Top tips for Tower of London/Tower Bridge with kids

[Snappyteabread]

What top tips do you have to make the most of a visit to Tower of London/Tower bridge in London? Kids age 10 and 7. I'm aware there are existing threads but I've found there is outdated info so looking for up to date stuff.

Get onto a guided tour, the Beefeaters are fabulous fonts of knowledge and excellent story tellers. If you can ever get to do the ceremony of the keys, it is a brilliant experience. If you pootle about yourselves, it is not as captivating as someone recounting the tales of the princes in the tower, or the stories of the traitors gate etc.

Don’t go when it’s raining or predicted to rain- the tours will most likely be stopped and the stairs are quite slippery.

Get to the Tower of London as soon as it opens and march straight to Crown Jewels. If you leave it any later you'll be queueing for hours. There's time to see everything else at your leisure afterwards.

It’s well worth popping to the information desk BEFORE you head into the Tower of London to pick up a free children’s activity pack. Alternatively there’s a Time Explorers App which you can download before you go. Your children can then join in digital missions where they meet historical characters and help them solve problems whilst exploring. There are regular organized guided tours led by the Yeoman Warders. They take place every 30 minutes and last 1 hour. Our timing didn’t work out for joining one – mostly because we wanted to beat the crowds for the Crown Jewels and didn’t fancy visiting ‘en masse’ with a large group. However, every now and again we would happen upon a guide and would listen intently to their animated, entertaining talks.
If time allows leave the Tower of London (your ticket allows re-entry) to walk across Tower Bridge. Check the lift times on their website to see if the bridge is opening during your visit. A sight worth seeing.

And finish your day in St Katherine’s Docks on the other side of Tower Bridge

I agree with doing the jewels first, the queues are awful later in the day.

The White Tower has lot of armoury and the Royal Mint, for DD it was always the more boring part, we don’t linger there the a lot, it can get a bit overwhelming.

I never did the Tower Bridge.

Just replied to your other message. Tower of London is great - definitely look out for the live performance. Don't bother with the audio guide. Don't miss the display about animals in the tower. It's up in the far corner after you come in. Crown jewels are ok but for my boys not very interesting. The white tower with all the armour is a long stint - so make sure you have been to the loo and had any snacks required before you go in.

The Tower Bridge experience is a little disappointing for a 7 year old as the windows are too high for them to see out of when up in the bridge. You will have to lift the child up. The rest is ok, but personally we enjoyed looking for when the bridge raised on the web site and timing our visit to see it going up and down. It's more impressive from the bank than from standing on the bridge.

There is a Tesco shop just on the Tower of London side of the bridge for any drinks and snacks you might need.

Both mine loved Tower Bridge experience, especially the glass walkways. In that area there is also Monument, which gives a great view of surrounding area once you've climbed the tower.

I agree with the poster saying go early as it actually is less crowded.

I disagree with the poster saying do a tour unless your children are very used to and comfortable in large crowds - I tried the tour on two separate occasions with two different children and we dropped out and made our own way both times - the tours are far too big, far too many people, far too difficult to hear and far too much like being in the middle of a zombie hord... For the same reason I only saw the crown jewels with one child, if there are big queues the whole experience of churning through is quite unpleasant.

I've taken each of my 3 children seperately, each at age 6 or 7 and each really loved the tower though.

We always read a children's book about it before we go, and they have an idea what they want to see and about the history.

I always let the child take the lead and go at their pace.

I spent eight hours there with my dc2! His choice. He sat on the floor and watched every video in the white tower, he looked at every piece of armour and weapon and tried every interactive exhibit and was fascinated by the money/ mint exhibit, unexpectedly. Another of my children was fascinated by the stories of things that had happened there more than the exhibits and we read everything.

I'd do some children's book reading first and let the children take the lead. If two parents are going I'd be prepared to split up once inside and go one with each child as they may well get a lot more out of it that way.

Have fun!

Alternstively, take a packed lunch and est it while queuing for the Jewels. My ds loved the jewels and we went round three times - he'd recently got into Minecraft so wanted to see real diamond etc...

Agree with following kids' lead - mine are squeamish so avoided the Bloody Tower but they loved the Mint.

Definitely check the Tower Bridge website. It tells you exactly when the bridge is opening. It doesn't happen every day, so if you can be flexible as to when you go you stand a chance.

Not for the kids but love the gift shop! One of my favourite gift shops ever!

@Snappyteabread do you have far to travel to get there?

Going early in the day obviously but also Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays tend to be quieter than the long weekend days.

Get a family ticket online, even better take out membership for a year if you could use it www.hrp.org.uk/membership/ it includes Hampton Court Palace and Kensington Palace and gives a discount off entry to Kew Gardens plus 10% discount in the shops and cafes. Make sure you only buy tickets on line from the official Royal Palaces site and I think you have to validate it in the information centre before joining the queue for entry.

The Ceremony of the Keys for locking up is by ticket and they're only released every now and then, it can take months to get tickets. I think they come up next month.

There are a few blog and review sites to look at if you google Tower of London with kids and there's a Channel 5 series about the Tower, the Warders, the Ravens and things behind the scenes, which is very interesting. Actually it's on series two now
www.channel5.com/show/inside-the-tower-of-london/

Definitely try to co-ordinate with bridge raising.
And if you watch Spider-Man: Far From Home shortly before or after your visit that will add to the enjoyment.

Crown jewels first. The queue might not look big outside the door but it snakes around inside for ages if you are late.

yy help. The gift shop is ace. I had to give myself a serious talking to to not buy the ££££ Henry VIII and his wives Xmas tree decorations.

The Sky Garden is only a short walk away so a good free attraction to combine with the £££ Tower. Great views. You are best to book and can do so 3 weeks before.

Take some 1p coins because they've got those machines where you can press them.

If you're doing the bridge, make sure to go below and see the Victorian engine rooms too.

My very top tip is if you are a public servant and work for local government/civil service/police/nhs/schools etc is to join the CSSC. Your fiver a month will give you "free" access to the Tower of London, Hampton Court, Kensington Palace and the majority of English Heritage properties. (My membership number for referral is 30261742 but I would recommend it without that - don't feel you have to use it) Otherwise there is the 2for1 rail offer.

Anyway because of membership I've been a few times. Get in the queue for the crown jewels as soon as you get there. They are a bit overrated but I think they are something you have to see once in a lifetime. The kids activities during school holidays are fab. There is a small playground by Tower Hill tube entrance. The White Tower has a fairly new children's gallery that's fab.