THE LONDON DUNGEON ULTIMATE GUIDE
Open: Every day: 11:00AM to 4:00PM, with weekly variations
Time Needed: 3 hours
Price: £26.50
It may be dark and spooky and cover some of the most grisly stories in London’s history, but a visit to The London Dungeon can actually be quite enjoyable… if a “drop-dead” boat ride and live rats and cockroaches are your idea of an entertaining afternoon, that is.
Venturing down into The London Dungeon, visitors will be bombarded with all sorts of appalling and sickening smells, sounds and sights so they can feel what life in London would have been like during the city’s most dreadful times.
Each 90-minute tour consists of 13 different interactive shows, state-of-the-art special effects and a thrilling ride, as well as 20 different live actors who act out scripted performances with a mix of both humour and horror.
Throughout the tour, the actors educate tourists on some of the most spine-chilling, hair-raising and blood-curdling tales in London’s history. As visitors walk through the attraction, they will be educated on over 1,000 years of London’s most ghastly and gloomiest times, with topics like death, plagues, fires, serial killers, murder and torture.
Highlights The London Dungeon
With real live (and smelly!) caged rats and cockroaches, eerie waxwork corpses, dark cobblestone alleyways, and even a creepy medieval lift, there's no telling what you'll come across during your visit to The London Dungeon. Only one thing is certain: you won't see any ghosts here! Instead, the focus is on dark historical facts, but with a playful twist.
The London Dungeon tour updates frequently, blending permanent elements with seasonal scenes; but some highlights you can expect to experience include:
- Getting up close and personal with the likes of Jack The Ripper, Sweeney Todd, and Guy Fawkes
- Feeling lost in a maze of alleys in Victorian Whitechapel
- Hearing chilling (yet fascinating) stories about the Gunpowder Plot
- Being transported back in time to London during the plague
- Walking the same streets where Jack The Ripper preyed on his victims
- Taking a frightening stroll past a horrifying torture chamber
- Experiencing a “sudden drop” on the “Drop Dead: Drop Ride" (and getting your photo taken while doing so!)
Special Tips
Although you can purchase tickets directly at The London Dungeon, it may be a good idea to reserve your time slot beforehand, as tours at specific times may not be available.
If you plan on visiting the nearby London Eye and SEA LIFE London Aquarium as well as The London Dungeon, make sure you take advantage of the discounted combined tickets from their official website.
If you are arriving to The London Dungeon by car, you can pre-book your parking with the Dungeon beforehand and save up to 15% on parking costs.
Perhaps it may go without saying, but if you're visiting London around October 31st, then a visit to The London Dungeon on Halloween night is a must (Be prepared for long queues, though)!
If you are interested in the dark history of London, think about combining this experience with a Free Jack the Ripper Tour or a Free Ghost Tour.
Getting There
Address: Riverside Building, County Hall, Westminster Bridge Rd, London SE1 7PB, United Kingdom.
On foot: Just follow the signs for the South Bank. The London Dungeon is located next door to The London Eye and the SEA LIFE London Aquarium.
By Tube: The nearest station is London Waterloo, which is a five-minute walk away.
By Rail: The nearest station is London Waterloo East, which is a nine-minute walk away.
By Bus: You can reach The London Dungeon via routes 211, 77 and 381 which stop close to The London Eye.
By Coach: Drop-off and pick-up points are available but must be reserved beforehand, and used for twenty minutes at a time.
By Car: There is a Q-Park Westminster car park located within walking distance to The London Dungeon.
Visiting The London Dungeon
Tours of The London Dungeon take approximately 90 minutes (not including queue time). If you pre-booked your ticket online beforehand, then the time on your ticket is the time that you are allowed to enter the queue, and not the time of the actual tour.
Depending on when you visit, you may wait in queue for as little as ten minutes during quieter periods, or up to 30 to 45 minutes during peak times.
Because of the gruesome nature of some of the exhibits and stories, it isn’t recommended for children under the ages of twelve to visit The London Dungeon (although there is no official age limit), and visitors under the ages of 16 must be an accompanied by an adult at all times.
There are toilet facilities located near the entrance of the Dungeon, however, there are no left luggage facilities available for visitors. If you do have large bags or items with you, you will need to store them at the left-luggage facilities in the nearby Waterloo Station (which is a five-minute walk away).
The use of mobile phones is strictly prohibited when visiting The London Dungeon, so try and keep your phones in your pockets at all times.
If you are visiting with an international group, be aware that The London Dungeon tour is only in English. Non-English speakers will still enjoy the sights, sounds and (yep) smells of ancient London, but they might not get the full experience.
Ticket Costs
The London Dungeon is open seven days a week, every day of the year (except Christmas Day). Opening and closing times vary depending on what time of the year you visit, so be sure to check out their official website beforehand. However, during the summer months, on some days The London Dungeon opens as early as 10:00 a.m., and closes as late as 7:00 p.m.
There are a variety of ticket options which range in price from as low as £19 to £68, however, general admission tickets to The London Dungeon usually cost:
- £26.50 (online) or £35 (at the door) for adults
- £20.50 (online) for children
- £16 (online) for students
There are also discounts for groups of ten or more people which can cost as low as £18.50 to £20 per person when booked online beforehand.
All tickets purchased include a complimentary drink from The London Dungeon’s new Tavern.
You can also combine your ticket to the London Dungeon with four other attractions in London (for £92.50), and you can also purchase a Merlin Annual Pass (for £169) to get access to up to 30 different Merlin attractions in the UK for one year.
If you are checking out the London Dungeon you might also want to join any of the free tours in London that are available on offer.
