London sightseeing tickets: the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey and St Paul's Cathedral

This guide is for first-time visitors to London who want the three big historic sights: the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey and St Paul's Cathedral. Each one sells its own timed ticket, and each has its own weekly pattern, so the day you pick matters as much as the ticket. If you'd rather see royal palaces, see our Kensington Palace and Hampton Court tickets guide.

Who is this for?

• First visit, two or three days: you want the Crown Jewels, the coronation church and Wren's dome without wasting a morning in the wrong queue.
• Weekend visitors: Sunday changes everything here. Westminster Abbey and St Paul's are open for worship, not sightseeing, on Sundays.
• Families: the Tower's ticket page warns that parts of the Tower may feel frightening to young children, and all three sights have bag-size rules.

Which ticket should I pick?

Tower of London

You can book a Tower of London ticket that includes entry and the Crown Jewels exhibition. The official site says the Yeoman Warder guided tour is also included in your ticket. You show your phone ticket at the main entrance gate. When we checked, it could be cancelled for free and rescheduled up to 24 hours before your visit date.

Pick this one if you only have time for one sight. Historic Royal Palaces recommends allowing at least three hours, depending on queues.

Westminster Abbey

You can book a Westminster Abbey entry ticket with a timed slot and an audio guide in 13 languages. The ticket page says the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Galleries are not included; you pay for them on arrival. When we checked, free cancellation and rescheduling were possible up to 24 hours before your visit date.

The Abbey is a working church. Its official site recommends booking ahead in busy periods and warns that it can close at short notice.

St Paul's Cathedral

You can book a St Paul's Cathedral ticket that covers the Cathedral Floor, the Crypt and the Dome Galleries. The ticket page suggests 90 to 120 minutes. Note the longer policy here: when we checked, free cancellation and rescheduling ended 72 hours before your visit date, not 24.

Pick this one if you want a view. The ticket page says the Dome Galleries can only be reached by stairs, while the Cathedral Floor and Crypt are step-free, with a lift between them.

Check each official page for current prices.

When are they open?

These are the hours the official pages showed for mid-November 2026:

• Tower of London: 09:00 to 16:30 Tuesday to Saturday, and 10:00 to 16:30 on Sunday and Monday. Last entry is 15:00, and the last Yeoman Warder tour starts at 14:30. See the official opening times.
• Westminster Abbey: the official hours page lists 09:30 to 16:30 with last entry at 15:30, and Saturday 09:00 to 16:00 with last entry at 15:00. On Sunday the Abbey is open for services only. For Friday 13 November, general admittance ran from 09:30 to 15:30.
• St Paul's Cathedral: the official visit page says sightseeing starts at 08:30 Monday to Saturday. Last entry is usually 16:00, and sightseeing ends 30 minutes later. The Dome Galleries open at 09:30, with last entry at 16:15.

One mismatch to know about: the St Paul's ticket page showed Saturday as closed when we checked, while the official site says Monday to Saturday. If you want a Saturday visit, check the official calendar for your date.

What's the best time to go?

The Tower's official page says it is quieter in the afternoon, after midday. Arriving around midday still leaves time before the 15:00 last entry, but not much more than the recommended three hours, so don't cut it closer.

For the Abbey and St Paul's, an early start is the simplest choice: St Paul's opens for sightseeing at 08:30 and the Abbey at 09:30 on weekdays, and both stop admitting visitors in the mid-afternoon.

A workable two-day plan:

1. Day 1, the City: the Tower of London in the morning or from midday, then St Paul's in the afternoon, before its 16:00 last entry.
2. Day 2, Westminster: Westminster Abbey at 09:30 on a weekday, then the rest of Westminster on foot.

Three sights in one day is possible but rushed, because all three stop admitting visitors between 15:00 and 16:15.

How do I get there?

• Tower of London: 5 minutes on foot from Tower Hill Underground station (District and Circle lines), which has step-free access to street level. Monument, Bank, Aldgate and Aldgate East are 10 to 15 minutes away.
• Westminster Abbey: about 4 minutes from Westminster (Jubilee, District and Circle lines) and 6 minutes from St James's Park (District and Circle lines). Visitors enter through the North Entrance on Parliament Square.
• St Paul's Cathedral: 3 minutes from St Paul's Underground station, 4 minutes from City Thameslink and 7 minutes from Blackfriars. See the official directions.

For routes between them, use the TfL Journey Planner.

Common mistakes

• Planning a Sunday for the Abbey or St Paul's. Both are open for worship on Sundays, not for sightseeing. The Tower is open on Sunday from 10:00.
• Arriving at the Tower after 15:00. That is the last entry, even though the site closes at 16:30.
• Bringing a suitcase. The Tower doesn't allow suitcases or large or rolling bags, and has no left luggage. The Abbey doesn't allow anything larger than cabin-bag size (55 × 40 × 20 cm). St Paul's limits bags to 45 × 30 × 25 cm and has no cloakroom.
• Expecting the Abbey galleries with your ticket. The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Galleries cost extra on arrival.
• Assuming the same refund window for all three. The St Paul's ticket had a 72-hour cut-off when we checked; the other two had 24 hours.

FAQ

How long do I need at the Tower of London?

Historic Royal Palaces recommends at least three hours, depending on queues. Last entry is 15:00 in mid-November.

Can I visit Westminster Abbey on a Sunday?

Only for services. The official site says the Abbey is open for services on Sundays, and the ticket page showed Sunday as closed for visits.

Is the climb at St Paul's included?

Yes. The ticket includes the Dome Galleries, as well as the Cathedral Floor and the Crypt. The galleries can only be reached by stairs.

Is the Yeoman Warder tour extra?

No. The official Tower site says the Yeoman Warder guided tour is included in your ticket. The last one starts at 14:30. On gun salute days, the 13:00 tour is cancelled and tours resume at 13:30.

Which of the three should I pick if I only have one morning?

The Tower of London if you want the Crown Jewels and castle history; Westminster Abbey if you want the coronation church. St Paul's is the one with a climb and a view.

Sources

• Tower of London: visit
• Tower of London: opening and closing times
• Westminster Abbey: visit the Abbey
• Westminster Abbey: opening times and prices
• St Paul's Cathedral: visit us
• St Paul's Cathedral: how to find us
• TfL Journey Planner