Tower of London & Aladdin on the West End | London, England

When L and I visited the Tower of London in July 2014 it was hot, crowded, and had huge lines. I wanted to visit the Tower again and I'm so glad that I did! 

When I visited in March, the weather was perfect, it wasn't nearly as crowded in March as it was in July, and I spent 2 1/2-3 hours and visited every site except the Fusilier Museum. There wasn't even a line to see the crown jewels (which you should absolutely see because they are really cool, but no photos are allowed)!

Where the Crown Jewels are stored

Guarding the Crown Jewels

I went on the Yeoman Warder tour and it was fantastic! Our Yeoman was interesting, funny, and gave a great tour. The White Tower is really cool! It displays a lot of armor (several sets from Henry VIII in his fit and not so fit sizes) as well as cannons and swords.

The White Tower

Definitely visit the Beauchamp Tower! It's where prisoners were held and many of them carved messages and/or their names into the walls. Outside of Beauchampt Tower is Tower Green where 10 people were executed (including Henry VIIIs wives Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard as well as his aunt Margaret Pole). Today there is a memorial on the site engraved with the names of the people executed.

Memorial

If there is a long line and/or you are pressed for time I recommend skipping the "Torture at the Tower" exhibition in the Lower Wakefield Tower. It consists mostly of didactic panels of information and a few replicas of torture devices.

The Tower of London is rich in history and there is so much to see and do. You should absolutely check it out when you visit London!

"Torture at the Tower" exhibit

Coins in the Mint

Pro tips: #1 there are several gift shops in the Tower, but there is also a gift shop outside of the Tower entrance that carries the exact same items. Make your purchases at the outside shop and you won't have to carry them around while you are exploring. #2 there is a fantastic view of Tower Bridge by the exit of the Tower of London.

After visiting the Tower, I went back to my hotel room to freshen up and drop off my purchases. Next, I had dinner and saw Aladdin at Prince Edward Theatre. The musical was so fun!!

The Genie was the obvious star of the show. He was sassy, hysterical, and was portrayed by a guy from West Virginia (this cracked me up). Aladdin and Jasmine were pretty good, but they both had a few moments where their line delivery fell short. There were some funny jokes in the show (the production making fun of itself) and the big dance numbers were fantastic! The opening number and "Never had a Friend Like Me" were my favorites. 

I purchased my ticket online the night before the performance. The ticket had to be picked up at the theatre. I would have preferred an online print option because the line to pick up tickets was incredibly long. Also, in the UK you have to purchase the program/playbill; it isn't complimentary like in New York.

Pro tip: make sure you bring some cash with you because the station selling programs and drinks inside the theatre only accepted cash.

The performance ended around 10:30 pm. Because it was late and I was traveling solo, I chose to take an Uber instead of the Tube back to my hotel. My Uber driver was a native Londoner and really interesting. I had him drop me off at a Sainsbury grocery store near my hotel. Even though my driver seemed nice and normal when you are a solo female traveler it is better to be safe than sorry. Plus, I wanted to pick up some tea to take back home with me :)