Is There Actually Anything for Young Kids to Do at the Tower of London?

I took my seven-year-old to the Tower of London for three reasons: I have a disproportionate interest in Anne Boleyn and medieval punishment, my daughter has a disproportionate interest in tiaras and jewels, and it feels like one of those standard London tourist attractions you’re contractually obliged to drag your children around at least once.

But tickets to the Tower of London aren’t exactly cheap, and before we went I did wonder: is there actually anything for young kids to do at the Tower of London?

Because there’s a difference between somewhere being suitable for children and somewhere children will actually enjoy.

Having now spent a good chunk of a day wandering around one of Britain’s most famous historic attractions with a seven-year-old, I’d say the answer is: yes… but manage your expectations.

There are definitely things for kids to see and do at the Tower of London, and I’m really glad we went. But this is still very much a historic attraction rather than a children’s attraction. If your child already loves castles, kings and queens, armour or gruesome history, they’ll probably have a ball.

If they don’t, there’s enough to keep them interested — but this probably won’t be the thing they’re excitedly telling everyone about when they go back to school.

So, is the Tower of London actually good for young kids?

Let’s get this out of the way first: yes, I think the Tower of London is worth visiting with kids.

But I don’t think I’d go purely for the kids.

There’s enough going on to break up the history, including the Crown Jewels, armour, weapons, interactive games and the ravens, but a lot of the experience is still looking at things, reading things and walking around very old buildings.

For our seven-year-old, there were parts she really enjoyed and others where her interest disappeared fairly rapidly.

And that’s probably the best way to judge whether it’s worth taking your own kids: if they’ll get something from the history itself, brilliant. If you’re looking for an attraction packed with activities designed specifically for children, there are probably better ways to spend your money in London.

What is there actually for kids to do at the Tower of London?

More than I expected, actually.

The Tower of London isn’t just one big castle that you wander around. It’s a huge site with different towers, exhibitions, walls and outdoor areas to explore, so there’s naturally quite a lot of variety.

Some bits were considerably more successful with our seven-year-old than others.

See the Crown Jewels

I thought the Crown Jewels would be the obvious winner.

My daughter loves anything involving crowns, jewels and queens, so in her head I think “seeing the Crown Jewels” had somehow evolved into trying on the Crown Jewels, despite me repeatedly explaining that nobody was going to casually hand a seven-year-old an actual royal crown.

Reader: they did not.

There are interactive and educational displays as you make your way through the Jewel House before eventually reaching the actual Crown Jewels, which you view as you pass on travelators.

And objectively, they’re impressive.

Personally, as a card-carrying anti-royalist, paying money to look at an enormous collection of someone else’s inherited wealth is always going to leave me with some complicated feelings, but that’s perhaps a discussion for another day.

From a purely family perspective, though, this was one of the slightly more underwhelming parts for us.

Once you reach the jewels themselves, you’re essentially being moved past them rather than exploring at your own pace. My daughter looked at them, established that she definitely wasn’t going to be allowed to put one on her head, and that was pretty much that.

If the Tower of London ever wants my completely unsolicited feedback: get some replica crowns and royal robes for kids to try on afterwards.

You are welcome.

The armour and weapons were a bigger hit

Perhaps surprisingly, the armour was considerably more successful.

Inside the White Tower you’ll find the Line of Kings, an exhibition of historic royal armour, including pieces belonging to Henry VIII, alongside weapons and other objects from the Royal Armouries.

There is plenty for adults to look at, but visually it’s also much easier for younger kids to engage with than rooms filled with information boards.

Suits of armour, swords and enormous horses are fairly self-explanatory.

My daughter definitely found this part more interesting than I’d expected — and considerably more interesting than the Crown Jewels.

Armoury in Action: the bit that’s actually designed for kids

At the top of the White Tower you’ll find Armoury in Action, which is probably the closest we found to a traditional children’s interactive museum area.

There are a handful of games where kids can have a go at things like firing a cannon, shooting arrows and brandishing a sword.

And yes, this is probably where your child will suddenly rediscover their enthusiasm for history.

The activities are fun enough and they do a good job of breaking up all the looking-at-old-things, but I wouldn’t go expecting a huge interactive area. There aren’t loads of games, which also means queues can form fairly quickly when it’s busy.

Our daughter enjoyed them and would happily have spent considerably longer here than she did inspecting priceless historical artefacts, because obviously.

I’d definitely make sure you find this area if you’re visiting the Tower of London with younger kids, but I wouldn’t sell the entire day to them on the promise of it.

The ravens were our unexpected favourite

Of all the things at the Tower of London, I wasn’t expecting the ravens to be one of our favourite bits.

I’d assumed they’d essentially be kept in an aviary somewhere, so I was pleasantly surprised to see them wandering around the Tower grounds.

They’re huge, slightly intimidating and much more interesting to watch than I’d anticipated.

We spent a ridiculous amount of time just standing around watching ravens doing raven things.

There is, of course, the famous legend that if the ravens ever leave the Tower, the kingdom will fall — although given my previously mentioned feelings about the monarchy, I’ll let you decide how invested I was in their continued residency.

My seven-year-old, however, loved them.

Sometimes you spend a fortune taking your child to one of Britain’s most historically important attractions and their favourite thing is a bird.

Parenthood.

What about all the gruesome Tower of London stuff?

One of the reasons I wanted to visit the Tower was its history.

This is, after all, somewhere associated with imprisonment, torture, executions and a frankly exhausting amount of Tudor drama.

Anne Boleyn was imprisoned and executed here, prisoners were held in the Tower for centuries and there are displays relating to torture and execution.

Whether that’s suitable for your child is obviously going to depend enormously on the child.

You don’t need to give younger children every gruesome detail, and it’s perfectly possible to explore the Tower without delivering an enthusiastic lecture about beheading over lunch.

But if you’ve got an older child who’s reached the stage where horrible history is significantly more interesting than normal history, this could actually be one of the things that makes the Tower more appealing.

A warning about buggies, little legs and a LOT of stairs

One thing I’d definitely consider before visiting the Tower of London with very young children is accessibility.

This is a thousand-year-old fortress. Nobody involved in its construction was particularly concerned about Bugaboo compatibility.

There are cobbled and uneven surfaces throughout the site, and if you want to properly explore the towers and walkways you’re going to encounter some very steep, narrow stone staircases.

Buggies also aren’t permitted inside the White Tower, although there are buggy parks where you can leave them.

Obviously, the ancient staircases and wonky buildings are part of what makes visiting the Tower so interesting — but it’s worth knowing about before arriving with a toddler, a buggy and several bags containing everything your family has ever owned.

Even without a buggy, there is a lot of walking and climbing for little legs.

Our seven-year-old managed absolutely fine, but I’d factor in plenty of breaks if you’re visiting with younger children.

You will encounter approximately 400 gift shops

Possibly a slight exaggeration.

But only slight.

There are gift shops dotted all over the Tower of London selling everything from ravens and crowns to swords, jewellery and the inevitable selection of things your child suddenly desperately needs.

And they’re expensive.

I found some items noticeably more expensive inside the Tower than very similar souvenirs available immediately outside, so unless you desperately want something Tower-specific, I’d probably manage expectations before entering.

The bigger issue with kids is simply the sheer frequency with which you seem to encounter shops.

You will pass a gift shop.

Your child will notice the gift shop.

You will say no.

Approximately six minutes later, the process begins again.

Godspeed.

How long do you need at the Tower of London with kids?

You could easily spend several hours at the Tower of London if you wanted to see absolutely everything.

With younger kids, though, I wouldn’t necessarily make that the goal.

There’s a lot to explore and you can easily start reaching the point where everyone is looking at things simply because you’ve paid to look at them.

I’d prioritise the Crown Jewels, White Tower and armour, Armoury in Action, the ravens and whichever parts of the history genuinely interest your family.

If everyone is still enjoying themselves afterwards, carry on exploring.

If your child has started asking when you’re leaving every 47 seconds, you have probably absorbed enough British history for one day.

What age is the Tower of London best for?

I don’t think there’s one perfect age because this depends far more on the child than the number attached to them.

For toddlers and preschoolers, I’d think carefully about whether it’s worth the ticket price unless they’re particularly interested in castles. There’s plenty of space to explore, but the stairs, buggy restrictions and amount of looking rather than doing could make it a long day.

For primary-school-aged children, I think there’s much more to get from it. They’re old enough to understand some of what they’re seeing, while the armour, ravens, Crown Jewels and interactive activities help keep things interesting.

And for older children who are learning about the Tudors, monarchs or British history at school, I imagine the Tower becomes significantly more impressive because they actually understand the stories attached to the places they’re standing in.

Seven felt like a perfectly good age for us.

She understood enough to know why the Tower was important, enjoyed exploring it and found things she genuinely liked.

Was she beside herself with excitement for the entire visit?

Absolutely not.

But nor was I dragging a bored child around a castle against her will, which I’m counting as a win.

So, is the Tower of London worth visiting with young kids?

Overall, yes — I’m glad we did it.

The Tower of London probably wouldn’t make my list of the absolute best attractions in London specifically for younger children, because that’s not really what it’s trying to be.

It’s a historic attraction that welcomes families and has added enough interactive elements to help children engage with it.

And I actually think there’s an important distinction there.

If your child loves history, castles, knights, kings and queens, they’ll probably get loads from it.

If they don’t, there are still enough things to keep them entertained while the adults get to enjoy the history.

For us, the armour was more successful than the Crown Jewels, the interactive games provided a welcome break from looking at exhibits and the ravens were the completely unexpected highlight.

Would my daughter choose it over some of the other things we did in London?

Probably not.

But I’m still glad I took her.

It felt educational without being too educational, we got to explore somewhere genuinely significant and she came away knowing a little more about British history than she did when we arrived.

Sometimes that’s enough.

The Tower of London might not be the thing your young kids talk about when they go back to school — but I still think it’s one of those places worth taking them at least once.

Tower of London with kids: quick FAQs

Is there anything for kids to do at the Tower of London?

Yes. Children can see the Crown Jewels, explore the armour and weapons inside the White Tower, try interactive games in Armoury in Action, see the famous Tower ravens and explore the castle itself. However, there is considerably more looking and exploring than hands-on play.

Is the Tower of London suitable for a 7-year-old?

Based on our experience, yes. Seven was a good age because our daughter was old enough to understand some of the history and manage the walking and stairs, while still enjoying the more interactive parts.

Can you take a buggy to the Tower of London?

You can bring a buggy to the Tower of London, but access is limited by cobbles, uneven surfaces and stairs. Buggies aren’t permitted inside the White Tower and need to be left in the designated buggy parks.

Are the Crown Jewels interesting for kids?

This will depend entirely on your child. Our seven-year-old loves crowns and jewellery but actually found the Crown Jewels less exciting than the armour, interactive activities and ravens. It’s much more of a looking experience than an interactive one.

Is the Tower of London scary for children?

There is plenty of gruesome history associated with the Tower, including imprisonment, executions and torture. How much of that you discuss with younger children is largely up to you, and it’s possible to visit without dwelling on the gorier details.

Is the Tower of London worth the money with young kids?

I’d say yes if the adults want to visit too, particularly with primary-school-aged children who can understand some of the history. If you’re choosing an expensive London attraction purely for a toddler or preschooler, however, there are other attractions I’d personally prioritise first.