Before we left Australia, we applied to FREE tickets to the Ceremony of the Keys (was told these were unattainable from England, had to book 3 months in advance and they did security checks on you). Entailed going back to the Tower at night after closing to watch the ceremony of the keymaster and guard locking up the inner wall - there is no access to the various buildings, no tea vans to gather a warming cup while waiting at the dark side entrance for admission. The ceremony is held in the cold and dark of the lane between the two walls near the Traitor's Gate with the sound of the Thames lapping at the gates behind you. The bustling, alive Tower that you see during the day becomes quite an eerie place in the middle of the night. We were a little disappointed as we had been told there was quite a pageantry surrounding the Keeper of the Keys, and the kids found it quite dreary watching the Beefeater just calling out to various sentry points to challenge their presence, but given that it was our first night in England following a 20 hour flight and we had done the bustling, colourful Tower during the day, we may have all been just a little jaded to appreciate it. If you are interested in these free tickets, go to the Tower of London website to find where you send for tickets to the "Ceremony of the Keys."

Seemed quite expensive but has a lot to offer. The armour collection had us all enthralled - everything from children’s suits of armour to ones made for horses. Swords and every sort of hand combat tool you could imagine, and even though these are weapons, the skill and craftsmanship in the handles and inlays were truly amazing, when one thinks that they were homes with minimal equipment and a lot of raw human energy - many of them were beautiful works of art.

The Crown Jewels are obviously a draw card for the ladies, but you are on moving walkways, so the visit to the Jewel house goes rather quick and is one way traffic due to the sheer quantities of people coming through.

Historical data is well presented and we could have spent a lot longer there as we have a budding historian in one of our teenage daughters, who was quite upset that as we only had a few hours and could not stop to read everything.

Again, plenty of seating for older members of the family to rest, but a couple of the building had a lot of stairs so my elderly mother didn't go into the one that was multiple floors - when told she couldn't go back the way she had come, she had to move through the whole display in one direction. Obviously a lot of money has been spent - would have thought some system to cater for the older or disabled would have been incorporated in the planning.

Tearoom food was disgusting and expensive - a lot of pre-packed, soggy stuff!!

This was one of the more interesting of places for me since I had read so much about the Tudor family. This offers you a chance to see what armor looks like. Only those with money could afford such luxuries. Only a family of great wealth would spend the money to have a suit of armor made for a small boy of 5 to 7 years of age.

This also is the place to see the Book of Doom. It’s within a case in a low light room. You will get to pass by it single file.

It’s fun to see where Henry VIII ordered Anne Boleyn's to death. The area where many lost their heads is now a grassy knoll across from the chapel on the tower grounds. Another famous person buried within the confines of the chapel is Lady Jane Grey, who was queen of England for nine days until her cabinet deserted her and chose to back her cousin, the soon-to-be Queen Mary. King Edward, son of Henry VIII, left the throne to Lady Jane because of her Protestant piety (and because he was unable to leave it to his sister, who was a Catholic). This, in turn, benefited John Dudley, who wanted to remain in power after the death of King Edward. This is such a soap opera and there was no TV to muck it up. How many 15-year-olds are in charge of a country?

The other reason to visit the Tower it is to see the Queen's jewels. Again, everything is behind glass and very well protected by security. While in the area, I do recommend visiting the room that houses the old crowns not used anymore -- all gems have been removed. Interesting. . .

This is a must for all first time visitors to London. The sense of history, the location on the Thames, the Beefeaters in their red uniforms, the Jewel Tower, all make for a delightful few hours. On my last visit, December 2000, the special exhibit in St. James Chapel was the Domesday Book, something I've read about and heard about for years. It may sound silly, but it was quite exciting to actually SEE it. William the Conqueror made a list of every person, piece of property, cow, pig, duck and chicken in England in 1066. It is a fascinating inventory. You can see the 'graffiti' carved in the stone walls of the Beauchamp Tower, or the rooms where Sir Walter Raleigh was imprisioned, or the chopping block where so many lost their heads, or the changing of the guards at the Jewel Tower, or the cages of the famous ravens, or the suits of armor in the White Tower, but allow plenty of time ... a full morning or afternoon can be taken up with the Tower.

If you''ve ever sat thorugh somebody else''s pictures of their vacation in Britain, you''ve doubtless seen pictures of The Tower of London (or, more correctly, Her Majesty''s Royal Palace and Fortress, The Tower of London, as one of the Yeoman Warders who guide you through the Tower will inform you). It seems to be a required visit for anyone who sets foot in the UK.

Unsurprisingly, it''s usually busy with tourists. Surprisingly, it''s actually worth braving them to see what''s inside.

Your admission fee entitles you to a tour with one of the Yeoman Warders (a.k.a. Beefeaters), who were probably featured in those vacation pictures. They give an amusing and informative tour of the Tower that lasts about 45 minutes. The Warders both take you to some of the Tower''s more notable areas --the spot where Anne Boleyn was executed, for instance -- and will point out others, like the famous Bloody Tower, that you can explore on your own.

You''ll learn all sorts of cocktail party trivia with which to amaze your friends, like the strange story of the Duke of Monmouth''s portrait. (Sorry, you''ll just have to go and take the tour to hear it.)

Once the tour is over, check out the Crown Jewels, housed in the aptly named Jewel Tower. Ride by on the conveyor belt (no, I''m not kidding) and hear the same comments that have doubtless echoed through the Tower since the Jewels first went on display -- "Are those real?" "No, they can''t be. They''ve gotta be fake . . ."

The Bloody Tower is also interesing -- it contains both a suite of rooms that Sir Walter Raleigh stayed in during his imprisonment (not too shabby) and a copy of the book he began while in the Tower (but never completed), his History of the World.

Before you leave the Tower, be sure to follow the stairs to the right of Traitor''s Gate. They lead to the Medieval Palace exhibit, which both documents how archaeologists found evidence of the Tower''s medieval palace rooms and decoration, and contains several rooms that show what the Tower may have been like in the 13th century.

As a bonus, when you leave the Medieval Palace rooms, there''s a great view of Tower Bridge -- be sure to snap a picture.

The best time of day to go is the morning. It''s less crowded, and if you go, as I always do, first thing after you get off your overnight flight, it has the merit of being outside. This helps keep your jetlagged body awake until you can get into your hotel room or hostel in the afternoon.

Admission isn''t cheap at £12 per adult, but if you search the web you can often find deals (especially in the off-season), which provide 2-for-1 admission. (Check out the London Underground, which ran such a promotion in 2002/2003.)

There are also discounted student tickets available if you have an ISIC card -- you may be able to get in on a regular US college ID, as my friend did, but I wouldn''t bank on it.