Meet your guide outside the Tower of London Gift Shop, near the main entrance area for Tower visitors. Look for your guide and check in with your group, then get a quick orientation on how the tour will unfold before heading inside with timed-entry tickets in hand.

Walk through ancient gateways and into nearly 1,000 years of royal drama, military might, and political intrigue. Pause at Traitor's Gate for the chilling story of those who passed through and never returned, including Anne Boleyn, then continue to the Bloody Tower for the unsolved mystery of the missing princes and the imprisonment of Sir Walter Raleigh. Stand on Tower Green, where some of England's most famous figures met their tragic ends, before your guide leads you toward the Jewel House.

Your guide hands you off at the entrance to the Jewel House and shares fascinating stories about what awaits inside before saying goodbye. Step inside independently to see coronation crowns, royal scepters, and the dazzling Cullinan diamonds up close, all still used in British royal ceremony today.

Climb the medieval keep that William the Conqueror built in 1078 to display royal armor, swords, and the chapel of St. John. Explore on your own and take in centuries-old medieval weaponry at your own pace before heading toward the Thames.

Walk a short distance from the Tower of London to Tower Pier and board your boat for a relaxing 30-minute cruise along the Thames. Glide past Tower Bridge, the Shard, Shakespeare's Globe, and London's iconic skyline before disembarking at one of the central piers to continue your London day from there. Your flexible ticket is typically valid for one month, so you can use it the same day or save it for later (the Thames River cruise is not included with the Basic option).