Churchill War Rooms

hmm we had pre-purchased tickets for 9:30 last summer.... the line ups were already really long when we to there at 9:15 ( we were told 1 hour wait) at 9:30 so I would go with the 11 am reserved time.

Thanks, Sharon. You answered my question. I better take those 11AM tickets.

Do we really have to buy online? They seem to have plenty of tickets online and we don't know yet what time we will go.

I wish I had the answer. I really hate standing in lines. I opted to buy reserved time tickets and not use my 2-4-1 voucher because I dislike line standing so much. And I'm traveling with a 10yo and want to use his energy as productively as possible too. Maybe you'll have good luck with just showing up. I think I'm a little wary because I've always traveled more off season, and I just don't know what to expect in summer.

I’ll just add that I got advance purchase tickets for my visit about 2 weeks ago and still had to stand in line about 15 minutes. We were a few minutes early but they were only letting 2-4 in at a time. There is not much room in the ticket office area otherwise you’d be backed up the staircase. They hand out audio guides and the intro starts right past the ticket area.

I didn’t notice how many were in the non-advance purchase line when we came out but there were about 50 waiting when we arrived for our 10A timed entry.

Two years agoI tried to go To the Churchhill war rooms on two different occasions, once early in the morning and the other time at around 3 PM both times the lines were around the building. Last year when we went I had pre-booked tickets and it was well worth it.

For the record, I was there for three hours and I could’ve stayed longer!

SuzieeQQ

Suzie, glad I've got tickets then! I'm buying Westminster Abbey tics tonight because I don't want to wait in line there either. Thinking we'll take our chances at the Tower, by going on Tuesday and getting there before it opens, unless somebody tells me differently!

I think you’ll be OK with the Tower plan.

I’d forgotten you were traveling with a 10 year old until the Westminster Abbey thread. DO give yourself some time at the end for the War Rooms gift shop. This one is pretty good.

That's one of the places listed on the London Pass

https://www.londonpass.com/london-attractions/churchill-war-rooms.html

Perhaps that pass would help you skip the line?
Have fun,
-Alison

For the Churchill War Rooms, the London Pass does not allow you to skip the line. It it also doesn't get you into the shorter line used for people who have timed tickets.

As said above, the Churchill War Rooms are more popular than ever due to the movie. If you have timed tickets, you can still have a bit of a wait. If you don't have timed tickets, you will have a much longer wait - even with the London Pass.

You also save a bit of money with advance tickets.

I was there last month, without advance tickets. I got there at about 9:45 AM, thinking I would get in quickly. Well, turns out others had the same idea, and I waited over a half-hour. When I did get in, the line behind me had grown substantially, and I saw many wearing their London Pass lanyards.

So, if you're not pre-booking timed tickets, either get there before it opens, or prepare for a wait.

Oh, wow. Until I started re-visiting these forums recently, I had no idea the War Rooms had this boom in popularity. I "discovered" them back in the 1990's when they were more modest in scope than they are today. I still remember that first visit; I got there in the morning but not particularly early, and although I wasn't the only visitor it almost felt like I had the place to myself. I felt that I was authentically wandering around the rooms and hallways that Churchill had occupied, and I still remember the little telephone closet with the secure line where IIRC he talked to FDR. Yes, there was plexiglass between me and the interior of the rooms but in the quiet it almost melted away.

I went back, I think for my third visit, in 2009, after the big expansion a few years earlier. The heart of it was still there but with a lot of new bells and whistles. I was in London last fall and didn't get around to revisiting the War Rooms. Sounds like this is not the year for me to go there again. I think I'll just treasure my memories of wandering to my heart's content on a slow weekday morning more than 20 years ago, when it was quiet and I think it was just me and the ghosts of those hardy souls who toiled and sweated those long hours down there in the stale air, including but not limited to Churchill.

Oddly, although I could be dismayed that the place is almost too popular for its own good this year, I'm just savoring my memories of it and feeling happy that I found it when I did.

And, if you've never seen it, I think it's still worth the time and hassle to do so.

This is a must do for my crew. Options are:
3 pm Fri June 29,
2pm or later Fri July 13 or
10 am Sat July 14.
Which is the least awful time? We would pre-book tickets. Also, if I show up at 10am on 7/14, how long estimated wait? Under an hour? I'm thinking a Friday afternoon before school holidays start for UK is better than 10am on sat?

I'd pick Friday June 29 at 3 pm. My rationale (which could well be faulty!) is that later in the day the crowds can only lessen, not build. In contrast, on a Saturday morning at 10 am, a day's worth of tourists will be entering behind you. The war rooms were really interesting but I felt a bit claustrophobic as the crowds built (admittedly, nothing like how claustrophobic it must have felt to live and work there). Downside of visiting in late afternoon is that you'll be bumping up against closing time, so you can't spend hours and hours there.

Went to the War Rooms with a reservation ticket for 11AM today. They let us enter at 10:55. I was surprised how uncrowded it felt once inside, at least up to the Churchill Museum. Cannot even imagine attempting this without a reservation. The line is very long! It would be brutal to stand in that queue and watch the short reservation line continuously enter while your line truly creeps along.

"I was surprised how uncrowded it felt once inside, at least up to the Churchill Museum. "

I'm surprised at this too - when I went, it was pretty crowded, although bearable, and this included both the war rooms and the museum. I'm glad you had smaller crowds than I did!

However, it sounds like your experience of the line for those without advance tickets mirrors mine - long and slow-moving.

Just curious-but how did the 10 year old find the War Rooms? I was thinking about you when I went thru and noted a number of kids. Some interested, some bored. Sometimes it’s hard to tell what will capture someone else’s attention.

I think he has a higher than average interest in history, and he knew some background about Churchill. He listened to the audio guide to the end and seemed fairly engaged but not over the top enthusiastic as we are. So far what he has enjoyed most about London is the theatre — Peter Pan at Regent’s Park and Hamilton. Lion King and Les Mis yet to come.

Oh wow! That sounds wonderful!!

so, if I am planning on 3pm Friday 6/29, what type of wait would I have for getting tickets using 2-1 rail deal? I'd love to save $, but if the line is 1+ hours typically, I'll just pay double for advance tickets.

Elaine, sadly I think you are looking at least at an over hour wait. The line was long every time we walked past. I felt kind of bad for all those tired standing people when we breezed right in. I would reserve online where you get some discount and save my time and energy for something more interesting

When we were there last June I just bought tickets online with my phone basically for whenever we showed up. There was no specific time. The line when we got there was crazy, but we got right in.

"When we were there last June "

This is the key part of your post. What those of us who have been more recently are saying is, in the past few months, due to The Darkest Hour, the current situation is different.

We are going to be in London for 3 days and plan to visit the War Rooms on the last day. Because we want to use the 2-4-1 deal, we have to buy our tickets in person. I was planning on stopping by the first day to buy the tickets in advance for the 3rd day. Would I be able to do that? Will I have to stand in a long line just to buy the tickets?

You would have to stand in the same line as the entry line to purchase tickets in advance at the door. And it may not work for 2-4-1 tickets, as you have to show that your Travelcard or rail tickets are valid for the 2-4-1 offer on the day you actually use it, not the day you buy the tickets.

You wait in line to buy the tickets. Then you get inside, buy the tickets, and immediately enter the War Rooms. So, if you tried to buy advance tickets on site, you'd merely have to wait in a long line twice.

Last summer the lines to purchase tickets were very long. We had pre purchased ours and when a staff member came along, he asked who had already bought tickets, and moved us up inside. We were the only ones, which was a surprise.

jenvhello, I think you are going to have to make a choice between standing in line to use the 2-4-1 or buying online with a small reduction and skipping the line. I know which I would (and did) choose, but it's your call.

Thank you all for your suggestion. We just returned from our trip and I am very glad that we went ahead and purchased the tickets in advance. We went at 3:30PM on a Sunday afternoon. I didn't think the line looked that long for those who were waiting, but I overheard one person say he had been in line for 1 1/2 hours. We were thankful we didn't have to wait.
For those that have timed tickets, they do allow you in 10 minutes before your time, but not more than that. We arrived 20 minutes early and they sent us away and told us to come back in 10 minutes.
Overall, this is a great museum and I highly recommend it!