Schools Pre-visit information Churchill War Rooms

All reservations must be paid in full at least 21 days before the visit date. Group visits that are requested via the IWM website less than 21 days in advance of the visit will need to be paid in full at the time of receipt of your confirmation email.

Groups will not be admitted at the Group Entrance if payment has not been made in full in advance.

We can take payment Monday-Friday between 9.00am-4.00pm (UK time). The direct call number to make payment is 0207 416 5399. 

Please note once payment has been taken, the group numbers cannot be reduced, the date cannot be changed and payment cannot be refunded.

Visiting us by train

Churchill War Rooms is easily accessible by public transport. Please visit the Transport for London and train operator websites for further details.

Nearest tube stations

• Westminster (Jubilee, District and Circle Line) is a 5 minute walk
• St James's Park (District and Circle Line) is a 10 minute walk

Nearest train stations

• Charing Cross is a 10 minute walk
• Victoria is a 15 minute walk

Visiting us by bus

you can take any of the following buses to Westminster:

• 3, 11, 12, 24, 53, 87, 88, 109, 148, 159, 184, 211, 453

Visiting us by car

We recommend that visitors use public transport or arrive by coach to visit us.

There are no designated parking spaces for visitors for Churchill War rooms but metered parking is available in the local area. Charges apply from 8:30am-6:30pm Monday to Friday. There are also two car parks nearby:

• Abingdon Car Park, Great College Street, SW1P 3R
• Trafalgar Car Park, Spring Gardens, SW1A 2BN

Churchill War Rooms is within the London Congestion charge zone. Please visit Transport for London website for further details.

Visiting us by coach

There are no designated coach parking spaces for coaches visiting the Churchill War Rooms and coach parking in the area is limited. There is a good coach parking map available from Transport for London to help you plan a coach visit. The Royal parks permits coaches through St James's Park and Hyde Park only if they purchase an advance drive-through permit.

Visiting us by boat

You can get to Westminster Pier by the regular boat tours operating throughout the day on the River Thames. For more information please visit the About River Bus pages on the Transport for London website.

Walking and Cycling

See the Cycling section of Transport for London's website for details. The nearest Cycle Hire Scheme docking stations:

• Storey's Gate
• Victoria Embankment
• Abbey Orchard Street

Visit Sustrans for further information on London Cycle Routes.

Schools must enter Churchill War Rooms via the Group Entrance, at the top of Clive Steps, King Charles Street. All members of the party must arrive together as one group, but due to access restrictions larger groups may then be split into smaller parties to allow staggered entry. 

Please present your Booking Confirmation email upon arrival. If you have paid in advance for your visit the entrance process will be quicker. 

For safety reasons and to give children the best possible visit, all groups must follow the adult to child ratio in our Code of Conduct. We reserve the right to refuse admission to groups that do not meet the minimum ratio. 

• For Primary and Secondary-aged students, there should be one teacher per ten students (1:10 ratio). Primary-aged students are required to be always within sight of an accompanying adult whilst at an IWM branch. A 1:10 ratio is required for all youth/schools groups at CWR. 

Please note, as a condition of your booking, your organisation will be liable for the cost of any damage to property resulting from reckless behaviour by members of your group, or from the negligence of responsible adults in regard to their supervision of the group. This property is not exclusive to, but includes, items in our collection or in our care (including large vehicles and aircraft), and those of our partners. It also includes buildings and other property belonging to IWM or our partners.

Audio guides are included with all self-guided tickets and provide an insight into Churchill’s Cabinet War Rooms. Featuring highlights for this historic setting, the audio guide delves into Churchill’s life and the decisions he made which changed the course of history.

Audio guides are included in your admission price and you can choose between a variety of languages, (English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Hebrew, Portuguese and Mandarin). Visitors aged under twelve are provided with a Family audio guide. Descriptive guides are available for visitors with visual impairment

Please allow at least 45 minutes to explore the Cabinet War Rooms and a further 45 minutes to view the Churchill Museum.

As part of your self-guided visit to Churchill War Rooms you can explore:

• The Cabinet Room - Stand inches away from the room where some of the most important war-time decisions were made
• The award-winning Churchill Museum - Divided into chapters including War Leader, Young Churchill and Maverick Politician, entry is included in your Churchill War Rooms ticket 
• Churchill's bedroom - Get up close to where the famous war leader slept 
• The Map Room - Discover the beating heart of the War Rooms, the Map Room, which was in use 24 hours a day
• Get up close to the world famous door - See the original Number 10 Downing Street door in the Churchill Museum

Exhibitions may display material relating to the consequences of conflict. Teachers should consider what is age-appropriate for their students. 

For further information visit our What's Here page.

Regrettably we have no cloakroom and as our corridors are narrow we ask visitors not to bring in rucksacks or other large items, such as suitcases.

We do not have a packed lunch room at Churchill War Rooms, but there is a café serving hot drinks and food throughout the day. Food and drink may only be consumed within the Churchill War Rooms café.  

Please note, IWM cafés are cashless, and therefore will not take cash as payment.

• Our museum shops are open, and you are welcome to visit them in small groups. If you are interested in reserving Gift Bags to collect on the day, please let us know.
• Our museum shop provides a wide range of books, CDs, DVDs, clothing and accessories, posters and stationery, souvenirs and gift ideas.
• For our younger visitors we have an exciting range of games, toys and souvenirs as well as a selection of children's books. There are also educational resource materials and children's activity books on sale.

PLEASE NOTE: The gift shop is not always able to accept cash so please ask one of our volunteers or retail staff upon your arrival if you plan to visit the shop.

To make any changes to your booking or request specific information not available on our website, please contact our Customer Services team at [email protected] or on 0207 416 5000.