Our verdict
Best overall
London: Tower of London and Crown Jewels Exhibition Ticket
The plain ticket, at the same £38 as the official site, is all most visitors need — the Yeoman Warder tour is included. Rated 4.6★ from 33,000+ reviews.
4.6★ · 33,185from £38 GetYourGuide →
Best value
Ceremony of the Keys, booked direct
The nightly locking of the Tower for a suggested £30 (you can pay from £10), against about £143–£159 for after-hours packages. The catch is getting a ticket.
Skip it if
You're booking a guided tour just for the Beefeaters
Yeoman Warder tours run every 45 minutes from 10:00 and come with your admission. Pay extra only for early entry, a smaller group or a private guide.
Tower of London tours: tickets, guided tours, early access or the Keys?
Tower of London tours fall into four groups: the standard ticket (which already includes a Yeoman Warder tour), paid guided tours, early-access packages that get you in before the crowds, and the Ceremony of the Keys, the nightly lock-up. Most visitors need only the first.
| Option | Price per adult | When | Guide | What it adds | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard ticket (HRP or GYG) | £38 | Opening hours | Free Yeoman Warder tour, every 45 min from 10:00 | Crown Jewels, White Tower, the lot | Almost everyone |
| Guided tour (platforms) | ~£50–£89 | Daytime | Platform guide, 1.5–4 h | A guide who stays with you; “skip-the-line” claims | Visitors who want structure |
| HRP Opening Ceremony experience | £62 (child £33.50) | Tue–Sat 08:45, Sun–Mon 09:45 | Ceremony, then free time | Watch the Tower unlocked, first into the Crown Jewels | Crown Jewels without the queue |
| Early access packages (platforms) | ~£74–£149 | Morning | Guided | Opening ceremony plus extras: a cruise or Tower Bridge | Combining sights in one morning |
| Ceremony of the Keys (HRP) | £30 suggested (£10–£50) | Nightly 21:30–22:05 | Yeoman Warder escort | The nightly lock-up ritual | Anyone who can get a ticket |
| After hours + Keys (platforms) | ~£143–£159 | Evening | Guided | A tour of the empty Tower plus the ceremony | When direct Keys tickets are gone |
Platform prices are the “from” prices in our partner feed today; HRP prices are from its website. Before you book a guided tour, check that it includes Tower admission — at £38 it’s a big part of the price.
Are the Beefeater tours really free?
Yes. The Yeoman Warders — the Beefeaters — lead tours that are included in your admission ticket. Historic Royal Palaces says they run every 45 minutes from 10:00, with the last at 15:15, from near the main entrance. You can’t reserve a place, and tours may be shortened or cancelled in bad weather or when it’s very busy. Turn up a few minutes early for the time you want.
That’s why the free tour is the benchmark for everything else here. A paid “Beefeater” tour on a platform can be worth it — for a guaranteed smaller group, early entry or a guide who stays with you round the Crown Jewels — but read what it adds before you pay twice for the same walk.
Tower of London tickets and tours you can book now
London: Tower of London and Crown Jewels Exhibition Ticket
from £38
See on GetYourGuide
Tower of London & Crown Jewels Exhibition: Entry Ticket
from £38
See on Tiqets
London: Easy Access Tower of London and Crown Jewels Tour
from £89
See on GetYourGuide
VIP Beefeaters Meet & Greet with Tower of London Guided Tour
from £50
See on GetYourGuide
London: Tower of London Opening Ceremony & Tower Bridge Tour
from £149
See on GetYourGuide
Tower of London Guided Tour with Skip-the-Line Access
from £57per person
See on Headout
London: VIP Tower Opening Ceremony, Crown Jewels & Cruise
from £95
See on GetYourGuide
Tower of London Early Access & Beefeater Opening Ceremony
from £74
See on GetYourGuide
Tower of London After Hours with Beefeater & Keys Ceremony
from £159
See on GetYourGuide
Tower of London: Guided Tour with a Beefeater
from £69
See on TiqetsPrices and ratings checked 21 Oct 2026; they change daily.
Early access: the HRP Opening Ceremony
Historic Royal Palaces sells its own early-entry package: you watch the Tower unlocked at the Middle Tower and go in ahead of general admission to be first in line for the Crown Jewels. It starts at 08:45 Tuesday to Saturday and 09:45 on Sundays and Mondays, costs £62 for an adult (£33.50 child, £49.50 concession) and includes your Tower admission. Only 50 places are sold a day, up to six per booking — at the time of checking, HRP was selling dates up to 1 November 2026.
The platform versions — early access with the opening ceremony from about £74, or the ceremony combined with a Thames cruise (about £95) or Tower Bridge (about £149) — make sense if you want a guide or the extras in one booking.
Ceremony of the Keys: how to book
The Ceremony of the Keys is the ritual locking of the Tower’s gates, performed every night for centuries. Visitors are escorted in from the West Gate at 21:30 precisely and out by about 22:05.
- Where to book: online only, from Historic Royal Palaces.
- When: tickets for future dates are released on the first working day of each month from 13:00. They sell out very quickly and there’s no waiting list.
- Price: a suggested £30 per ticket; you can choose to pay anything from £10 to £50.
- Rules: arrive by 21:25 — latecomers aren’t admitted. No photography at any point. Tickets are non-refundable and can’t be exchanged.
If you miss the release, the after-hours packages on GetYourGuide (about £159, 4.9★) and Headout (about £143) combine an evening tour of the empty Tower with the ceremony — five times the price, but with a guaranteed place.
| Platform | From | Rating | Check price & dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| GetYourGuideTower of London After Hours with Beefeater & Keys Ceremony | £159 | 4.9★ 79 | GetYourGuide → |
| HeadoutTower of London After Hours VIP Guided Tour & Ceremony of the Keys | £143 Lowest today | 5.0★ 2 | Headout → |
Other ways to see the Tower
- From the river: the Tower of London River Tour, sold on Headout as the official river tour from about £19, is a circular trip of about 40 minutes from Tower Bridge Quay.
- After dark: Historic Royal Palaces runs seasonal Yeoman Warder-led ghost tours — compare them with the Ghost Bus and the Dungeon on our ghost tours page.
- With a private guide: a private guide can build a half day around the Tower and Westminster — see our private Tower and Westminster tours.
- With other sights: if you’re also doing the Abbey and the Palace, compare our Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace tours and whether a London Pass or attraction bundle pays off.
Questions people ask
How much are Tower of London tickets?
Are the Yeoman Warder (Beefeater) tours free?
How do you get tickets for the Ceremony of the Keys?
What happens at the Ceremony of the Keys?
Is a guided tour of the Tower of London worth it?
Is the Tower of London free to visit?
Sources
- Historic Royal Palaces — Tower of London tickets and prices (checked 21 Oct 2026)
- Historic Royal Palaces — Yeoman Warder tours (checked 21 Oct 2026)
- Historic Royal Palaces — Ceremony of the Keys (checked 21 Oct 2026)
- Historic Royal Palaces — Tower of London Opening Ceremony experience (checked 21 Oct 2026)
- Historic Royal Palaces — audio guide tour (checked 21 Oct 2026)
- Historic Royal Palaces — Tower of London River Tour (checked 21 Oct 2026)
- GetYourGuide — Tower of London (partner feed)
Written and checked by the Private Tours London desk