Visiting Tower of London with kids

Try the Family Tour on the audio guide
Tower of London has one of the most family-friendly audio tours I’ve seen, and the 45-minute long tour is led by a character named Rocky the Raven. The raven tells stories from his own perspective, and includes fun facts for children that can help young visitors get more out of their outing. Some of the highlights are the stories about all the animals that at one point lived at Tower of London, as well as the section on the ravens. (The family price for audioguides is £14 – two adults and up to three children.)

Go on a Yeoman Warder tour
Families with older children might prefer going on a Yeoman Warder tour with a live guide. These tours can be incredibly informative and engaging!

See the Crown Jewels
One of the top things to see at Tower of London is the Crown Jewels in the Jewel House. There’s a moving walkway to stand on for viewing many of the headpieces, and the sensational, sparkling jewels can be fascinating to see for both young and old.

Visit the White Tower and the Armoury in Action experience
With plenty of interactive experiences, I think Armoury in Action is a must-see for families visiting Tower of London. The hands-on gallery is located inside the White Tower, at the end of the route, and some of the fun activities include touch-screen games where you can try to dress Henry VIII in his armour and have a go at building a castle. Other highlights include a virtual experience where you can try out sword skills and a touch-display for learning about how to fire a cannon.

Visit the Ravens
Before going on our last visit, I had read aloud from London Folk Tales for Children by Anne Johnsen and Sef Townsend (The History Press, £9.99), which features a story about Tower of London and includes the all-important ravens. It can be thrilling to hear about the ravens and the legend about the guardians of the tower, and this has been one of the most popular stops on our visits to Tower of London.

Explore The Tower of London with Paddington storybook
We’ve bought the charming book Paddington at The Tower, featuring Michael Bond’s Paddington character (Historic Royal Palaces, £6.99), which tells the story about the likeable bear visiting the historic venue with a suitcase full of Marmalade sandwiches. The book was ideal for reading after we got home from the Tower of London, as it reminded us of many of the things we’d heard about during our visit, such as the animals, the ravens and the Yeoman Warders. Next time we plan a visit, it will make for a great bedtime story the night before.

If you’re visiting the Tower of London at a busy time of year, I would strongly recommend pre-booking tickets and audioguides online. When we went on a Sunday in January it was relatively quiet, but when I went on a Monday in October, the queues for both tickets and audioguides were longer than I had expected.

Tags: Attractions, Family attractions, Family day out, Historic Royal Palaces, London, Paddington