Churchill War Rooms costs 34 pounds, which makes it more expensive than Hampton Court Palace. Hampton Court is a Tudor palace in sixty acres of gardens and charges 30 pounds on a weekday. This is a basement in Whitehall.
That is not an argument against going. It is the number to have in your head before you book, because nothing on the way in prepares you for it.
The other thing worth knowing: the same organisation runs a second London museum that is free and needs no booking at all.
What it costs
Adults are 34 pounds. Members and children under five go free. Children aged 5 to 15 are half price, and student discounts are available.
So a family of two adults and two children aged 5 to 15 is looking at roughly 102 pounds, before anything else.
If you are going to visit more than one Imperial War Museums site, membership is the obvious move, because it also covers HMS Belfast, which is the other paid London branch.
The hours, and the last entry that matters
Open 9.30am to 6pm, every day except 24 to 26 December. Last entry is 5pm.
That is a full hour before closing, which is more generous than most and means a late afternoon visit is genuinely possible rather than nominal.
The early start is the better plan though. There is a daily guided tour, The Secrets of Churchill War Rooms, described by the museum as an early-bird tour, which is the version of this visit worth paying extra for if you are paying 34 pounds anyway.
What you are actually paying for
Two things under one ticket.
The historic war rooms themselves, left untouched since the end of the war. A group of basement offices under Whitehall that served as the centre of Britain’s war effort, occupied by government ministers, military strategists and Churchill. The rooms are as they were in 1945.
The Churchill Museum, which covers his ninety year life through personal items and artefacts rather than the war alone.
It is entirely indoors, which makes it one of the more reliable wet weather options in central London. Our rainy day page covers the rest.
Where it is
Clive Steps, King Charles Street, SW1A 2AQ. That is between Whitehall and St James’s Park, a few minutes from Westminster.
The entrance is easy to walk past: it is a staircase down at the end of King Charles Street rather than a building front.
The free alternative, from the same museum
This is the comparison nobody draws, and it is worth drawing before you spend 34 pounds.
IWM London, on Lambeth Road, is free, and you do not need to book. It covers the First World War, the Blitz, the Cold War and the present day, with over 1,300 objects in the First World War Galleries alone.
It is a different experience: a large museum rather than a preserved site. But if what you want is the history rather than the rooms, one of these costs 34 pounds and the other costs nothing. Our IWM London page covers it in full.
How to decide
You want to stand in the actual rooms: pay the 34 pounds. There is no substitute and the preservation is the point.
You want the history of the war: IWM London, free, no booking.
Doing both, or adding HMS Belfast: take the membership.
Arriving late: you have until 5pm, which is a real hour rather than a token one.
Churchill War Rooms
- Address
- Clive Steps, King Charles Street, London SW1A 2AQ
- Nearest
- Westminster or St James’s Park
- Hours
- 9.30am to 6pm every day except 24 to 26 December. Last entry 5pm
- Booking
- Online
- Price
- Adults 34 pounds. Children 5 to 15 half price. Members and under 5s free. Student discounts available
- Standing
- The underground headquarters of the Second World War, left as it was in 1945, plus the Churchill Museum
How to get in
More expensive than Hampton Court Palace. The same organisation runs IWM London on Lambeth Road, which is free and needs no booking. The entrance is a staircase down at the end of King Charles Street rather than a building front.
Where to go next
IWM London is the free museum run by the same organisation, and the free museums page covers the rest of the national collections.
Things to do in the rain cover the other fully indoor options, and Buckingham Palace is the nearest other paid visit.
Questions we get asked
How much is Churchill War Rooms?
Adults are 34 pounds. Children aged 5 to 15 are half price, under 5s and members go free, and student discounts are available. That makes it more expensive than a weekday ticket to Hampton Court Palace.
What time does Churchill War Rooms close?
6pm, with last entry at 5pm. It opens at 9.30am and is open every day except 24 to 26 December.
Where is Churchill War Rooms?
Clive Steps, King Charles Street, SW1A 2AQ, between Whitehall and St James's Park. The entrance is a staircase down at the end of King Charles Street rather than a building frontage, so it is easy to walk past.
Is there a free alternative to Churchill War Rooms?
IWM London on Lambeth Road is run by the same organisation, is free, and needs no booking. It covers the First World War, the Blitz and the Cold War, with over 1,300 objects in the First World War Galleries. It is a museum rather than a preserved site, so it is a different visit.
What is included in a Churchill War Rooms ticket?
Both the historic war rooms, left untouched since the end of the war, and the Churchill Museum, which covers his ninety year life through personal items and artefacts. A separate daily guided tour, The Secrets of Churchill War Rooms, is also available.
Written by Robert J Wills, no. 227 in the guide.
Last checked 5 October 2026 against the venues' own published information. Nobody pays to appear here and we take no bookings.
