Tower Bridge
#7von 10 Orten zum Besuchen in LondonLondon, England, United Kingdom
Kurz gesagt
Öffnungszeiten: 09:30–18:00, last entry 17:00. Eintritt: £18. Plane 1.5 hrs ein. Beste Zeit: 09:30.
Aktualisiert am · Erstellt von Traveliac, KI-unterstützt · 5 Min. Lesezeit
- Öffnungszeiten
- 09:30–18:00
- Eintrittspreis
- £18
- Ticket ab
- Benötigte Zeit
- 1.5 hrs
- Beste Tageszeit
- 09:30
- Beste Monate
- May – Jul, Sep
- Adresse
- Tower Bridge Road, London SE1 2UP
Über Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge spans the Thames with two 65-metre-high towers built from a steel frame clad in Cornish granite and Portland stone, chosen specifically to visually complement the neighbouring Tower of London rather than for any structural necessity. Opened in 1894 after eight years of construction, the bridge is a combined bascule and suspension design: the two roadway sections, each weighing around 1,000 tonnes, can still be raised to a near-vertical 86 degrees within about five minutes to let tall ships pass beneath, a function performed roughly 800 times a year on request. The high-level walkways connecting the two towers, 42 metres above the river, let pedestrians cross while the bascules were raised, but were closed in 1910 after becoming a haunt for pickpockets and prostitutes, reopening only in 1982 as part of the Exhibition. A 2014 renovation added glass floor panels to sections of the walkway, letting visitors look straight down at traffic and pedestrians on the road below, now among the most photographed features of the crossing.
Beste Tageszeit: 09:30. At opening, particularly on the glass floor, which shows the fewest footprints and smudges before a full day of visitors, and offers the clearest photograph straight down to the road and river below.
Öffnungszeiten von Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge öffnet um 09:30 und schließt um 18:00. Samstags und sonntags gelten dieselben Zeiten.
- Öffnungszeiten
- 09:30–18:00
Mon–Sun 09:30–18:00 - Geschlossen an
- 24-26 December
Öffnungszeiten zusammengestellt aus towerbridge.org.uk und öffentlichen Quellen, zuletzt aktualisiert am . Sie können sich ohne Vorankündigung ändern — vor der Reise bitte bestätigen. Wie wir diese Reiseführer schreiben
Eintrittspreis für Tower Bridge
| Ticket | Preis |
|---|---|
| Standardticket | £18 |
| Ermäßigt (Studenten / Senioren) | £14 |
| Kinder | £9 |
Tower Bridge Exhibition adult admission is £18 as of 2026, dropping to around £15.80 during a mid-2026 summer savings window (25 June-1 September). Children (5-15) pay £9, under-5s free. Fee covers the high-level glass-floor walkways and the Victorian Engine Rooms. Crossing the bridge itself on foot or by road is free at all times and requires no ticket.
Preise zusammengestellt aus towerbridge.org.uk und öffentlichen Quellen, zuletzt aktualisiert am . Sie können sich ohne Vorankündigung ändern — vor der Reise bitte bestätigen. Wie wir diese Reiseführer schreiben
Beste Reisezeit für Tower Bridge
- Quiet
- Moderate
- Very busy
09:30 – 11:00
Morning OpeningBest time to go
Glass floor and walkways are least crowded; clearest unobstructed photography before groups arrive.
Quiet11:00 – 14:00
Midday Peak
Combined Tower of London and Tower Bridge day-trippers converge; glass floor sections see queuing for clear photos.
Very busy14:00 – 16:30
Afternoon
Crowd eases; Engine Rooms in the south tower remain comparatively quiet throughout the day.
Moderate16:30 – 18:00
Late Afternoon
Final entry window; golden-hour light on the granite towers is favourable and crowds are thin.
Quiet
Geschichte von Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge was commissioned in response to growing 19th-century congestion on London Bridge, the only Thames crossing east of the City for centuries, and the need to preserve river access for tall-masted ships trading into the Pool of London. A design competition begun in 1876 drew over 50 entries before the City of London Corporation selected a design by architect Horace Jones and engineer John Wolfe Barry in 1884, combining a bascule bridge with twin Gothic Revival towers to harmonise with the adjacent Tower of London.
Construction ran from 1886 to 1894, employing around 432 workers and consuming 11,000 tonnes of steel for the framework beneath the stone cladding; the bridge officially opened on 30 June 1894 in a ceremony led by the Prince of Wales, later Edward VII. The original hydraulic system, powered by steam engines driving accumulators that stored pressurised water to raise the bascules, remained in operation until 1976, when it was replaced by an electro-hydraulic system; the original Victorian engines, boilers, and accumulators are preserved and displayed in the Engine Rooms beneath the south tower.
A widely repeated anecdote holds that bus driver Albert Gunter accelerated across a gap opening beneath him in December 1952 when the bascules began rising with his bus still on the roadway; his quick reaction reportedly caused only minor injuries, and the episode remains part of the bridge's institutional lore, though details vary between retellings.
Regeln & Etikette in Tower Bridge
Photography is permitted throughout the Tower Bridge Exhibition, including on the glass floor, and is in fact the primary reason most visitors book; flash photography is discouraged near the glass panels as it reflects poorly in others' photos rather than for any preservation reason. Sharp heels are not advised on the glass floor, which is regularly cleaned but can show scuff marks.
The walkways and towers have lift access to the top, making the high-level route accessible for wheelchair users, though the Engine Rooms involve some stairs with limited alternative access — checking the official accessibility guide beforehand is worthwhile for specific needs.
The bridge itself remains a fully functioning road crossing for London traffic at all times; pedestrians and cyclists share the roadway pavement with vehicle traffic when walking across for free, separate from the paid Exhibition route through the towers.
Tipps für den Besuch von Tower Bridge
- 1
Tower Bridge's bascule-lift schedule is published in advance on the official website and is free to watch from the riverside without any ticket — timing a visit to coincide with a scheduled lift, most common with tall-masted sailing ships and naval vessels, adds a mechanical spectacle the paid Exhibition alone does not include.
- 2
The glass floor experience is genuinely brief, at most 10-15 minutes to walk both towers' glass sections, so pairing the ticket with the Engine Rooms exhibit, which explains the original Victorian hydraulic system in more depth, makes fuller use of the admission price.
- 3
Combine with the Tower of London directly across the road, and a walk along the South Bank toward HMS Belfast, moored just west of the bridge. The best exterior photograph of the whole bridge, towers and all, is from the riverside path near City Hall on the south bank, rather than from the bridge deck itself, where the towers are too close to frame together.
Anreise nach Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge Road, London SE1 2UPRoute in Google Maps
Ab Tower Hill Underground Station
0.5 km · 7 min walk
£2.80 single Tube fare with Oyster/contactless (Zone 1)
Ab London Bridge Station
0.9 km · 12 min walk
Free on foot
Ab Heathrow Airport (LHR)
32 km · 60-70 min
£13.90 off-peak Elizabeth line fare plus £2.80 Tube fare
Nächster Flughafen
Ab London City Airport (LCY)
9 km, approximately 25 minutes via DLR.
Nächste Station
Ab Tower Hill Underground station (Circle, District lines)
500 metres, 7 minutes on foot.
Häufige Fragen zu Tower Bridge
Is it free to cross Tower Bridge?
Yes. Walking or driving across the bridge deck itself is free at all times and requires no ticket. Only the Tower Bridge Exhibition, covering the high-level glass-floor walkways and Victorian Engine Rooms, charges admission.
How much does the Tower Bridge Exhibition cost?
Adult admission is £18 as of 2026, with a reduced rate of around £15.80 during a mid-2026 summer savings window. Children aged 5-15 pay £9, and under-5s enter free.
How often does Tower Bridge open for ships?
The bascules are raised roughly 800 times a year on request from vessels requiring the clearance. The schedule is published in advance on the official website and is free to watch from the riverside.
Is the Tower Bridge glass floor safe and accessible?
Yes. The glass floor panels are engineered to bear significant weight and are regularly inspected and cleaned. The high-level walkways and towers are lift-accessible, making the main Exhibition route usable for wheelchair users.
Mit KI-Unterstützung aus offiziellen Quellen und öffentlichen Aufzeichnungen erstellt und erst nach den Prüfungen veröffentlicht, die beschrieben sind unter Wie wir diese Reiseführer schreiben. Niemand von Traveliac war persönlich vor Ort. Zuletzt aktualisiert am . Wie wir Orte bewerten und prüfen
