Included with Tower of London tickets
Timings
RECOMMENDED DURATION
3 hours
The Martin Tower is included with all Tower of London tickets. No separate ticket is needed. You reach it from inside the Inner Ward near the Crown Jewels route, and it works best as a short stop within the wider fortress visit rather than a standalone detour. Book Tower of London guided tour with skip-the-line access or an early-entry option if you want context before the busiest Inner Ward bottlenecks build.
Go in the first entry slot on a weekday. The surrounding Crown Jewels zone gets noticeably busier from around 11am, which makes this smaller tower feel like part of a bottleneck. If you want space to read displays and move at your own pace, don’t leave it for midday.
Allow 10–15 minutes on your own, or 15–20 minutes with a guide. That is enough to understand the tower’s link to the earlier Crown Jewels story without dragging your wider Tower visit off schedule. If you rush through in 5 minutes, it can feel like just another passage tower.
Treat it as a short Inner Ward stop alongside the Crown Jewels route, not as a destination that needs its own hour. If you head here early, you can see it before the surrounding circulation space gets crowded. If you save it for late morning, expect slower movement through this part of the fortress.
Crowds peak from 11am to 2pm, when visitors converge on the Crown Jewels and nearby towers. In a compact space like this, that means less room to pause and absorb the interpretation. The first hour after opening and the later afternoon are usually calmer.
Focus on the tower’s Crown Jewels connection and the story of the 1671 theft attempt linked to this part of the fortress. That gives the stop its real value. If you are trimming time somewhere, shorten a courtyard wander instead of skipping the historical context here.
Most visitors either walk past it too quickly or treat it as interchangeable with every other tower. It isn’t. Its importance is specific: it helps you understand how the Crown Jewels were once stored and why security changed. Don’t arrive here already drained from long midday queues if this history matters to you.
| Ticket type | Why choose it |
|---|---|
Tower of London Tickets with access to the Crown Jewels | Best for a flexible self-guided visit that pairs the Martin Tower with the Crown Jewels and White Tower. |
Tower of London guided tour with skip-the-line access | Best if you want historical context and a smoother route through the busiest Inner Ward sections. |
Tower of London tickets with optional guided tour, Thames cruise, or access to Opening Ceremony | Best if you want to build your day around an audio guide, guided entry, or a structured start. |
Most visitors focus on the modern Jewel House and barely register the smaller tower that helps explain the earlier Crown Jewels story. If you stop here with that in mind, the surrounding Crown Jewels experience becomes much easier to read.
Look for the interpretation that connects this tower to the earlier keeping of the Crown Jewels. That is the key to the whole stop. It tells you that today’s secure vault is only the latest chapter in a much longer story of storage, display, and royal security.
Find the section explaining the 1671 attempt to steal the regalia. This is the episode that gives the tower much of its fame. Once you know that story, the Tower’s later obsession with controlled routes, guarded displays, and secure cases makes immediate sense.
Pay attention to the thick stone walls, tight circulation, and limited openings as you move through the space. Those physical details matter. They show why this was useful as a secure strongroom and why it still feels more constrained than the grander exhibition spaces nearby.
What most visitors do not realise is that this smaller tower is central to the earlier story of the Crown Jewels, long before the modern Jewel House display. Its fame is tied to Colonel Thomas Blood’s 1671 attempt to steal the regalia, which exposed how vulnerable the regalia could be in an older fortress setting. That shifted attention from simple custody to serious royal security, giving the tower a lasting place in Tower of London history.
Tried to steal the Crown Jewels in 1671 from the tower’s earlier regalia setting.
Ruled when Blood’s theft attempt exposed weaknesses in royal regalia security.
Created Restoration regalia later associated with the Crown Jewels story visitors trace here.
Address: Tower of London, London EC3N 4AB, United Kingdom
Yes. Entry to the Martin Tower is included with every valid Tower of London ticket. No separate ticket exists.
No. Any Tower of London ticket covers it. Guided or early-entry options simply help you reach this area with more context and less waiting.
No. The Martin Tower has no independent entrance. You reach it only from inside the Tower of London visitor route.
Usually midway through the Inner Ward route. Allow around 10–15 minutes from the main entrance, longer when nearby Crown Jewels queues are heavy.
Allow 10–15 minutes self-guided, or around 15–20 minutes with a guide. It is brief, but the historical context rewards a focused stop.
Usually. Daytime Tower tours can cover this area, but after-hours experiences focus on the grounds rather than the interior towers.
Yes. It is a short stop with strong payoff if you care about the earlier Crown Jewels story and Tower security history.
Partially. The wider Tower site has accessible areas, but historic tower interiors and stairs can limit access.
Usually, yes, in most Tower areas, but not in the Jewel House. Follow staff instructions anywhere photography is restricted.
It is smaller and more focused than the White Tower or Bloody Tower. Prioritize it for Crown Jewels history, not for long exhibitions.
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
