Tower Bridge

What makes it special

The two walkways run between the North and South Towers 33.5 metres above the road, and the glass panels in their floors sit 43.5 metres above the river.

The bridge still opens for river traffic, and you can watch a lift from any of the outside areas around it. Watch from the south bank just west of the bridge and you see the ships pass the Tower of London as well. When one lift ended, cyclists crossed first, then pedestrians, then cars and vans.

In the engine rooms are the steam engines that could raise the bascules, the two lifting halves of the road, in 60 seconds. Electric pumps have done that work since 1976, and the steam engines stay in place for visitors to see.

Visiting

Inside the North Tower, the visit begins with a bag search, and Welcome Hosts then send you up the staircase or the lift to the top of the tower, where the exhibition starts.

Walk the high-level walkways across to the South Tower. The first steps on the glass can leave your knees wobbly, and mirrors on the ceiling let you photograph yourself with the bridge below.

Come down the South Tower and follow the Blue Line to the Engine Rooms, where bags are searched a second time. The route ends in the gift shop.

Guided or on your own

On your own, you still have commentary: the audio tour is free and comes with the entry ticket. The alternative is a guided tour, run in English only for a small group of at most 12 people.

Tips

Book ahead to get the entry time you want. The entry queue is outside and the walkways are cold even indoors, so dress for the weather.

If the glass unsettles you, keep to the narrow pavement beside it.

In winter the exhibition stays open past sunset, so a late slot lets you watch the sun go down from the walkways. For photographs of the bridge itself, go outside afterwards, since it cannot appear in pictures taken from the walkways.