Inside Tower Bridge there are three parts to see in a fixed order: the towers and walkways high above the river, the glass floors set into them, and the Engine Rooms that once powered the bridge. This page works as a Tower Bridge map for planning what is inside Tower Bridge, followed by the route I would expect from the official layout. If you have not chosen a ticket yet, my guide to tickets for Tower Bridge compares what you can book, and the rest of this page assumes you have one.
Tower Bridge Map: Entrances, Stations and Sights Around It
The map below shows Tower Bridge with the quay, the stations and the sights within walking distance, from Google Maps data.
The Tower Bridge Engine Rooms are about 0.15 km from the bridge point on the map and Tower Bridge Quay about 0.14 km. The Tower of London is about 0.3 km away, a 5-minute walk, and Tower Hill station is about 0.53 km, around 9 minutes. London Bridge is about 0.67 km and The Shard about 0.78 km. Those walking times are my estimates, from straight-line distance multiplied by 1.3 at 4.8 km/h, so allow longer in a crowd. The address is Tower Bridge Road, London SE1 2UP.
Where you enter matters. The Ticket Office and main entrance are on the northwest side, at the North Tower, and the official access page says everyone must queue outside on arrival. The Engine Rooms entrance is on the other side and is reached by an external lift on the southeast side, per the official access page. Free plans of the layout are available at the Ticket Office and Engine Rooms entrances. The one official map I found online is the official accessible routes map (PDF), which I could not read in full, so I use it only as a pointer and rely on the text pages for everything below. I could not find a downloadable full visitor floor plan.
The Route Inside Tower Bridge
The official explore-inside page lays out the visit in this order, and it is the order I would follow inside Tower Bridge. The page does not give a time for any stop, so I leave the times blank on purpose.
My route inside Tower Bridge
1Queue and ticket officeOutside, at the North Tower
2North TowerBag search, then the exhibition
3High-level Walkways70 m between the towers
4Glass floorsSet into the walkways
5South TowerDisplays after 1894
6Blue LineLeads to the Engine Rooms
7Engine RoomsVictorian steam engines
8Gift shopAt the end of the visit
Queue and North Tower
Your visit starts at the North Tower after a bag search and a welcome, per the official explore inside page. The exhibits here cover the people who built the bridge and films from the Victorian era. Opening hours on the official site are daily 09:30 to 18:00 with last entry at 17:00, so a late arrival leaves you little time. My Tower Bridge opening hours guide has the full detail. I would arrive near the start of a slot, because the queue is outside.
Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge Entry Ticket
★4.7 (18,913 reviews)
24-hour ticket
Free cancellation
My pick: The standard entry ticket for the towers, walkways and Engine Rooms: $24, rated 4.7 from 18,913 reviews, the most reviewed option I found.
What you get, where you meet, what reviewers say
Included
✓ Entrance to Tower Bridge
✓ Access to both towers, the walkways, the glass floor, and the engine rooms
Not included / not suitable
✕ Skip-the-line access
✕ Guided tours
Meeting point: The entrance to Tower Bridge is on the western side of the North Tower.
Join the outside queue and the Tower Bridge team will be on hand to help you enter the Bridge. Tower Bridge Rd, London SE1 2UP, UK
Duration: 1 day
Cancellation: Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
“While you're waiting in the room before I think you should be allowed a glass of champagne there too” – GetYourGuide review
The walkways link the two towers and stretch 70 metres, 33.5 metres above the road and 43.5 metres above the Thames at high tide, per the official site. There are an East and a West walkway, and the page says to visit both. Small camera windows are built in for photos. The view names the Tower of London, St Paul’s Cathedral, The Shard and Canary Wharf, and the Tower of London is the one the map above shows closest.
What to look for inside Tower Bridge at this level is how close the road traffic is below you and how far the river path sits further down. Take the view in one direction first, then cross.
The Glass Floors Inside Tower Bridge
Among the sights inside Tower Bridge, the glass floors are the one most visitors come for. They are set into the walkways and are 11.5 metres long and 1.8 metres wide, per the official site. It says each panel can bear the weight of one elephant or two London black cabs, and that the top layer is replaced regularly. A tip on the page is to use the mirrored ceiling for selfies.
South Tower and the Blue Line Inside Tower Bridge
You come down through the South Tower, where the displays cover the bridge’s history after 1894, including the original tower and bascule chamber designs. The official page says seven worker statues are hidden in the internal roof, which is a good thing to hunt for. From the South Tower, a painted blue line leads you to the Engine Rooms. Set into it are 80 bronze plaques that commemorate 40 named people who worked on the bridge, dating from 2016. If you want the story behind it, my Tower Bridge history page covers it.
The Engine Rooms and Gift Shop
The Engine Rooms housed the steam engines that powered the bridge lifts for over 80 years, per the official page, until electricity replaced steam in 1976. Staff check your ticket and bag on arrival. The official page says the engines could raise the bascules in 60 seconds, that more than 80 people were needed to maintain them, and that stokers shovelled over 20 tonnes of coal per week. Originally the bridge was raised 20 to 30 times a day, and today it opens an average of 2 to 3 times. The gift shop sits at the end, so the visit finishes where the Engine Rooms exit leads, away from the North Tower where you began. Plan your onward walk from that side, towards Tower Bridge Quay or the Tower of London.
A longer route that adds a guide and the Tower of London next door is sold as a private tour.
Rosotravel - United Kingdom Tours & Experiences
Tower Bridge and Tower of London Private Tour
★4.9 (11 reviews)
2 hours
Free cancellation
My pick: The private tour covering the bridge and the Tower of London: $323, 2 hours, rated 4.9 from 11 reviews, so a small evidence base.
What you get, where you meet, what reviewers say
Included
✓ Private tour of Tower Bridge and Tower of London (number of attractions depends on the option selected)
✓ 5-star licensed guide who is fluent in the language selected when booking
✓ Skip-the-line tickets to Tower Bridge (all options)
✓ Priority admission tickets to Tower of London (5- and 6.5-hour options only)
✓ Private car transfer with pickup and drop-off at your accommodation (3.5- and 6.5-hour options only)
Not included / not suitable
✕ Priority admission tickets to Tower of London (in 2- and 3.5-hour options)
✕ Private car transfer with pickup and drop-off at your accommodation (in 2- and 5-hour options)
Languages: English, French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese
Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
“our guide was very knowledgeable and gave us great information, not only about Tower Bridge, but also other bits and pieces around the Bridge Her name was Yuliya” – GetYourGuide review
Getting Around Inside Tower Bridge: Lifts and Access
The official access page says two lifts reach the High-level Walkways, one in each tower, and an external lift serves the Engine Rooms and the gift shop. It also asks you to wear comfortable shoes for walking up the towers, with lifts available, and warns that lifts can occasionally be out of order at short notice. I found no stair count on the official pages. Step-free accessible toilets are in the North Tower, South Tower and Engine Rooms, and there are no Changing Places facilities on site, with the nearest at the Tower of London and London Bridge station.
Wheelchairs and rollators are available to borrow at both the Ticket Office and Engine Rooms entrances, and assistance dogs and pets are welcome on a lead. The official page does not mention bags or lockers, so travel light. I found no official rule on the glass floors, so ask staff if you are wary of heights.
How Long to Allow
No official page I opened states a visit length. I would allow about two hours for everything inside Tower Bridge: the towers, both walkways, the Engine Rooms and the shop, and more if you want to read the exhibits or the day is busy. That is my estimate. When you are ready to book, compare every Tower Bridge ticket in one place, and visit the home page for the other London attractions I cover.
Frequently asked questions
What is inside Tower Bridge?+
The paid exhibition takes you through the North Tower, the High-level Walkways with their glass floors, the South Tower, and then the Victorian Engine Rooms and the gift shop. The official site describes the walkways as 70 metres long, 33.5 metres above the road, with glass floors 11.5 metres long and 1.8 metres wide.
Is there an official Tower Bridge map?+
Free plans of the layout are handed out at the Ticket Office and Engine Rooms entrances, per the official access page, and the site publishes an accessible routes map as a PDF. I did not find a downloadable full visitor floor plan, so I link only the accessible routes map.
How do you get inside Tower Bridge?+
The Ticket Office and main entrance are on the northwest side, at the North Tower, and everyone queues outside on arrival. The Engine Rooms entrance is reached by an external lift on the southeast side, which also serves the gift shop.
Is there a lift inside Tower Bridge?+
Yes. The official access page says there are two lifts up to the High-level Walkways, one in the North Tower and one in the South Tower, and an external lift to the Engine Rooms entrance. Lifts can occasionally be out of order at short notice, so the bookings team can confirm before you go.
How long do you need inside Tower Bridge?+
The official explore-inside page does not give a visit length. Opening hours are 09:30 to 18:00 daily with last entry at 17:00, per the official site, and I would allow about two hours for the towers, walkways and Engine Rooms. That is my estimate, not an official figure.
