Best Time to Visit the Tower of London (2026): Quietest Hours

The Tower of London by day and hour. BestTime forecasts.

Tower of London busyness by day

Busyness is shown as a % of the venue's own weekly peak (100%), not a head count. Values in brackets are the busyness at that hour.

The widget below shows every hour of the Tower of London's typical week.

Best time of day to visit

The Tower of London is a historic royal palace and fortress on the north bank of the Thames. It is run by Historic Royal Palaces and is home to the Crown Jewels. It opens at 09:00 from Tuesday to Saturday and at 10:00 on Sunday and Monday.

The day follows one shape. It starts calm, fills fast before lunch and peaks in the early afternoon. On Wednesday it goes from 25% at 9 AM to 65% at 1 PM and 2 PM. On Friday it climbs from 30% at 9 AM to 80% at 2 PM. On Saturday the climb is steeper, from 40% at 9 AM to 85% by 11 AM.

The late afternoon eases on every day. On Tuesday, busyness drops to 35% at 5 PM. Monday has no 9 AM hour. Its first hour, 10 AM, is at 40%, and its quietest stretch is 4 PM to 6 PM, at 50% and 35%. Sunday follows a similar pattern, with 50% at both 10 AM and 5 PM.

Historic Royal Palaces suggests allowing two to three hours. A 9 AM arrival on a weekday keeps most of that visit ahead of the midday rise. Much of the site is outdoors with no cover, so check the weather too.

What the Tower of London itself advises

Outside peak holiday season, the Tower recommends arriving before 11:00 for a quieter visit. Our forecast agrees. From Tuesday to Saturday, 9 AM to 11 AM is the quietest window, starting at 25% to 40%. During school holidays, the Tower recommends visiting after 13:30. In a normal week, early afternoon is the busiest part of the day.

Weekdays vs weekends

Weekdays average 55% and the weekend averages 75%. Saturday drives that gap, averaging 80% with the busiest slots of the week at 1 PM and 2 PM. Sunday averages 70% and peaks at 90% at 1 PM.

Among weekdays, Wednesday is the calmest at 50%. Tuesday, Thursday and Friday are equally busy, each averaging 60%. Friday has the highest weekday peak, 80% at 2 PM.

Best time of year to visit

Historic Royal Palaces treats school holidays as the peak period and gives separate timing advice for them. Booking guides say timed slots can sell out days in advance at Easter, in July and August, and over the October half-term.

Nearby alternatives

Tower Bridge. It is open every day in our forecast. Its quietest day is Wednesday, the same as the Tower, and 9 AM is its quietest hour every day, at 15% on Wednesday. Its busiest slot is Saturday at 3 PM, one hour after the Tower's peak. If you start at the Tower at 9 AM, cross the bridge at the end of the day. On weekdays, its afternoon peak holds from 1 PM to 4 PM.

HMS Belfast. It is open every day in our forecast. Its quietest day is Monday, when it is at 25% at 10 AM. Its busiest slots are Saturday at 1 PM and 2 PM, the same hours as the Tower. If the Tower is your Wednesday plan, keep HMS Belfast for a Monday morning.

Plan your visit

• Go on Wednesday and arrive for 9 AM, at 25% of the Tower's weekly peak.
• Avoid Saturday from 11 AM to 4 PM, when busyness stays at 80% or more.
• On Monday, go late: busyness is at 35% at 5 PM.
• Yeoman Warder tours are included in admission and run every 45 minutes from 10:00, with the last at 15:15. The first tour starts before the midday rise.
• Check the official Tower of London site for tickets and current opening hours.

How we measured

These numbers are BestTime forecasts, built from anonymized, aggregated phone location data combined with real-world signals such as weather, events and holidays. Busyness is a % of the Tower's own busiest hour of the week, not a head count. The forecast describes a typical week and does not cover seasons, school holidays, special events or queues. Read more about how the forecasts work.

Next steps

• Find quiet hours for more landmarks in the free London sightseeing guide.
• Browse all busy times guides.
• Plan your evening with London Nightlife Busy Times (2026): Busiest Nights and Hours.