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Churchill War Rooms with London Pass?

In Rick's England book, he states Churchill War Rooms are among the many sights that are included with the London Pass. However, in the list of attractions listed by London Pass for 2022 it is not listed. Have things changed since the book was published? Should we advance order timed tickets for the War Rooms?

Posted by
4 posts

Hi Barbara. I just returned from a trip using the London Pass. I had originally planned the trip pre-Covid and included the Churchill War Rooms on our itinerary. Shortly before the trip, I discovered and confirmed that the War Rooms are no longer included in the London Pass. After much debate, we ultimately decided that there are plenty of other top-rated attractions that are free or included in the London Pass for that time slot. By the way, there were several attractions on our 2020 itinerary that have since changed their schedule or closed altogether. I wish you the best. Alison

Posted by
26841 posts

There is no mention of the London Pass on the ticket website for the Churchill War Rooms, so it appears there has been a change. https://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/churchill-war-rooms/booking

This is not a sight you want to visit without a pre-purchased ticker. The ticket line can be very long, and you might be sold a ticket for an entry time several hours later--a difficult situation for a tourist.

Posted by
6 posts

Thank you, Alison. That sounds like good advice to substitute another attraction for the War Rooms. It has been several years since I've been to London and my traveling companion has never been there, and I'm sure she would be just as happy with the London Tower or St. Pauls.

Posted by
6 posts

Yes, it sounds like we may have to get a pre-paid ticket for another day if we want to fully use the London Pass on one day.

Posted by
8572 posts

OP how many days are you spending in London? Travel dates? Near future? Next year?

As its your traveling companion’s first visit have you asked her about her “must “ sees?

War Rooms, Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, St Paul’s. All very popular sites. If there is any interest I’d prebook tickets. Who wants to travel so far and be disappointed?

IMHO the London Pass rarely pays off. Most museums are free. Shopping takes time. If you ride busses commute time can be slow.

Its a great city to explore but don’t try to jam too much into a day. No one will enjoy themselves if you do.

Lastly, been visiting London since Nixon was in office. Always changing, yet always the same. Never fails to please.

While researching peruse The Londonist, Eater London, A Lady in London, TimeOut London and London x London and WhatsOnStage websites. Always informative and there might be intel on something/somewhere you never thought about.

Posted by
6 posts

Appreciate all your suggestions. We will be arriving at Heathrow on Sept. 5th, going via H. Express to Paddington Station and on to Bath. Our primary interest on this trip is hiking and exploring the areas around Bath and the Cotwsolds. Spending 4 nights in Bath and 4 in Stow-0n-the-Wold. Going into London from Moreton-in-Marsh on Tuesday, Sept 13th. We designated Wednesday as a quick London overview. I bought the London Pass based on Rick's book, thinking we could ride the Hop-on-hop-off bus, see Westminster Abbey and visit the Churchill War Room, which would make the Pass worthwhile. My mistake, I didn't double check to see that War Rooms were included. So definitely will check with companion to see what she might want to see. We have tickets for the Lion King on Wednesday night and hope to do the Jack the Ripper tour Thursday or Friday night. No other tickets purchased yet, but we're planning to visit Hampton Court Palace on Thursday, Cambridge on Friday, and return home Saturday.

Posted by
32523 posts

a tip for visiting Cambridge - take the hourly fast xx:42 nonstop Great Northern train from London Kings Cross which can do the trip in 51 minutes. Much better than than 1:20 to 1:30 of the other stopping trains from Kings Cross or St Pancras and much faster than the less frequent 1:30 from London Liverpool Street.

Posted by
11056 posts

I can’t begin to imagine substituting another attraction for the Churchill War Rooms. Just because of it’s not being on a London Pass? Definitely order tickets in advance.

Posted by
470 posts

I am not sure why all this obsession with the War Rooms
Not something i would put on my list when visiting London

Posted by
3719 posts

"Appreciate all your suggestions. We will be arriving at Heathrow on Sept. 5th, going via H. Express to Paddington Station and on to Bath."

Phew, lots of money spent on Heathrow Express and train to Bath.

You could easily get on a bus/coach at Heathrow and go directly to Bath for about 1/4 the cost.
Comfy seats--better than on most planes--and WiFi onboard.

Posted by
26841 posts

In my view the Churchill War Rooms are a very worthwhile destination for folks interested in the excellent Churchill Museum section, which takes many hours to absorb fully. If you just want to see the basement rooms where wartime decisions were made (desks, typewriters, maybe some cots...), which can be seen in considerably less than an hour with the audioguide, I would ask myself whether that experience is going to be worth the high cost--26.35 GBP for adults, 13.15 GBP for children up to 15, approx. 10% discount for seniors and students over 15. The entry fee seems based on the value of the Churchill Museum and the interest driven by a recent movie. (Was it the movie about Dunkirk?)

Basically, this is a combination sight with no provision for buying a ticket to just one of the two parts.

Posted by
4 posts

The London Pass has various options. My family purchased a 7-day pass. We used it for many attractions: Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's, Hop On/Off bus, Hampton Court Palace, Uber boat on the Thames, and more. It only pays if you visit lots of attractions, which we usually do. Though we probably didn't save a lot, an unexpected benefit was flexibility instead of getting bogged down with too many pre-purchased, timed entry tickets. We traveled in August, peak season, with no pre-purchased ticket. We did not spend much time in line, but we did carefully plan our arrivals to avoid large crowds.

Posted by
13809 posts

"Our primary interest on this trip is hiking and exploring the areas around Bath and the Cotwsolds."

Well, this does not address your main reason for posting BUT it does address this part of your plan. One of the things I have done in Bath over multiple visits there is to walk up to Prior Park Landscape Garden. It really does feel like a hike as it is very much uphill, lol. If you have an interest in Georgian architecture and in particular Palladian garden bridges, then this is a site for you, lol!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prior_Park_Landscape_Garden

There is also the 6-mile Skyline Walk that starts near here but I have not done it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bath_Skyline

You might pop in to the Bath Visitor Center if you do either on of these. The folks were helpful on getting me headed in the right direction (up, hahha!) to get to Prior Park garden entrance and they may have a map of the Skyline Walk if you decide that is something that would be of interest to you.

I also suggest walking along the Avon River by crossing Pulteney Bridge and descending to the walkway on that side of the river. Head south toward the Cricket Ground and keep going until you get to the Kennet and Avon Canal. You can walk along the canal as well for as far as you'd like.

I've got a strong interest in WWII so the War Rooms were of immense interest to me. To think of the planning that went on in these rooms...and I'm fanciful but I can almost smell the cigar smoke. Riveting to listen to the oral history clips they've collected from all sorts of folks who worked down here. But if that era of history is not of interest...then you should not feel any obligation to visit.

Posted by
5311 posts

The Churchill War Museum has also withdrawn from the National Rail "two 4 one" discount. In effect it is so visited now that it does not have to participate in discount schemes. Although it is still half price with a National Art Pass.