2:30 hours at Tower of London , enough time??

If you are at the Tower of London when it opens and go immediately to the Crown Jewels, you won’t have any problems. No one can say whether 2.5 hours is enough for your family.

We love to linger and spent almost 6 hours at the Tower. It's a big complex with plenty to see. We spent almost 2 hours just at the exhibits within the White Tower.

I have been to the Tower of London and the the Globe Theater.

I believe 2.5 hours is insufficient for the Tower. It holds so much history that you would want to soak it in -- sites, presentations and special events. The stones are practically oozing history.

I would recommend a minimum of four hours for the Tower.

The Globe also has an A-plus-level museum, tours and the performances. (I saw a performance of Henry IV Part II). Plus, there are other sites associated with Shakespeare in the Southwark area outside the Globe worth touring. I'd also recommend four hours for the Globe.

Maybe see the Tower and Globe on separate days. They're stellar sites worth the investment of time.

Consider skipping the Globe tour. If you'll be attending a performance, you'll have ample opportunity to experience the theatre. Otherwise you may well feel rushed, and not enjoy your day.

If you are there at opening you will get into the Crown Jewels fairly quickly.

Two and a half hours is a bit tight for most people - I would consider just doing the Tower, have a nice lunch then go to the show.

I agree with the advice about skipping the Globe tour. We did the tour last week, and we absolutely loved it, but you will see everything that the tour shows you by attending a performance. The exhibition that is part of the tour is not worthwhile, so you are not missing anything there. Your time is better spent giving the tower the attention it deserves, it is amazing. Also I disagree with Rick Steves about the glamour of the standing tickets for the theater, I highly recommend getting a seated ticket and getting the cushion to go with it. Those seats are hard.

Last year I was there with my 7-year-old granddaughter, and 2 1/2 hours was about what we spent, including a light lunch at their lovely cafe. We were there mid-May, however, and the lines were manageable for the Crown Jewels -- no lines anywhere else. Have fun.

I have visited the Tower on all 4 of my trips to London--the first time I spent about 4 hrs seeing everything in all open buildings including the Crown Jewels, the subsequent visits have been just to spend time with the ravens and poke around a bit, have a snack in the cafe, and those visits were around 2-2.5 hrs or so. The tours led by a Beefeater are not to be missed as they are quite engaging and wonderful storytellers. Perhaps you could just do the Globe performance at 2:30? That would seem ideal, to me.