Ceremony of the Keys tickets
 

Hi all - I'm currently putting together what is for me a last minute trip to London/Paris, July of this year. Thanks to comments here, I really hope we can get into the Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower, and have just days ago mailed for tickets, listing ALL of our 4 nights in London as available. Question: if the nights are already full "at the Tower", will they use one or both of my int'l reply coupons to let me know that? I would like to book at least one theatre night, but don't know how long to wait before assuming C of Keys isn't happening.
Thanks for any help from travelers who've tried for this!
Jo Ann

They will reply to you, whatever the outcome, by mail. We've been to the ceremony a few times and we usually have a reply within two weeks.

I was surprised that I received my tickets for February in under two weeks. It was one of the highlights of our trip!

I love this board - less than 15 minutes, and I am anxiety free! Thanks for the quick responses, and keep fingers crossed for us!
Again - thanks!
Jo Ann

They told us it was booked from July 2-18. You can email The Yeoman Sargeant at [email protected] to ask questions regarding your dates.

Thanks for posting this questions. We, too, want to see this Ceremony in June and didn't realize I'd better look into ticket availability now!

ttt

Just curious, as I am sending off my request today... If I send a SASE, can I just put a 80 cent airmail stamp on it for post back from England (the same stamp I would use to send the letter out)-- or is there some type of international stamp I should get for the reply envelope?
thanks

No. You cannot just put an 80 cent stamp on and expect it to work. Your PO should have some sort to international reply coupon (not sure of exact terminology). Explain to them what you want it for & they should be able to take care of you.

No - a US stamp won't work (think about if you could mail a letter here w/ a UK stamp on it)

You need to get International reply coupons - go to your PO. But be persistant. Some clerks will know what you are talking about and some won't. Where I lives some branches have them in stock and some don't. They might have to order it for you.

kg531, You don't put US postage stamps on your return envelope. Purchase two International Reply Coupons (IRCs) at your post office and include them in the envelope with your ticket request. If you live in a small town, consider calling ahead to make sure your PO stocks them. Only the main PO in my town does.

Any details on the Ceremony of the Keys? What makes it a "highlight?"

It's a ceremony they've been doing every night at the Tower of London for the past 700-something years. It's basically the locking up of the tower at night.

The ceremony itself only lasts about 10 minutes but it's kind of cool being in the tower late at night, with a small crowd. You can't wander around or anything, but the Yeoman Warder will tell you a few Tower tales before the ceremony starts.

For the cost of postage, it's a great thing to do in London. And after the ceremony, a walk down to the banks of the Thames is well worth it - to see Tower Bridge all lit up.


Here's the website: <b>www.hrp.org.uk/webcode/content.asp?ID=622</b>

We went this past November, a wonderful experience. We got our tickets back in one week!

To get a feel for the event, it is described fairly early in Tom Clancy's book, Patriot Games.

Keith