Tower of London Area Guide: The Best Things to Do Nearby

What is a huge mistake that people planning to visit London make? Not planning things to do near the Tower of London!

According to Visit Britain, the most visited paid for London attraction in 2024 was the Tower of London. It attracted 2.9 million visitors.

I have visited six times. The Sky Garden is the only attraction I have visited as many times. It’s about a 5-7 minute walk from the Tower of London. However, most people are overwhelmed with how many experiences they want on a London trip and don’t know how to plan them in an efficient way.

That’s why I’ve written this article, created London Travel Planners and offer 1:1 Consultations to people who want to reduce anxiety before their bucket list holiday.

Things to Do Near Tower of London: London Pass

If you are considering several attractions for a few days on your London trip, then consider a London Pass. Below is the a list of attractions for things to do near Tower of London.

• St Paul’s Cathedral (£26)
• The Tower of London (£35.80)
• Tower Bridge Exhibition (£16)
• View from the Shard (£19)

If you paid for an adult ticket individually at the London attractions, your total would be £96.80. An adult London Pass for one day is £79. However, a 2-day pass is £114. So, this is where you see the best value.

The itinerary above would be tight, but if you want to max out on your time in London, it could be accomplished. Note that once you activate your pass, Day 2 must be used on the consecutive day. So, you would need two back to back days.

Private Tour with a Beefeater:

If you’re interested in more leisurely travel, you should take a Private Meet and Greet Tour with a Beefeater. This is the best suggestion for people planning a trip to the Tower of London who want a more convenient, quality experience. It is without a doubt worth it during peak travel times.

If you want to save time, avoid crowds and have a truly unique experience, look in to this. You can read my review of the Tower of London Tour with a Beefeater to see why. Or watch the short highlight video below.

Things to Do Near Tower of London: For Foodies

If you’re like Mr Sunny and me, you like leisurely travel when you are on holiday. We enjoy slow lunches with adult beverages when we travel. Primarily, we are interested in food activities.

Things to do in London that would interest foodies that are near the Tower of London include:

• Walking to St Katharine Docks and having lunch at Dickens Inn or one of the many restaurants in the area. White Mulberries is a great spot for coffee and pastries.
• You can walk to Borough Market, which is open everyday except Monday. On weekends, you can get to Maltby Street Market in about 20 minutes by crossing the Tower Bridge. Both of these locations are known for their outstanding street food.
• There are tons of restaurants on both the north and south sides of the River Thames. They offer fab views too.
• There a several food tours that begin in East London or near Borough Market that incorporate stops in which you enjoy classic British Foods while learning about London’s history.

Things to Do Near Tower of London: Historic

For those that want to devour history instead, you can find things to do near the Tower of London too. You’ll want to add the Monument to the Great Fire of London which is shown in the video below.

You could also add a visit to the London Dungeon for an entertaining look at London’s dark past. On the way over, you can also visit the HMS Belfast. Or you can swap something for time’s sake on that itinerary and add the London Bridge Experience. The later is part of the London Pass.

Things to Do Near Tower of London: St Paul’s Cathedral

When my mother visited from Florida, her top requests in London were the Tower of London and St Paul’s Cathedral. Arriving at the first one close to when they opened, gave us enough time to swing by the SkyGarden before walking to St Paul’s Cathedral. I had previously booked a time for us to visit Skygarden, which is something you must do for this free attraction. In fact, like the Tower of London it’s one of the few attractions that Londoners actually visit.

We spent about 2 1/2 hours at the Tower of London and about 90 minutes at St Paul’s Cathedral. Our day of touring ended around 3pm.

Things to Do Near Tower of London: Final Thoughts

Most people visiting London for the first time are shocked at how much time attractions take in one day. They don’t plan for building in travel time from one attraction to another.

For logical plans that help you avoid crowds, save time and travel smarter, look at our London Travel Planners and 1:1 Trip Consultation packages.

How do you like to travel, Sunny friends? Do you like to buy a discount attraction pass and hit as many activities as you can in one day? Do you prefer to alternate relaxation days with attraction days?

Things to Do Near Tower of London: Media Appearance & YouTube

When I was a guest on the Eye on Travel CBS Radio Show with Peter Greenberg, I said the Tower of London should be the top attraction on a person’s list of things to do in London.

If you want to watch my suggestions, you can tune in to this Sunny News video. All activities in the video take place North of the River Thames. It is different from what I suggest above because it it doesn’t just focus on London Pass attractions.