Tower of London, Tower Hill

The Tower of London is well worth a visit but do try and use 241 tickets. The information tours by the Beefeaters are great for understanding the history of the tower. They also all have a sense of humour and you tend to see more of the tower as they guide you around. Traitors gate still seems frightening and the `block` near the chapel makes you glad you still have your head. The Crown Jewels are impressive but so is the safe room they are kept in which you walk around. Listen carefully and you can imagine the young princes locked in the tower. Go to the armoury and realise how small people when you see the tiny chainmail suits. The Tower itself is historically wonderful and the setting by the Thames makes you think of how many prisioners the river brought here. Great for all ages but like most London attractions it can get very busy. o late in the day to avoid the queues.

We have visited the Tower of London a few times and whatever the children’s ages they always find something to do here. The last time we were there they enjoyed pretending to be knights and playing along the battlements. In the White Tower they loved trying out the medieval weapons. We ate in the restaurant which does add to the cost but saves carrying lots of bags around. We enjoyed seeing the crown jewels but the kids did get a bit fed up queuing for this. The trip can be as long or as short as you like, you won’t run out of things to do.

The Tower of London is a fun place to take children for a day trip. It is nearly 1000 years old and they get to see a lot of history during a visit, including the place where famous beheadings took place – such as those of Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard. There are lots at the Tower for families to do – including various tours such as the one where you follow a Yeoman Warder and see what is involved in their day-to-day work. There are also a number of different trails you can go on where children are encouraged to answer questions on what they have seen in their visit.

Be prepared for a very busy and tiring day at the Tower of London because there is so much to see and do for children. I think my teenagers will always remember the amazing Crown Jewels which you have to pass on a moving conveyor belt so that you cannot stop and stare for ages. They are truly fantastic! There are a lot of very narrow steps where pushchairs are not possible but there are warning signs outside these buildings. My children really enjoyed having a go at archery and also tried out the swords and weapons in the ‘Hands on’ section’; they were amazed how heavy the weapons were. The Tower of London is a massive museum with 12 towers. My teenagers were very interested to learn about the prisoners who had been kept there including the two young princes. You could easily spend a whole day here as there are lovely gardens to picnic and there is always something going on. Tickets are cheaper online or you can use Tesco vouchers as we did. My children voted the Tower of London an amazing day out.

We really enjoyed our visit to the Tower of London. The buildings and grounds are immaculately well kept and the history there is fascinating. We had been warned about the gruesome things that went on here many years ago, but unless you stop to read all the notices in the towers, you don’t really see this. This was good for us as my son was quite worried about prisoners and dungeons. On the other hand though, if you have older children who are interested in the history of the Tower, they can learn so much here. It’s up to you how much you want to go into it. There are frequent tours if you want to make sure you don’t miss anything. Older children will have fun exploring the towers, my son (7yrs) especially liked the armour exhibition in the White Tower where they also have an interactive room. Here you can select weapons for different jobs and have a go at firing a bow & arrow (all simulated, weapons can’t actually be removed from the exhibits). We both enjoyed seeing the Crown Jewels but I imagine these would get very busy during weekends/holidays. Younger children can also have fun here. There is plenty of space to run about and the beefeaters and ravens are interesting to watch. There is a café here or several benches outside if you want to bring a picnic. This is a very popular attraction in London so expect queues during the Summer holidays. We visited on a Friday during February and though still busy with school trips and tourists, we didn’t have to queue for anything. Entrance costs are quite high but you can easily spend a good few hours here making it a very worthwhile day out.