Where's the Beefeater?
July 2, 2016 8:27 PM Subscribe
Trying to buy tix to tour Tower of London/Beefeater Tour for this coming Wednesday for myself and kid. Getting googleflummoxed.
1. Kid really wants live tour with Beefeater. Trip Advisor, Historic Royal Palaces Official Site and a myriad of others all selling tickets... with guidebooks and audio. How do we specify we want a live tour?
2. Any difference between the venues selling these tix?
3. There doesn't seem to be any time or hour specified -- only a date. Eh? Does everyone just show up in the morning and wait?
Any simple informative answer appreciated. Please, we are doing this, kid really looking forward to it, so no need to tell us it isn't worth it, etc.
THANK YOU
1. Kid really wants live tour with Beefeater. Trip Advisor, Historic Royal Palaces Official Site and a myriad of others all selling tickets... with guidebooks and audio. How do we specify we want a live tour?
2. Any difference between the venues selling these tix?
3. There doesn't seem to be any time or hour specified -- only a date. Eh? Does everyone just show up in the morning and wait?
Any simple informative answer appreciated. Please, we are doing this, kid really looking forward to it, so no need to tell us it isn't worth it, etc.
THANK YOU
When I went (6 months ago), there was a beefeater tour queuing up just inside the entrance (for a good 15 minutes). We did not start with the tour, but hopped in later when it was passing by, and the beefeaters welcomed us with no problem.
posted by DoubleLune at 8:55 PM on July 2, 2016
posted by DoubleLune at 8:55 PM on July 2, 2016
We were there last week! Walked up and bought tickets... Joined a beefeater group. No problems. Kids loved it!!
posted by pearlybob at 9:19 PM on July 2, 2016
posted by pearlybob at 9:19 PM on July 2, 2016
Went last month, can confirm you just show up, buy a general admission ticket, and go to the Yeoman Warder waiting area just inside the entry gates. No special ticket needed. Have fun!
posted by joan_holloway at 10:03 PM on July 2, 2016
posted by joan_holloway at 10:03 PM on July 2, 2016
With regards to the lack of specified time/hour - you just show up at the time you'd like to visit. It won't be that busy - i.e. not so busy that you'd need to show up and queue first thing in the morning to get in. The official palaces website also states that tickets bought online are valid for seven days after the date specified. Nthing that you can join a tour once you're there.
Regarding which vendor to use; I often prefer to buy from the official site. I don't know that it will definitely be cheaper, but you at least know that your ticket will be what you want, and that you aren't paying a cut to a third party tout.
Enjoy! I loved the tower of London as a child. The ravens really are fantastic.
posted by bored_now_flay at 12:43 AM on July 3, 2016
Regarding which vendor to use; I often prefer to buy from the official site. I don't know that it will definitely be cheaper, but you at least know that your ticket will be what you want, and that you aren't paying a cut to a third party tout.
Enjoy! I loved the tower of London as a child. The ravens really are fantastic.
posted by bored_now_flay at 12:43 AM on July 3, 2016
Best answer: Buying tickets online in advance, directly from the Historic Royal Palaces site, will cost less than buying them at the gate and may save some queuing time. We arrived just before the opening time when we visited in July 2013, and that worked very well. The crowds were much larger when we left a few hours later.
posted by Snerd at 5:14 AM on July 3, 2016
posted by Snerd at 5:14 AM on July 3, 2016
We just showed up at the Tower last week, bought tickets at the official office. There was no queue. The beefeater tours start from a point just inside the tower, in the drained moat which is now a lawn. There's a sign. The tour is free but they like a tip at the end.
Note that the most fun way to get to the Tower is to start from Westminster pier and take a City Cruises boat there. The commentary on the boat is fascinating. Again you just need to show up and buy tickets for that too. 10 quid for adults 5 quid for kids. The London Transport boats are cheaper but there is no commentary (and they go from a different pier on the other side of the river).
posted by w0mbat at 3:49 PM on July 3, 2016
Note that the most fun way to get to the Tower is to start from Westminster pier and take a City Cruises boat there. The commentary on the boat is fascinating. Again you just need to show up and buy tickets for that too. 10 quid for adults 5 quid for kids. The London Transport boats are cheaper but there is no commentary (and they go from a different pier on the other side of the river).
posted by w0mbat at 3:49 PM on July 3, 2016
My boyfriend and went there just a few weeks ago. The tours are included with admission, and they start near the entrance, on the hour and half-hour. They don't go everywhere within the Tower though; I don't think there's a set route, but the tour we were on was mostly outside, ending in the chapel. Still worth it!
(There's also a thing where you can get a 2-for-1 deal on tickets there. It takes a bit of work to make it happen, and you have to be seeing other attractions to make the deal worth it.)
posted by curagea at 5:37 PM on July 3, 2016
(There's also a thing where you can get a 2-for-1 deal on tickets there. It takes a bit of work to make it happen, and you have to be seeing other attractions to make the deal worth it.)
posted by curagea at 5:37 PM on July 3, 2016
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posted by the agents of KAOS at 8:31 PM on July 2, 2016 [4 favorites]