invme Place
Everywhere
All cities · Everywhere →
EN
ENEnglish RURussian FRFrench DEGerman ITItalian ESSpanish PTPortuguese PT-BRBrazilian Portuguese ES-MXLatin American Spanish FR-CACanadian French EN-GBBritish English UKUkrainian PLPolish JAJapanese NLDutch KOKorean SVSwedish DADanish NBNorwegian FIFinnish CSCzech HEHebrew ELGreek ZH-HANTTraditional Chinese HUHungarian RORomanian HRCroatian SKSlovak SLSlovenian ETEstonian LVLatvian LTLithuanian BGBulgarian TRTurkish

Tower Bridge

Towers & observation decks ·London ·Closed
4.8226K
#1Towers & observation decks in the UK#1Towers & observation decks in LondonTravelers' Choice Best of the Best 2026
  • Step-free access
Get tickets
Make a plan here
Directions Website Call Bookmark

Sign up free — See who's going and message them.

Is this your place? Get the badge for your website

About

Tower Bridge is a combined bascule and suspension bridge across the River Thames in London, with high-level walkways and Victorian Engine Rooms open to visitors.

More photos 9

1 / 9
Tower Bridge — Tower Bridge spanning the Thames beneath a bright blue sky

Tower Bridge — Tower Bridge spanning the Thames beneath a bright blue skyTower Bridge — Full view of Tower Bridge from the riverTower Bridge — Tower Bridge with Olympic rings and a riverboat passingTower Bridge — Tower Bridge seen from the west across the ThamesTower Bridge — Tower Bridge viewed from the riverside with its pale stone towersTower Bridge — Tower Bridge spanning the river in an older riverside viewTower Bridge — Blue bridge walkways above a sightseeing boat on the ThamesTower Bridge — Distant view of Tower Bridge with boats on the riverTower Bridge — Blue suspension chains and roadway beside a Tower Bridge tower

What's on here

Christmas Day at Butlers Wharf Chop House Christmas Day at Butlers Wharf Chop House Friday · All day New Year's Eve at Butlers Wharf New Year's Eve at Butlers Wharf Thursday · All day85 GBP

Why go

  • The Glass Floors look down 42 metres to the road and River Thames below.
  • The Victorian Engine Rooms contain original steam engines and hydraulic machinery.
  • The 143-foot-high pedestrian walkways link the towers and offer views of the Tower of London and Pool of London.

Opening hours

Today09:30 – 18:00Show all
Monday09:30 – 18:00
Tuesday09:30 – 18:00
Wednesday09:30 – 18:00
Thursday09:30 – 18:00
Friday09:30 – 18:00
Saturday09:30 – 18:00
Sunday09:30 – 18:00

What you see

  • The walkways look out over the city and the Pool of London.

Know before you go

  • Open daily from 09:30 to 18:00.
  • Closed on 24, 25 and 26 December.
  • Glass items, including bottles, are not allowed near the Glass Floors.
  • Dogs may enter on a lead and must be supervised.
  • Visitors may eat and drink inside; nuts and alcohol are prohibited.

Best time to visit

  • The bridge opens several times daily for ships, with opening times depending on demand.

Photo spots

  • Glass FloorsLook down at the road and River Thames from the glass floor.High-level walkways between the towers

Interesting facts4

1/4
  1. 82 degrees

    The bascules can be raised in five minutes and rotate through 82 degrees.

    Tower Bridge - Wikipedia
  2. 11,000 tonnes

    The bridge’s two towers and walkways contain more than 11,000 tonnes of steel, clad in granite and Portland stone.

    Tower Bridge - Wikipedia

  3. A chimney on the bridge was painted to look like a lamppost and connected to a fireplace in a guardroom.

    Tower Bridge - Wikipedia

  4. Vessels trigger about a thousand bridge lifts each year.

    Tower Bridge - Wikipedia

Shorts

History

Plans for a crossing east of London Bridge arose as port traffic grew in the East End. The approved design let ships pass through the central bascule span while pedestrians crossed on high-level walkways. Horace Jones designed the bridge with John Wolfe-Barry as project engineer. Construction began in 1886, and the bridge opened in 1894. The walkways closed in 1910 and reopened in 1982 as part of the exhibition. The original lifting mechanism was largely replaced in 1974, and glass floors were added to the walkways in 2014.

  1. 1870The Tower Subway was built beneath the river to provide a crossing without blocking access to nearby docks.
  2. 1884Horace Jones’s design was approved after a competition drew more than 50 proposals; John Wolfe-Barry was project engineer.
  3. 1886Construction began, employing 432 workers and five principal contractors.
  4. 1894The bridge opened on 30 June, inaugurated by the Prince and Princess of Wales.
  5. 1910The high-level walkways closed to the public.
Show all
  1. 1940An air attack struck the high-level span and disabled its hydraulic mechanism.
  2. 1941A parachute mine damaged a bascule, the towers and an engine room.
  3. 1942A third engine was installed as a backup in case enemy action damaged the others.
  4. 1960Cables strengthened the high-level walkways, converting them to suspension bridges.
  5. 1974An electro-hydraulic drive replaced most of the original lifting mechanism.
  6. 1982The exhibition opened in the towers, walkways and Victorian engine rooms; the upper walkways reopened to the public.
  7. 2014Glass-floor sections were added to the pedestrian walkways.

How to get there

  • 7 minTrainTower Hill station, served by the District and Circle lines, is a seven-minute walk from the bridge.
  • TrainLondon Bridge station serves the Northern and Jubilee lines; the walk to the bridge is described as short.
  • BusBus routes 15, 42, 78, 100 and 343 serve the bridge.
  • On footWalk along the Thames to reach the bridge.

Accessibility

  • Lift Lifts provide access to the high-level walkways and Engine Rooms.

Sources: Tower Bridge - Wikipedia · London/City of London - Wikivoyage (see) · Explore inside Tower Bridge - Tower Bridge · Tower Bridge visitor information - Tower Bridge · Accessibility at Tower Bridge - Tower Bridge · Tower Bridge - Wikipedia · Tower Bridge - Wikipedia · Tower Bridge: booking (its own site) · checked 5 Oct 2026

Where
Tower Bridge Road, London England

Plan from here: A day out →

Questions and answers

When is Tower Bridge open?

It is open daily from 09:30 to 18:00 and closed on 24, 25 and 26 December.

How do I get to Tower Bridge from Tower Hill station?

Tower Hill station, served by the District and Circle lines, is a seven-minute walk away.

Can children visit Tower Bridge?

Family activities include drop-in craft sessions, and a cat trail introduces Bella the Tower Bridge Cat.

Is Tower Bridge accessible by lift?

Yes. Lifts provide access to the high-level walkways and Engine Rooms.

How invme works
  1. See who's going — faces, not ticket counts.
  2. Write to someone who shares your interests — no swipes, no matches, no paywall.
  3. Pick the event or the place to meet at — and go together.
Join free

Reviews on invme

Sign in to review
Comment Share
Loading comments…