Westminster abbey and tower of london

I'll be in London soon, and I plan to take the tours offered by the venues. Westminster Abbey offers a verger-led tour. The Tower of London offers tours led by the Beefeaters. I'd take advantage of those, if possible. You may also want to try to get tickets for the Tower's Ceremony of the Keys, though they are hard to get.

Couple of questions:

We equals how many people?

When is the trip? Month and year.

Review the London Walks website. Might be of interest depending on your interests. I’ve been visiting London for 50 years. When London walks first established themselves I took a walk. Been taking a walk on every trip. Last was Inns of The Court. Throughly enjoyed.

Since it is your first trip I would definitely consider a Vergers Tour of Westminster Abbey. The Beefeaters tour of The Tower of London is stellar.

My most recent stay was for 6 weeks last Fall.

Enjoyed the Lord Mayor’s Parade, Greenwich to explore the Royal Naval Academy, saw GIANT with John Lithgow ( theatre is wonderful in London), walked around the Walthamstow Wetlands, revisited the wonderful Mari’s Deli and strolled along the Thames River Path to Hammersmith, explored the Parkland walk from Finsbury Park to Crouch End,
walked sections of the Thames River ( Canary Wharf, Wapping, Limehouse and up to the Thames Barrier.

Great city. Have fun.

2 of us.

I looked at the John litgow play. Tickets not available the days we are there. I wonder if we can get them at the box office?

Just book your tickets for Westminster Abbey online for early in the day.

I booked 9:30am for my trip last month. I was in line about 9:10, we were sorted into those with tickets and those without. At 9:30 those of us with tickets entered the Abbey and within minutes I purchased my ticket for the Verger led tour. The first Verger tour that day was 10:30 and lasted just over 90 minutes.

Everyone is given an audio guide when you enter the Abbey. The Verger basically follows the same route with a few additions. We were allowed into the Shrine of Edward the Confessor and, also, sat in the Quire for part of the tour.

Also, if you are interested in the Queen's Galleries, book those tickets when you book your Abbey tickets.

I agree with what Jeanm said. And I did virtually the same thing a year ago.

Book the earliest time and then get there early to get a good place in line. When you get in, go immediately to book your Verger tour. You will then have a while to look around first, and it won't be very crowded yet. I got to see many side chapels and the Lady Chapel with almost no one else there. It was wonderful. And the Verger tour was very special. It's one of my favorite memories of my visits to London.

In 2018 I went with a London Walks tour. The guide was great but the Abbey was so crowded you could hardly see anything and we were all squashed together.

Depends on when you’re visiting. In late November/early December there were no lines at either place.

Tower of London, just get a ticket. If waiting bothers you a lot, you can pay extra on Viator to avoid the ticket-purchase lines.

Westminster Abbey, consider attending a service. We attended Evensong, and it was magical. Of course, no tour.

The title of your post reminds me of an old song by Roger Miller. (sorry, I couldn't help myself)

Tower of London, just get a ticket. If waiting bothers you a lot, you can pay extra on Viator to avoid the ticket-purchase lines.

No need. Just get your ticket at the Tower of London website https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/visit/tickets-and-prices/

That way, no middle man taking a cut, easy done, no ticket buying queue.

We visited both Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London on two separate mornings. We arrived a few minutes before each opened and the line at Westminster moved rather quickly. At the Tower of London, we were the second people in line, so walked right in. We did not purchase our tickets in advance. This was a couple of years ago during the month of May.

Thanks, Nigel!