We love a weekend in London and usually make the trip a few times every year. The first time we did a London city break, we met a local and asked what we should see with just two days in London. He emphatically told us to visit Winston Churchill’s War Rooms. We tried to get Churchill War Rooms skip the line passes – but they were sold out online. Poor planning aside, it was on our London bucket list for the future. We returned one more time without pre-booking tickets and couldn’t get in (but we made the most of it and enjoyed the Tower of London). We finally learned the lesson and booked tickets in advance the last time we went to London and it was AWESOME! We’re both giant history nerds, so learning more about Prime Minister Churchill and visiting the war museum was a perfect afternoon.
Click here to reserve your spot. Getting skip the line tickets in advance is the BEST way to ensure you get inside. Space is limited (it’s a bunker) so you HAVE to book online if you want to guarantee you can get inside!
What's Churchill's War Rooms?
Winston Churchill’s War Rooms, found in London, were the hideout and base for Winston Churchill himself during the Second World War. The rooms are large conferences and communication rooms that were used by Churchill and his staff during the war. In 1938 the government ordered their construction so they could continue to operate with protection from the German bombings that had been taking place in the capital.
Eventually, as the war raged on, Churchill and his family moved into the bunker permanently. Most of the top government officials and their families did as well.
Decades have passed since the second world war came to an end in 1945. All across London, you can find museums and monuments relating to the second world war. If you want to know more about London City’s role in the war, then one of the best museums to visit is the Churchill War Rooms.
Here are the top 5 reasons to visit Sir Winston Churchill's War Rooms
You won't find it anywhere else
The information and memorabilia in the war War rooms won’t be found anywhere else. They are completely unique to any other World Word 2 monument or historical site. You could compare the war rooms to something such as the Berlin Wall or Anne Frank’s house in importance, but it is completely different for many reasons.
You’ll get to see the rooms which became of paramount importance in Britain’s war efforts. As well as learn what went on in this underground safehold after it’s construction in 1939.
You'll learn about much more than the war
The deep underground tunnels hold many of the secrets of the second world war. But that’s not all. You’ll be walking down the very corridors that Winston Churchill himself did all those years ago. Visiting sites such as the War rooms will help you understand the impact the war had on shaping London. It will also show you how Churchill himself influenced the city. Today part of the bunkers have been turned into one of London’s top museums. They dive into and document Churchill’s life and the goings-on of the War rooms!
The history is important to the whole world, not just London
An adult ticket to the museum will cost you £23. A price worth paying to understand the role which the UK played in the second world war. If this doesn’t interest you so much then maybe you’ll be interested to learn about how the rooms affected other countries. The war rooms themselves were of course where Churchill and his staff made impacting decisions. These decisions didn’t just affect the UK. Many of the choices made in the war had lasting impacts on other nations too.
The war rooms are full of secrets you've never heard about
So you studied World War 2 at school and you learned pretty much everything about it… So there’s not much point in visiting again right? Think again. The war rooms hold some of the war’s greatest secrets.
Security was obviously a very serious issue. With the threat of spies and foreign government agents potentially attempting to enter the rooms, measures had to be taken to ensure operations could be carried out with minimum threat. Staff who had access to the rooms were issued with special passes (you’ll see one on display in the museum) which could be checked by security at any time. As you can imagine security was always on high alert to minimize any threat that the rooms would be compromised.
Even though the command station was situated underground it was still at risk of being destroyed at any moment. A direct hit from a German blast could’ve severely damaged or even destroyed the command room at any time. Only 12 feet underground it was important that the location of the rooms was kept highly secret to avoid any potential threat of a German Air-raid!
There's more to see than you'd first imagine
The easiest way to access the museum is via the London Underground. The closest stations are Westminster and St James Park, from either of these stations you’ll have a short walk to find it. Arriving at the entrance to the museum you may imagine that it’s quite small. Don’t be fooled! Once inside you’ll feel like you’ve entered the Tardis! The incredible maze of corridors and rooms will take you plenty of time to explore, especially if you want to get the most out of your experience!
Don’t forget to take some time to learn about the life of Sir Winston Churchill too. With a room full of displays, and information on his life it would be silly to pass up on learning about one of the best-know leaders of modern-day Britain.
Always, always, always prebook tickets online for places and things you want to experience. This not only saves you time lining up for a ticket when you get there but guarantees you the experience. With that said, I love activities and places like this that gives me the opportunity to learn about our history.
This is fascinating! I wish I knew about this when I was in London a few years ago. It will definitely be on my itinerary for the next trip. I can only imagine how neat it was to go through the rooms and learn about some of the historic secrets from the war time. Very cool.
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