I will be going to London between Dec. 14-19th and need to know if it is necessary to purchase tickets ahead of time for the Tower tour, Westminster Abby and any other sites requiring tickets. I was thinking that maybe this will not be a time when there will be a lot of tourists and we could buy our tickets at each site but any advice of those with experienc would help.
Thanks!
Posted by
Granite Bay, CA
1931 posts
We were there in the hight of summer tourism and did not buy our tickets ahead, and it was fine. We just bought entrance into the Tower, not the Tower Tour. The tickets we did buy ahead where for the Globe Theatre and Buckingham Palace which happened to be open while we were there.
I think you should be fine.
Posted by
London, England.
662 posts
You will probably be ok, but get there at opening time for the shortest wait.
I think the Tower of London 'tour' is free with the entrance ticket, but I gather they only run the Beefeater tour if it isn't raining.
The St. Paul's tour is definitely included, as I've done it, but check tour times as they don't run all day.
A little tip for tours... you sometimes have multiple tour guides if there are large numbers, and I mistakenly went with the 'very softly spoken' guide, and struggled to hear him all tour. If you're slightly hard of hearing, as i am, maybe ask the guides "which one of you is loudest" before selecting a group.
Posted by
Nashville, TN, USA
3898 posts
You will be fine, just walking up and buying a ticket on the day you attend, at both places.
Get to the Tower of London as soon as they open to avoid crowds. Pay at the gate.
Westminster Abbey; just walk up and pay to get in. Usually there is a long line outside in the spring and summer. Not so much in December.
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
14832 posts
When I was in London in September I just walked up to the door at Westminster Abbey and paid. If you are interested I also recommend the Verger tour for an extra 5GBP. I got there about 930 and got on the first Verger tour at 10.
http://www.westminster-abbey.org/visit-us/verger-guided-tours
If you decide not to do a verger tour I recommend you download the Westminster app with the audio tour. It is much more comfortable to listen with your own ear buds than to carry around the heavy (free) audio guide.
http://www.westminster-abbey.org/visit-us/audiotour
I actually did both and listened to part of the audio tour while I was waiting for the Verger tour to start.
Posted by
824 posts
Donald,
It sounds like you're going to do some pretty intensive sightseeing in London. You might want to look at the London Pass to see if it makes financial sense. Aside from the convenience (think of it as pre-paying entrance fees and avoiding the ticket queues), if you are hitting all the big sights in a short amount of time, you can actually save a bit of money as well.
Posted by
Tunbridge Wells
6113 posts
The London Pass rarely makes financial sense and few locals would recommend this option. Some schools will have finished for Christmas, so some attractions may be busy, but getting there at opening time should mean less queuing. You shouldn't have to buy tickets in advance
Posted by
Nashville, TN, USA
3898 posts
I would not buy the London Pass. It is expensive. And its cost far exceeds the amount you would spend for a couple of sights, such as Westminster Abbey plus Tower of London. You will not save any money with this pass unless you are planning to see 6 to 10 sights a day, every day, making it impossible to do them well.
Most of the museums in London are free, so you will not benefit there from having the London Pass.
Likewise, taking walks through the parks--free.
Taking walks through Westminster, across the bridge, and up the south bank by the Globe Theatre, walking through Borough Market, then on to walking across Tower Bridge--all free.
Your Oyster card, which you will buy once you get to London, will give you transportation on the tube, city buses, and one of the riverboat companies. Do not buy a visitor Oyster card ahead of time.
Posted by
Los Angeles
220 posts
Tower doesn't have a "tour" you pay for. I'd recommend seeing those two sites on different days. Get to the Tower when it first opens to see the crown jewels, otherwise you will be waiting in line, in the frigid frost-freeze and snow (no matter what time of year it is). The same is true of Westminster. I'd get there when it opens, the lines can be dastardly the later it is in the day. The tower has several fun tours run by the beefeaters/queen bodyguards throughout the day (usually around every 1-2 hours or so). They are free, and quite interesting. So check out the jewels, then do one of those. The times might be posted on their website. Tickets for both of those place can be bought ahead of time, at their official websites. You can just show them your phone (if you buy in country while web-browsing) or print them out before you go to England.
Bring a sweater...
Cheers!