Tower Bridge

When it opened in June 1894, Tower Bridge was painted chocolate brown, a colour Queen Victoria reportedly liked, not the blue and white livery repainted for the Queen’s Silver Jubilee in 1977 that everyone photographs today. That single fact tells you something useful: most of what people assume about this bridge is a snapshot of one era mistaken for the whole story.

The bridge is a bascule bridge, meaning its two roadway sections tilt upward like a drawbridge rather than swinging or lifting vertically, and originally it ran on steam-powered hydraulics. Three steam boilers drove pumps that forced water into pressurised accumulators, essentially giant mechanical batteries, and that system stayed in daily use until 1976, when it was finally replaced by an electric hydraulic system still in service now. In its first twelve months of operation the bascules lifted around 6,160 times, an average of seventeen lifts a day. Today it’s closer to 800 lifts a year, still with no fixed timetable: openings are scheduled only when a vessel with a mast or superstructure of 9 metres or more requests one, and requests must come in at least 24 hours ahead. The live schedule, updated roughly six to ten days out, is the only reliable way to know if you’ll catch one, so check it the morning of your visit rather than relying on hearsay from a hotel concierge.

Visiting the Exhibition

The bridge is open daily from 9:30am to 6pm, with last entry at 5pm. A standard adult ticket runs around 12 pounds, with concessions for seniors and students around 9 pounds and children aged 5 to 15 around 6 pounds; under-5s go free. There’s a genuinely useful summer discount running from late June through early September most years, worth checking for before you buy, since the exhibition otherwise gets pricier during peak months. Your ticket covers the High-Level Walkways, including the glass floor panels that let you look straight down at the road and the river below your feet, plus both towers and the Victorian Engine Rooms where the original steam machinery is preserved and still runs demonstrations. I’d rate the Engine Rooms as the most underrated part of the visit; most tourists rush through for the glass floor photo and skip the mechanical history entirely, which is a mistake given how much of the bridge’s actual engineering story lives there.

One seasonal gotcha worth flagging: the exhibition does occasionally close on short notice for severe weather, as happened for two days in late June 2026 during a red weather warning. If you’re visiting in winter or during a forecast storm, check the official status the day before rather than assuming it’s always open as scheduled.

Getting There

Tower Hill is the nearest Underground station, a five-minute walk, served by the Circle and District lines. London Bridge station, a short walk across the bridge itself, works nearly as well if you’re coming from the south. Avoid driving; there’s no useful parking near the bridge and central London’s congestion charge zone covers this stretch.

Nearby and Worth Combining

The Tower of London sits directly across from the bridge’s north tower and holds the Crown Jewels, easily a half-day visit on its own, so don’t try to squeeze both into a rushed morning. HMS Belfast, a preserved Second World War cruiser, is moored a short walk along the south bank and appeals more to visitors with a genuine interest in naval history than casual sightseers. The Shard, Western Europe’s tallest building, is a ten-minute walk south and its viewing platform gives you the reverse angle: the bridge itself as a small, elegant shape against the Thames rather than something you’re standing on.

Where to Eat and Stay

For food near the bridge, Tower Bridge Road’s weekend food market is a solid, low-cost option if you want a quick bite between attractions rather than a sit-down meal. Roast, inside Borough Market, does a more considered take on British cooking if you have time for a proper lunch. On accommodation, staying on the south bank near Shard/London Bridge tends to be quieter and often better value than the immediate Tower Hill side, which caters heavily to coach tour groups.

A Practical Opinion

Twilight is oversold as the best time to photograph the bridge, in my experience early morning light before the crowds arrive gives a cleaner shot and lets you actually walk the high-level glass floor without queuing behind a dozen tour groups. If you only have one visit in you, go for opening time on a weekday rather than the golden hour everyone else is chasing.