Hi there. My husband and I are going to London as a part of a spring Europe trip this year. I was wondering if anyone knows if buying Tower of London e-vouchers from the VisitBritainShop ahead of time allows you to skip the line(queue)? Here is the website: http://www.visitbritainshop.com/world/attractions/attractions-in-london/product/tower-of-london-tickets.html Thanks
Melissa
Posted by
2081 posts
hi, im not sure about the voucher. but when i went to see the TOL, the ONLY long line i waited in was to see the Crown Jewels. That was inside the TOL too. There were short lines (~20 people)per que to buy tickets and they had all of their windows open. I also went ~1500 too. happy trails.
Posted by
Ithaca, NY, USA
671 posts
The best advice you will get re the Tower is to plan to be there when it opens. Not only will there be minimal lines to get in, but there will also be minimal or no lines to see the crown jewels and the smallest crowds of the day for the first Beefeaters tour. It will get more and more and more crowded as the day progresses. Going early is absolutely wonderful -- when we walked in there was no one around....and it was much easier to envision the Tower of the past than later on when the place was thronged with tourists!
Posted by
Pacific Northwest
347 posts
I agree with Ray. If my memory serves, the lines to get in weren't bad. It was a little like Disney in that they had several ticket booths, so lines weren't bad to get in. Once inside, there was a longer line for the Crown Jewels - but even then, it wasn't horrible. We were there in June, 2008 for reference. :D
Posted by
Bury St Edmunds, UK
12 posts
Hi Melissa! I have bought the voucher directly from the gift shop, but never online. The only line it lets you skip is the one to buy tickets. You still have to wait in line to enter the Tower of London and for the Crown Jewels. Depending on when you are going, skipping the ticket line could save you a lot of time. Another option is to see how long the lines are when you get there and then buy the tickets direct from the gift shop. It's on the way out of the tube stop. After you exit the tube station and go down the stairs to walk thru the tunnel to get to the Tower of London, the gift shop is immediately on your right. The counter to buy the tickets is to the left all the way back once inside the store. I have never encountered a line inside the gift shop.
Posted by
OP
Burnsville, MN, USA
2 posts
Thanks everyone!
Posted by
South Yorkshire, UK; formerly St. Louis, MO, USA
317 posts
I'll echo what a few posters have said: go early. Queues to get tickets are easy - then make a bee-line for the Crown Jewels. The last time I went, the guards allowed us to make several loops of the people mover (you'll know what I mean when you see it) as there was hardly anyone there. Its a much more relaxing way to see everything, I have found, and one of the attractions that is open Sunday. Enjoy!