London’s Churchill War Rooms

In addition to ticking off countries, famous sites around the world, and England but there are also some sites left in London I have not seen yet. One of them was the Churchill War Rooms  – a part of the Imperial War Museums  – but I rectified that earlier this year. 

Now if you are an American reader, you probably covered WWII as part of European history and spent no more than a month on it.  And have likely not revisited it since high school, am I right?  Well one trip to this museum and you will likely realized you missed quite a bit of it – or at least, it’s been a while since you were 15.    \

My favorite thing about this museum is while it takes you through the entire life of Winston Churchill, the artifacts are located in the bunker beneath central London where we worked (and even lived for some time) during World War II.    At first I thought the mannequin-esque characters around the museum were odd but I quickly changed my mind as it really helped you envision how the Cabinet War Rooms were used during the 1940’s.  I also found it quite interesting that the rooms were practically abandoned until this museum opened in 2005 and I am glad they were able to share the. space with the public – it really is a great part of history! 

My friend Ali and I spent about an hour and a half in the museum with our audio guides but I know that some people spend a half day!  And even before you get to the pictures, I do not think you need any more convincing but a visit to the Churchill War Rooms is ranked #2 of more than 2,00 things to do in London on TripAdvisor.  And of all of my favorite things to do in London, this is certainly a great activity when it is freezing cold or if you are visiting the forecast calls for an afternoon of showers!

My one piece of advice that someone else gave us – buy your tickets ahead of time! They are easy to purchase online and they do sell out – so save yourself from a 3+ hour queue and buy a timed ticket at least a few days before you are planning to visit! 

Have you been to the Churchill War Rooms?