Bletchley Park

I got the earliest train that qualified for the cheap day ticket, and spent the day. There's lots to see. My visit was 5 years ago, so things may have changed somewhat. I vaguely remember the cafeteria - nothing special. When you get there, check for the guided tours. Mine was excellent. You won't want to miss out. Then plan the rest of your time accordingly.

The only other advice is to visit the Churchill War Rooms which cover another part of the WWII experience.

I second everything Chani said. The train departs from Euston and be sure to take a guided tour. I visited 2 years ago and posted my report on this post which has reports from others.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/to-the-north/bletchley-park-bcf21dc8-525e-4acc-a55f-ff1d6c6dd0a7

My husband and I were just there a few weeks ago for just a few hours but plan to return in September. Our train tickets on Virgin from EDI Waverly allowed us to get the two for one tickets, which are good for a year! Noticed that the train station is just a few easy blocks to walk to the park. First see the exhibit at the entrance opposite the ticket counter. There is a short movie presentation explaining how Bletchley Park started and how it grew in the 5 years it was operational.

As you enter the park area, you are presented with a headphone for a self-guided tour. We used it around the pond area, but there are several excellent informational signs as well. We then went to The Mansion where we were presented with tickets for free tours at noon. Take one - the tour is excellent and lasts one hour. Props and sets from The Imitation Game were displayed at the back of The Mansion. These will be available to see through November. The guides in the room were extremely helpful in answering questions. Since the movie game out, the attendance to the park has increased by 75%! We were there on a Sunday in May and I would expect the park to be more crowded in the summer.

We did not see more of The Mansion as we had to take the noon tour starting in the Chauffeur hut. Be on time as the tour starts in the hut with a history of the area. The tour lasts and hour and the group walks by the previous used main entrance, The Mansion, the garage area and near the huts. As you walk, be sure to listen closely to the sounds of the park.

We then toured the Block area huts with their many small offices - very interesting to see how they were set up. The last hut - I believe it was Hut A explained the computer set-up and Alan Turing's work. We had to rush off and didn't have a change to give this area a good examination. I would say to allow 5 hours at the least to give the park the respect it deserves - hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

I'm also planning to visit Bletchley Park in September, so this has been an interesting Thread. I'll make sure my Itinerary includes the suggestions mentioned here.

I've already downloaded the Bletchley Park tour on my iPhone, so won't need to use the on-site multimedia tour (it's the same as the iTunes version AFAIK).

Bletchley Park is absolutely wonderful to visit. We visited it a few years ago and are so glad we did. If you can, I suggest you also watch the movie The Imitation Game before you go.