Day 16 of 18 · London

Crown jewels by day, Uganda by night.

Tower of London at opening · Borough Market · Churchill War Rooms · The Book of Mormon

☼ 57°F / 46°FShowersWear: Warm coat, waterproof, umbrella. Dark by ~16:40.

Foot check before you leave: blister plasters + a spare pair of socks in the daypack. Tower, Borough Market, the War Rooms, then a show, this one's on your feet all day.

English school half-term · more families about

The Tower first thing, the river and Borough Market through the middle, the sealed war bunker in the afternoon, then the second must-see: The Book of Mormon.

Optional, before the day starts. A 1-hour gym session or a run (nearest option is on the London page), and an afternoon nap block is built into the schedule below, take it on the long days.

01Morning

Tower of London

09:00

Tower of London at opening, Crown Jewels first, before the queue, then a Yeoman Warder (Beefeater) tour, the ravens, the White Tower, the execution site on Tower Green.

02Afternoon

Tower Bridge + Borough · Churchill War Rooms

12:00

Tower Bridge on foot, then along the South Bank to Borough Market for a grazing lunch. See Meals.

14:00

Tube to Westminster for the Churchill War Rooms, the sealed underground bunker where the war was run, left exactly as it was in 1945. Gripping, one of the best things in London.

16:00

Back to change, then up to Covent Garden.

03Evening

The Book of Mormon

17:45

Early pre-theatre dinner near the theatre. See Meals.

19:30

The Book of Mormon at the Prince of Wales Theatre (Coventry St, by Leicester Square), Circle Row G, seats 20 and 21. From the South Park creators, nine Tonys, still the sharpest thing on the West End. ~2h30 with an interval.

The ticket is a paperless mobile ticket, sent separately from the booking confirmation. Open it on the phone before you leave the hotel.

The table

Lunch~$30

Borough Market, grazing

house pick Don't sit down, walk and eat. The oldest food market in London, 1,000 years on this spot. Keep it light; dinner is early.

Order: A Kappacasein raclette or grilled-cheese toastie, a Bread Ahead custard doughnut, a scotch egg, a cup of Monmouth coffee.

map

Dinner~$70

Kricket (Soho), or The Palomar, or a pre-theatre pub

house pick Kricket does modern Indian small plates, no bookings for two at the counter, five minutes from the Prince of Wales. The Palomar (Levantine, buzzy) takes early tables. Or a fast pie and a pint at a Soho pub. All quicker than a full sit-down.

Order: At Kricket: the Keralan fried chicken, the bhel, dal, a couple of curries to share.

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Tickets and bookings

Item	When	Est.	Link	Status
Tower of London (×2) inbox, search “Tower of London”	28 Oct, 09:00	~$100	open	to book
Churchill War Rooms (×2) inbox, search “Churchill War Rooms”	28 Oct, 14:00	~$75	open	to book
The Book of Mormon, Prince of Wales Theatre (×2) inbox, search “Book of Mormon”	BOOKED · 28 Oct, 19:30 · Circle Row G, seats 20/21	$158 · paid	open	booked

+ add this day to your calendar

Confirmations and vouchers live in Europe 2026 / Reservations & Vouchers on Google Drive, shared with the two of you. Nothing sensitive is on this page.

Before you leave the door

Insider edge

Book the first Tower entry; go straight to the Jewels, by 10:30 the line is a 40-minute moving walkway. Book the War Rooms for early afternoon; it takes about 90 minutes and the last entry is ~17:00.

House pick

Avoid this

The Tower Hill “tour touts,” and the chain restaurants on the South Bank by the Eye. Borough Market and Bermondsey Street behind it are far better.

House pick

Backup move

Heavy rain, the Tower is mostly outdoors and grim in a downpour. Swap in the British Museum (free; Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon marbles) and do the Tower on the last morning. The Book of Mormon also plays a Friday and Saturday matinee if the evening has to move.

House pick

Ideal window

The Book of Mormon is booked, Circle Row G, a clean central view. Get to the theatre 20 minutes early, the bars are slow at the interval and the show moves fast from the opening doorbell.

Julian

If time, or if a deal lands

Option	Added	Note
British Museum (free)	+$0	the rainy-day swap, or just add it; the strongest free thing in London
Tower Bridge Exhibition, the glass walkway	+$26	20 min, right there

What today runs

Estimates. Swap in the real figure as you go.

Tower of London (×2)	$100
Borough Market lunch, grazing	$30
Churchill War Rooms (×2)	$75
Pre-theatre dinner, Kricket / a Soho spot (×2)	$70
The Book of Mormon, Prince of Wales, Circle Row G (×2)	$158
Contactless, day taps (within cap)	$12
Today, London	$445

Flights and the places to stay are on the costs page, not counted here.

How it went

Written after the day: what you did, what you loved, what you'd skip, the photographs, a voice note or two. It fills in here and in the album.