how to plan crown jewels with a private taxi tour

[dznypal]

we are on the BIritish Isle cruise and spending 2 nights in London before so really only one full day in London--

to make things a bit easier we have booked a private black taxi tour--

Im trying to figure out how to make sure we get to the tower of London to see the crown jewels  really only interested in see those so not spending alot of time there

I have the taxi booked from 1130 to 330 but we can extend it if we need to for a price of course

problem being Im sure it will  be busy so trying to figure out how to time efficnetly do this

I heard early morning and late afternoon are the least crowded

really dont want to be real long since we have the cruise the next day

 

the other things wed like to see are mostly easy to see 

any advice or tips on this

thanks all

 

[nolatravelgirl]

You have to have timed tickets to enter the Tower of London. It really is an interesting tour and worth the time. The tours are given by the Beefeaters. 

[dznypal]

thanks for the reply--so we can pick a time--after the crown jewels can we just leave

Ive been playing with different sites for tickets and none of them theres a spot to pick your time

with only one full day in london were have to do this the most efficent way we can

 

[Meander Ingwa]

You do not have to take a tour you can enter on you own and proceed.  It is very easy to get to the Tower via the Tube.  Consider going for 10 am entry then have the cab come for your tour from there.  I don't know how your cab tour runs or if that is an option 

 

It is unfortunate to rush through, the armory is also wonderful with full man and horse armors.

 

You book your ticket directly from tower of london, when you select your day that is when you select your time.  Just google tower of london, the official govt site will open

Edited July 11, 2023 by Meander Ingwa

[Ocean Mouse]

Be aware that even if you have a timed ticked this is just for entry to the Tower itself. There may also be a queue to enter the jewel house which can move quite slowly at busy times.

[lynncarol]

You can also purchase a London Pass for the day which allows you to skip the lines at the Tower.  In addition it gives you free access to the Uber boat on the Thames which we used to get from the tower to the the Millennium Pedestrian bridge dock where we walked across to St Paul's Cathedral.  Then back on the boat to the Westminster Abby complex. Probably the pass is cheaper than the taxi tour and will allow you to customize your visit. 

[Cotswold Eagle]

18 hours ago, lynncarol said:

which allows you to skip the lines at the Tower. 

There is no Fast Track at the Tower, so not sure what you mean by this? Of course, you don't need to queue to buy tickets, but then neither do those who have booked in advance. And because the London Pass doesn't have a time slot, it is theoretically possible you may need to wait for an available time slot. 

[lynncarol]

My post didn't mention a "fast track'  but said that you could skip the line with a pass. I apologize if a 'fast track' is what you interpreted my comments to mean.  However, I was speaking from my experience there last September.  Taking the Tube, we arrived at the Tower right after opening time to find a long line of folks waiting to buy tickets.  However, with our pass, we went right in. I don't recall seeing anyone holding timed admissions tickets when we arrived (maybe it was too early for them) but at the entrance, the attendant only gave our passes a quick glance before immediately admitting us.

[Cotswold Eagle]

On 7/10/2023 at 10:45 PM, dznypal said:

Ive been playing with different sites for tickets and none of them theres a spot to pick your time

The time slots system only operates during certain periods - school holidays, for example.  
 

If you go to the Historic Royal Palaces ticketing site and select a date, if time slots are required they appear below the calendar (for example, they are not required next week, but are from the week after).  If not, your ticket is valid at any time that day. 

[Cotswold Eagle]

16 hours ago, lynncarol said:

My post didn't mention a "fast track'  but said that you could skip the line with a pass.

I’m afraid that is a semantic distinction that eludes me 😀

 

But thank you for confirming that when you said “skip the lines” you only meant the line to buy tickets, not e.g. those for entry, security or exhibits, and therefore, as I said, the London Pass offers no advantage here over a pre-purchased Tower ticket.