Skip the general queue at the Tower of London and step inside the Crown Jewels exhibit first, with a private Blue Badge guide for two and a half hours.
Head straight to the jewel exhibit the moment the Tower's gates open, ahead of the general queue still forming outside. Your guide points out some of the most famous pieces in the collection, with room to actually look instead of being swept past by the crowd. By half past nine, most other visitors are still waiting to get in.
Next, visit the old execution site on the Tower's green and a tower once used to hold prisoners, where your guide tells the story of two young princes who disappeared inside its walls centuries ago and were never seen again. You'll get a few minutes of free time here to take in the story on your own.
Continue along the Tower's medieval walls, past royal living quarters, ravens kept on the grounds for centuries, and battlements once defended with iron weaponry, with your guide pointing out inscriptions left by prisoners held here long ago.
The visit finishes inside the Tower's oldest building, home to a working armoury. Look closely at a suit of armor built for a king, still fitted to a horse in the same room where it's stood for generations, before you're free to explore the upper floors on your own.
