Visiting the Churchill War Rooms
These are the practical questions people ask us most before visiting the Churchill War Rooms: how to get there, what you can bring, whether it suits children and how it compares with the Imperial War Museum. The answers come from the museum’s own visitor information and from our guides, who take groups there.
For prices and opening times, see Churchill War Rooms tickets and opening times, and for what to look out for once you are in, inside the Churchill War Rooms.
St James’s Park, on the District and Circle lines, and Westminster, on the Jubilee, District and Circle lines. Both are about ten minutes’ walk away. The nearest mainline stations are Charing Cross and Victoria, and buses 3, 11, 12, 24, 87, 88, 159 and 453 stop nearby.
The entrance is at the foot of Clive Steps, off King Charles Street. Our main guide has the walking route from each station.
Yes. The step-free entrance is on Horse Guards Road, by St James’s Park. Inside, there are fifteen steps down from street level to the rooms, and a lift for anyone who needs it.
The route is wheelchair accessible, but it is narrow in places: the museum gives the narrowest point as 68 centimetres, with tight corners. That makes it difficult for mobility scooters, and the museum suggests visitors may wish to switch to one of its manual wheelchairs, which can be borrowed free of charge if you reserve one in advance. Folding stools are available at the ticket desk, and there is bench seating in the Churchill Museum. The lighting is low throughout.
Only small ones. There is no cloakroom and there are no lockers, and the museum can’t admit suitcases, wheeled luggage or large holdalls and rucksacks, because the rooms are small and historic. Bags may be searched on the way in. The museum suggests the luggage storage at Charing Cross station if you are travelling with cases.
Pushchairs are allowed, and the museum is pushchair accessible throughout, but there is nowhere to leave one, so it must stay with you for the whole visit.
Yes. The café is in the room once used by the wartime switchboard operators, and it has highchairs. The toilets are at the start of the route, so it’s worth using them before you set off. There are three accessible toilets, one with baby changing.
Yes, and it is included in a standard ticket. It is available in thirteen languages, with a family version in English that the museum recommends for children aged seven and over. There are also British Sign Language and audio-described versions, and large print transcripts at the audio guide desk.
Children of any age can visit, though the museum says families get the most from it with children aged ten and over. Tickets for children aged 5 to 15 are half price, and under-fives go free. The family audio guide helps younger visitors, and museum volunteers give short talks in the rooms.
It can be busy and warm in summer, and the corridors are narrow. The museum says the quietest time is after 3pm.
Entry is by timed ticket, and the museum says slots do sell out, so book ahead. Aim to arrive at the time on your ticket rather than early: the museum can be strict about not letting people in before their entry time, though it is usually more relaxed if you are running a little late. Allow a few minutes for the bag check.
They are two different museums, both run by Imperial War Museums.
The Churchill War Rooms are in Westminster. They are the original underground headquarters where Churchill ran the Second World War, with a museum of his life alongside. If you are interested in Churchill or the war in London, this is the one.
IWM London is in Lambeth, a seven-minute walk from Lambeth North station. It covers war and conflict from the First World War to the present day, across six floors, including its First World War Galleries. Unlike the War Rooms, it is free to enter.
Yes, on a private tour. The museum allows private groups of up to six with each guide, and our private Churchill War Rooms museum tour takes you round the rooms with a guide who points out what most visitors walk past. Our small group tour with entry included walks you through wartime Westminster to the War Rooms, and you explore inside at your own pace.
