London Itinerary: Day 2 | Tower of London, Crown Jewels & Afternoon Tea at The Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon

After our tour of the Tower of London, Autumn was so excited to spot a Starbucks nearby that we decided to stop in. We grabbed a drink and browsed the souvenir section, where I couldn’t resist picking up a London Starbucks Christmas ornament to remember our trip.

Our first tour of the trip was the Tower of London: Beefeater Opening Ceremony and Crown Jewels tour. It was only an hour and 15 minutes long, which worked out perfectly for our schedule. We arrived a little early, so we took advantage of the extra time to snap some photos outside. I was surprised by just how massive the Tower of London is! I had pictured a single castle, but it’s actually a huge historic complex with multiple buildings, towers, and courtyards.

We also had some beautiful views of the River Thames during our tour. Across the river is The Shard, one of London’s most famous skyscrapers. I loved seeing the contrast between the modern skyline and the centuries-old Tower of London. It was such a pretty view!

Our Beefeater guide shared so many interesting stories throughout the tour. This is Tower Hill, where many public executions took place over the centuries. It’s incredible to think about how much history happened in just these two locations!

And here is Traitors’ Gate, where many prisoners entered the Tower of London after arriving by boat on the River Thames.

One of the most unexpected things we learned was that the Tower of London was once home to a royal zoo! This sculpture represents one of its most famous residents, a polar bear that was given to King Henry III by the King of Norway in 1252. The bear was even allowed to swim in the River Thames on a long chain to catch fish! I had never heard that story before, and it was such a fun piece of history to learn during our tour.

One of the best parts of arriving early was getting to watch the Beefeater Opening Ceremony before the Tower of London opened to the public. The Beefeaters have been guarding the Tower for centuries and now serve as ceremonial guardians and tour guides. It was such a memorable way to start our visit, and I loved learning about all of the traditions that are still carried on today.

We also spotted one of the Tower of London’s famous ravens! According to legend, if the ravens ever leave the Tower, the kingdom and the Tower itself will fall. Because of that, there are always several ravens living at the Tower, and they’re cared for by a dedicated Ravenmaster. It was fun seeing one up close after hearing all of the stories during our tour.

On the left is the Waterloo Block, where the Crown Jewels are housed. Seeing them in person was one of the highlights of our visit! Unfortunately, photography isn’t allowed inside, so this is the closest I could get. On the right, we caught part of the Changing of the Guard as the King’s Guards formally switched posts. It was fun to watch all of the precision and tradition that goes into the ceremony.

After our Tower of London: Beefeater Opening Ceremony and Crown Jewels tour, we had enough time to head back to the hotel for a quick nap, and nap we did! We were all still adjusting to the time difference and shaking off the jet lag. Before long, it was time to head out for one of the experiences I had been looking forward to most, afternoon tea at The Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon inside Fortnum & Mason.

I had no idea just how massive and elegant Fortnum & Mason would be. The store was absolutely beautiful! I didn’t take a lot of photos while we were there, but I couldn’t resist snapping a picture of these giant hollow chocolate bears. Fun fact: Fortnum & Mason has been supplying groceries and specialty foods to the British royal family for generations, which made visiting even more special.

Here’s a family photo of all four of us enjoying our afternoon tea together. It was such a special experience and one of my favorite memories from our time in London.

 
We’ve been to quite a few afternoon teas over the years, and this one was our favorite by far. The selection of teas was incredible, and I loved that everyone could customize their own tea tray. You could choose from a savory menu, a sweet menu, or a combination of both. All four of us went with the savory and sweet option, and it was the perfect choice!

On my way to the restroom, I realized just how massive The Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon really is. I thought our dining room was the whole restaurant, but the tea rooms just kept going! Along the way, I spotted this beautiful Steinway & Sons grand piano. Nathan recognized the brand right away, and I later found out it’s one of the most respected piano makers in the world. The entire space was absolutely gorgeous.

After afternoon tea, we had a few hours of free time before dinner, and both kids were so excited. They wanted to go shopping… big surprise, right? We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring London’s famous West End shopping district. We split up into pairs, and Autumn and I went on a mission to find some Jellycats. We ended up at Selfridges, and I couldn’t believe how huge it was! It reminded me of a luxury department store with floor after floor of shopping, including an entire beauty department that felt like a giant Sephora. We found some adorable Jellycats, including a few that are exclusive to London. Of course, I couldn’t leave without taking a photo with the life-size Jellycat!

Autumn picked out the Jellycat with the cute little hat, and I couldn’t resist bringing home the lemon! Both are exclusive to the London store, which made them even more fun to find. Since I collect lemon-themed things, the lemon Jellycat was the perfect keepsake from our London adventure.

Shop Dress:

We popped into several stores while we were exploring, and one of my favorites was Abercrombie & Fitch. I immediately fell in love with this brown and white polka dot dress! The dressing rooms were really neat, too. They had a control panel where you could switch between different lighting settings to see how the outfit looked. I wish every dressing room had that feature!

The iconic red telephone booths are everywhere in London! We couldn’t resist stopping for a few photos whenever we came across one. Here’s one of my favorites from our afternoon of exploring.

After our afternoon of shopping, we headed back to the hotel to relax for a bit before dinner. That evening, our travel agent had recommended Crown & Anchor, and it ended up being another great choice. The outside of the pub was so charming with its bright red exterior and overflowing flower boxes. It looked exactly how I imagined a cozy London pub would! We had hoped to try their famous Sunday Roast, but they had just sold the very last one before we arrived. Even so, the rest of our meal was absolutely delicious, and we really enjoyed our evening there.

Brian ordered a cider, and I couldn’t resist trying something from their spritz menu, which featured five different varieties. I chose the Rhubarb & Ginger Spritz, and it was absolutely delicious! It was light, refreshing, and the perfect drink for a warm summer evening in London.

I ordered one of their burgers, while Brian went with a British classic, fish and chips. The chips were hand cut. Both were delicious!

Then for dessert we finished up with sticky toffee pudding with butterscotch sauce and ice cream.

That’s a wrap on our second day in London! It was such a memorable day filled with history, afternoon tea, shopping, and another delicious dinner. Next, I’ll be sharing our final day in London, including Westminster Abbey, the Changing of the Guard, Big Ben, St. James’s Park, Covent Garden, and dinner overlooking the city at Sky Garden. Stay tuned!

Missed Day 1?

If you’re just joining my London travel series, be sure to check out my first London recap! I shared our new direct flight from St. Louis to London, our stay at The Montague on the Gardens, Borough Market, Tate Modern, and our first dinner at Hawksmoor.

➡️ Read London Itinerary: Day 1 | Direct St. Louis Flight, The Montague Hotel, Borough Market & Hawksmoor