Tower of London

The Tower of London is nearly 1,000 years of fortress, palace, prison, and treasury in one. William the Conqueror built the White Tower in 1066 to secure his new conquest — and since then, this fortress on the Thames has played a role in almost every drama of English history.

Anne Boleyn (Henry VIII's second wife) was beheaded here. The two young princes mysteriously disappeared here under Richard III. Sir Walter Raleigh and Rudolf Hess were imprisoned here. The stories the Yeoman Warders (Beefeaters) tell on their tours are full of blood, betrayal, and dark humor — the best storytellers in London.

The absolute highlight: the Crown Jewels. In the Jewel House, visitors glide past the world's largest collection of royal regalia on a moving walkway — the Imperial State Crown with over 2,868 diamonds, the scepter with the 530-carat Cullinan I (the largest cut diamond in the world), and the St Edward's Crown, used in every coronation. The brilliance is literally dazzling.

Don't forget the ravens: Legend has it that the kingdom will fall if the six ravens leave the Tower. That's why there are always at least six ravens living here — with clipped wings and their own Ravenmaster to care for them. They all have names and are surprisingly cheeky.