still, they are made for death.
Would have been awesome to try some of the browns and necklaces on but I can’t imagine they would be very comfortable. They look heavy.
And yes, sad we even have to have weapons of war.