The iconic Tower of London and Tower Bridge are situated just outside City of London, in the borough of Tower Hamlets. It’s fairly easy to visit these two attractions in addition to a few in City on the same day. Easy that is….if you’re not travelling with three jetlagged kids aged 5 and under. My sister Hollie and I decided to take my nieces on a girls’ trip to London and, well, it was a time 😂

I’m pleased to report that we all survived the day, but I don’t recommend heading into central London before your fam is fully acclimatised. Especially if you’ve just arrived in the UK from a vastly different timezone, like eastern Australia in our case. What were we thinking?! This post should at least offer readers a bit of an Instagram vs reality check.

TOWER OF LONDON TIPS

Underground station Tower Hill is nearest to the Tower of London. I took the above photo just outside the station exit beside the sundial. As well as telling the time, the circle of the dial tells the history of London and London transport. Next to Tower Hill station is the Tower Hill Memorial. It’s quite a touching tribute to the merchant navy and fishing fleet crews lost in both World Wars. A section of the ancient Roman wall that once encircled the city can be found nearby as well. Don’t miss these sites, they’re not much of a detour.

It’s best to book e-tickets to the tower online in advance, that way you can skip the entry queue. At the time of our visit, we paid £74.70 for 2x adults + 1x child. Children under 5 can go for free. However, purchasing tickets beforehand won’t allow you to skip the queue for the Crown Jewels. If you can, go early! We didn’t see the Crown Jewels on this occasion because when we arrived at around midday, the queue was an hour long, it was hot, and the kids had already lost interest in our “fun” outing.

TOWER BRIDGE TIPS

Unfortunately we only had time to explore inside the White Tower cos our small companions were tired and hangry. My sister had also spent a panic-stricken few minutes searching for her lost 5-yr old in amongst an ever-increasing swarm of summer tourists. The next stop was supposed to be St. Katharine Docks, a 10 mins walk from Tower of London. It’s full of pretty boats, bars and restaurants and has a lovely relaxing vibe. Buuut, we didn’t quite make it that far as one member of our party was refusing to walk and another was screaming. I screamed a little too, on the inside. We had lunch at The Tower Hotel instead. The hotel was overpriced and the food very average. It did have alcohol and a nice view of Tower Bridge though.

Thankfully the lunchtime refuel gave everyone in our weary gang the energy they needed to cross Tower Bridge on foot. Nobody ended up in the River Thames, despite one of the girls attempting to climb over the railings. We aimed straight for London Bridge overground station to catch a 30-minute direct train back to my parents’ place in St. Albans. By the way, Tower Bridge and London Bridge are not one and the same. Tower Bridge is the photogenic Victorian-era one. London Bridge is a plain-looking 1970s concrete box girder thing. This fact often confuses people and I get why. You’d think the most famous of London’s bridges would be called London Bridge right? NOPE.

BONUS TIP

If you’re travelling into central London via Kings Cross station and you’re with young Harry Potter fans, be sure to stop by Platform 9¾. I’d suggest going as early as possible to beat the crowds (before 9 am), otherwise, you could be queueing for up to an hour like us. And trust me the queueing experience is not magical. Unless you find being yelled at by some pillock in a fluoro vest for not standing close enough to breathe down the neck of the person in front of you spellbinding. Taking your own photos at Platform 9¾ is free, or you can buy professional photos from The Harry Potter Shop next door.

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