London Tickets
Tower of London

The Martin Tower

Included with Tower of London tickets

Timings

RECOMMENDED DURATION

3 hours

St Martin’s Tower at the Tower of London

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Quick overview

  • Access: Included in all Tower of London tickets
  • Separate ticket: Not required
  • When you’ll see it: Midway on the Inner Ward route, near the Crown Jewels area
  • Visit duration: 10–15 mins self-guided/15–20 mins with a guide
  • Best time: First entry slot on a weekday; nearby Crown Jewels queues build quickly from late morning
  • Restrictions: Standard Tower building rules apply: no large bags, tripods, selfie sticks, food, or drink inside

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.

How to best experience the Martin Tower

Best time to visit

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.

How long to spend

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.

Where it fits in your itinerary

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.

Crowd patterns

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.

What to prioritize if time is short

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.

Common mistakes to avoid

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.

Best tickets to experience the Martin Tower

Ticket typeWhy 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.

Why it’s worth seeing

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.

The old Jewel House story

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.

Colonel Blood’s theft attempt

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.

The tower fabric itself

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.

Historical and cultural significance

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.

👉 Explore the full history of the Tower of London

Notable figures

Colonel Thomas Blood | Would-be thief

Tried to steal the Crown Jewels in 1671 from the tower’s earlier regalia setting.

Know more

Charles II | Reigning monarch

Ruled when Blood’s theft attempt exposed weaknesses in royal regalia security.

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Sir Robert Vyner | Royal goldsmith

Created Restoration regalia later associated with the Crown Jewels story visitors trace here.

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Know before you go

  • Summer hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 9am to 5:30pm; Sunday to Monday, 10am to 5:30pm
  • Winter hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 9am to 4:30pm; Sunday to Monday, 10am to 4:30pm
  • Last entry: Usually 1 hour before closing
  • Closed: December 24–26 and January 1

​Detailed timings

Address: Tower of London, London EC3N 4AB, United Kingdom

  • Nearest subway: Tower Hill station, about a 3-minute walk to the main visitor entrance
  • Entry point: Use the main Tower of London visitor entrance on Tower Hill; St Martin’s Tower has no separate entrance
  • Time from entrance: Allow around 10–15 minutes on foot after entry, depending on queues in the Inner Ward
  • Route note: You reach it only as part of the wider Tower visit route near the Crown Jewels area

​Plan your visit

  • Wheelchair access: The wider Tower site is partially wheelchair accessible, but not all historic towers are step-free
  • St Martin’s Tower access: Expect stairs, tight circulation, and historic thresholds that can limit access
  • Companion tickets: Complimentary adult carer or companion tickets are available on the day with valid supporting documents
  • Guide dogs: Guide dogs are welcome at the Tower of London
  • Surface note: Parts of the route include uneven paving, cobbles, and worn stone steps

​Plan your visit

  • Photography: Allowed in most Tower areas, but not in the Jewel House; follow staff instructions in restricted spaces
  • Bags and equipment: Large bags, tripods, selfie sticks, and other photographic equipment are not allowed
  • Food and drink: Not permitted inside Tower buildings
  • Smoking: Not allowed inside buildings
  • Ticket validity: Standard admission is valid for one entry only; re-entry is not permitted

​Plan your visit

  • Stairs: Expect narrow stone staircases and uneven steps in historic tower areas
  • Standing and walking: Most visitors are already on foot for a long Tower route before or after this stop
  • Difficulty: Moderate if you are comfortable with stairs; harder for visitors with limited mobility
  • Surfaces: Cobbles and worn steps can feel slippery in wet weather
  • Alternative: If stairs are an issue, prioritise the Tower’s ground-level exhibitions and accessible courtyard areas

​Plan your visit

Frequently asked questions about the Martin Tower

Yes. Entry to the Martin Tower is included with every valid Tower of London ticket. No separate ticket exists.

More reads

Tower of London tickets, highlights, maps, and visitor tips

Crown Jewels guide, queue strategy, and viewing tips

Bloody Tower stories, history, and visit planning