Aim for the first entry slot on a weekday and go straight to the Jewel House once you’re inside. Queue times rise fastest from late morning. If you save it for midday, you’ll spend more time inching forward than looking.
Included with Tower of London tickets
Timings
RECOMMENDED DURATION
3 hours
The Jewel House at the Tower of London is included with all Tower of London tickets. No separate ticket is needed. It sits near the start of the Tower visit, inside the Waterloo Block, and you can head there as soon as you enter rather than follow a fixed one-way route. Book an early-entry, skip-the-line, or guided Tower ticket if you want to see the Crown Jewels before the longest queues build.
Aim for the first entry slot on a weekday and go straight to the Jewel House once you’re inside. Queue times rise fastest from late morning. If you save it for midday, you’ll spend more time inching forward than looking.
Give it 15–20 minutes self-guided or 20–30 minutes with a guide or audio guide. That’s enough to follow the main regalia cases without feeling rushed. If you only budget 10 minutes, the moving walkway will dictate your pace.
Because the Jewel House sits near the start of the Tower rather than at the end, it works best as your first major stop. See it before the White Tower. If you leave it until later, you’ll usually hit the longest internal line.
The heaviest pressure builds between 11am and 2pm, especially on weekends, school breaks, and holiday weeks. The line can spill outside the building and slow your whole Tower schedule. If queues matter, avoid reaching the exhibit in that window.
If you’re short on time, prioritise St Edward’s Crown, the Imperial State Crown, and the Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross. These are the ceremonial anchors of the display. Cut back on secondary exhibitions before you cut the Jewel House.
The biggest mistake is treating the Jewel House as something you can ‘swing by later.’ Another is focusing only on the biggest diamonds and missing the orb and coronation spoon. Go early, and scan beyond the headline stones.
| Ticket type | Why choose it |
|---|---|
Standard entry | Best if you want flexibility and can head to the Jewel House immediately after entering the Tower. |
Guided tour | Adds context to the regalia and connects the Crown Jewels to coronations, royal ritual, and the wider fortress. |
Early access or Beefeater upgrade | Gets you near the Crown Jewels before peak queues and makes the Jewel House the centerpiece of your morning. |
The Jewel House holds a working royal collection, not a retired museum set, which is why the Crown Jewels still anchor coronations and state occasions. Most visitors focus on the biggest stones and miss how each object fits a ceremony — crown, orb, sceptre, spoon, and ampulla each have a precise role. Use the main display cases to look for three pieces that explain the collection best.
On the main regalia route, look for the heavy gold crown with a deep purple cap. Made for Charles II’s 1661 coronation, it is the crown used at the moment of crowning, which gives the whole display its ceremonial centre.
Further along the central illuminated cases, find the crown worn after the coronation and at the State Opening of Parliament. Its dense surface of diamonds, sapphires, and pearls explains why this is often the best-known object in the room.
Look to the paired regalia displayed beside the crowns: the Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross and the Sovereign’s Orb. The scepter carries the largest clear-cut diamond used in the collection, while the orb completes the coronation symbolism.
The Crown Jewels on display are not historical leftovers but a working collection of more than 100 ceremonial objects still used by the monarchy. After the old regalia were destroyed in the 17th century, the restored monarchy rebuilt the collection, and the Tower became its secure ceremonial home. Today, the Jewel House is both a public display and an active royal treasury tied to coronations and major state occasions.
Ordered new coronation regalia after the Restoration, rebuilding the Crown Jewels collection used today.
London goldsmith who helped create key Restoration regalia still central to the coronation ceremony.
His name lives on in St Edward’s Crown, the central coronation crown in the Jewel House.
His 2023 coronation confirmed that the regalia here remain in ceremonial use, not static display.
Address: Tower of London, London EC3N 4AB
Yes. Entry to the Jewel House is included with every valid Tower of London ticket. No separate ticket exists.
No. Any Tower ticket gets you in. Guided, early-entry, or skip-the-line options mainly change how much context and queue time you get.
No. The Jewel House has no independent entrance. You must enter the Tower first and join the internal queue for the Crown Jewels display.
It’s near the start of the Tower grounds, not at the end. Most visitors can reach it within 5–10 minutes of entering.
Plan 15–20 minutes self-guided or 20–30 minutes with a guide or audio guide. Less than that feels rushed.
Yes. It’s included in Tower guided experiences. A guide helps you connect the regalia to coronations, royal ritual, and the wider fortress.
No. Photography and filming are prohibited inside the Jewel House. Take your photos elsewhere in the Tower.
Partly. The wider Tower has uneven surfaces and steps, but the Jewel House is one of the easier areas to prioritize with staff guidance.
Usually, no. Visitor flow is controlled through the display, and Tower tickets are single-entry only once you leave the site.
The display can change without notice for security reasons. Staff manage access on the day, but your Tower admission remains a single-entry ticket.
What to bring
What’s not allowed
Accessibility
Additional information
Inclusions #
Entry to the Tower of London
Access to the Crown Jewels
Entry to the White Tower, Battlements, Bloody Tower, Torture at the Tower exhibition, Fusiliers Museum, and Royal Mint exhibition
Additional paid upgrades:
Access to Headout’s exclusive AI-powered audioguide app (English only, iPhone required)
Early access entry to the Tower of London and the Crown Jewels Collection
Escorted entry to the Tower of London
Guided tour of the Tower of London
Entry to Bloody Tower
Expert English-speaking tour guide
An English-speaking City Wonders tour leader
A private audience with a Beefeater for your group
Flexible Thames River cruise
Small group of max. 20-30 guests
Exclusions #
Gratuities
Food and drink
Hotel transfers
What to bring
Tower Bridge
What’s not allowed
Tower of London
Tower Bridge
Accessibility
Tower of London
Tower Bridge
Additional information
Tower of London
Tower Bridge
Inclusions #
Tower of London
Entry to the Tower of London
Access to The Crown Jewels
Tower Bridge
Entry tickets to Tower Bridge
Access to the Engine Rooms
Exclusions #
Tower of London + Tower Bridge
Food and drink
Hotel transfers
What’s not allowed
Accessibility
Additional information
Inclusions #
Skip-the-line access to the Tower of London
Access to the Crown Jewels
Guided tour of the Tower of London
English-speaking guide
Additional paid upgrades:
Early access to the Tower of London
15-min private meet and greet with a Yeoman Warder (Beefeater)
Access to the Opening Ceremony
Flexible Thames River cruise
Small group of max. 20 guests
Exclusions #
Gratuities
Hotel transfers
What to bring Westminster Abbey + Tower of London
Westminster Abbey
What’s not allowed Westminster Abbey + Tower of London
Westminster Abbey
Tower of London
Accessibility Westminster Abbey + Tower of London
Westminster Abbey
Tower of London
Additional information Westminster Abbey
Tower of London
Inclusions #
Westminster Abbey
Entry to Westminster Abbey
Multimedia guide in Russian, Portuguese, Polish, Dutch, Japanese, Italian, Hungarian, Arabic, French, German, Spanish, and English
Tower of London
Entry to the Tower of London
Access to the Crown Jewels
Entry to the White Tower, Battlements, Bloody Tower, Torture at the Tower exhibition, Fusiliers Museum, Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula, Medieval Palace, Royal Mint exhibition
Access to the children's activity trails and live historical re-enactments
Exclusions #
Westminster Abbey + Tower of London
Gratuities
Food and drink
Hotel transfers
What’s not allowed
Tower of London
London Eye
Accessibility
Tower of London
London Eye
Additional information
Tower of London
London Eye
Inclusions #
Tower of London
Entry to the Tower of London
Access to the Crown Jewels
Entry to the White Tower, Battlements, Bloody Tower, Torture at the Tower exhibition, Fusiliers Museum, and Royal Mint exhibition
London Eye
Entry to the London Eye
30-min ride on the London Eye
Additional paid upgrades:
London Eye
Exclusions #
Tower of London + London Eye
Food and drink
Transfers