Imperial war Museum vs Cabinet War Rooms
 

My wife and I will be in London next week and I definitely want to visit either the Imperial War museum or the Cabinet War Rooms/Churchill Museum. I suspect I will only be able to convince my wife to visit one or the other, and, so I need to choose only one. Admittedly, WWII is my main interest here. Would one museum be obviously more interesting than the other? Any thoughts/experiences would be appreciated.

Both are fabulous - I would definitely <b>not</b> skip either one, especially if I were a WWII buff.

If she isn't interested, your wife can do something else while you visit them. Or are you the 24/7, attached at the hip type travelers?

IWM is FREE to enter though they may have some exhibitions for which you pay.

The Cabinet War Rooms and Churchill Museum is a paying attraction.

That might swing it one way or another

See both of them. My brother wanted to see them and we did both. I was kind of 'ho hum' about it all..my SIL and I were like, so OK, we'll humor him. I have to tell you that both of them are so interesting. I really enjoyed my time in each one. I was more than pleasantly surprised.

I would also recommend both, but would think that she might enjoy the IWM more. Without getting into how old you two are let's just say if you're older than maybe 40 years you will both find the exhibit &quot;The Children's War&quot; to be extremely interesting. It accurately depicts a bygone era. Even though I wasn't around during WW2, the restored living rooms and kitchens displayed from that period seemed very familiar to us. There's lots of nostalgic paraphernalia that will stir distant memories. And the tragedies that some of the English families had to endure will really cause you to think.

i found being IN the Cabinet War Rooms an unforgettable experience. I have not been to the other.

ther are 2 for 1 coupons out there somewhere or with a travel card AND voucher to fill out on the back of a pamphlet you need to pick up at main train stations.

As a 30-something female, I would try to see both. I'm not a big military buff, but seeing the Cabinet War Rooms gives an appreciation of the conditions that the British government dealt with throughout the war. Period furnishing are outstanding and the free audio guide gives a human touch to the exhibit, especially the letters from the staff who imagined a German invasion happening at anytime. The new Churchill Museum is a must see.

The IWM showcases not only WW2, but all wars up to the present. The interactive exhibits(1940s home, Anderson shelter, WW1 trench) were my favoites. Don't miss the Holocaust exhibit on the top floor. I enjoyed it more than the US Holocaust museum in DC, since their is more emphasis on individual stories.

I preferred the IWM, but both are well worth a visit, esp. for a WWII buff.

If time is a factor, I'd go for the Cabinet War Rooms. Its location within walking distance of Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, 10 Downing Street, and Horse Guards among other attractions is a big plus and the exhibit is fascinating even if WWII is not a passion. The Imperial War Museum is also extremely interesting, but it is in an out-of-the-way location for other sightseeing.

The IWM is a few minutes south of Westminster by bus #159. From elsewhere in London, proceed to the Lambeth North tube stop and get the same bus outside the door - or walk for 10 minutes and you're there.

&quot;Out of the way&quot; is in the beholder's eye.

If I had to pick one or the other, I would vote for Imperial War Museum. As a world war two buff, the museum was the highlight of my first visit to London in 2001. And if you really have time (My wife is rolling her eye's right now!) the Imperial war museum Duxford is just as good or better. It's an old R.A.F. airfield with a great display of vintage aircraft and land weapons - great displays of German, Russian, and British tanks! Also the American exhibit hall is a beautiful building and excellent exhibit. Have a great trip and enjoy whatever you see!

Plus, on the way to the IWM you will pass a nondescript house bearing a blue plaque, identifying it as the former home of one Capt. William Bligh, of some notoriety.

The cabinet war rooms are of much more general interest - esp to only a mild history buff. The Imperial War Museum is really more for those who have a true love of military history (I had trouble after about 45 minutes - and I love history).

I would do the former together and then the latter by yourself while your wife does somethig she would prefer.

Although I haven't been to the other, The Churchill Museum was a real treat for me, mainly because you are there, right in the underground place walking through the hallways and past the rooms where Churchill and his cabinet members bunked during the air raids. They even have the sounds of sirens from loudspeakers, so you really get a sense of how it must have felt. The rooms have been carefully decorated from old pictures to appear the same as they did during the war. It was an unique experience and I was very unhappy that my husband didn't accompany me on this trip because he would have really appreciated this experience.

Count me among those who have done the Cabinet War Rooms/Churchill Museum and loved it (but who have not been to the IWM.) I don't consider myself a big WWII buff but I agree with lincasanova and Dottee that it is incredible to be in the actual rooms where the British government operated during the Battle of Britain - some rooms were untouched after the war.

My husband is a huge fan of the Imperial War Museum, and I intend to visit it on a future London trip.

An absolutely thrilling WWII underground site is RAF Uxbridge, where a principal Battle of Britain Operations Room has been restored to its appearance on 15th September, 1940 - the day the tide of battle turned.

Here's a page describing the Room

http://www.subbrit.org.uk/rsg/sites/u/uxbridge/

And here's a map to the site:tinyurl.com/3anhep

With WWII being your main interest, visit the Cabinet War Rooms. It really is fascinating, even for those who may be less enthusiastic about military history. I took a few high school girls who didn't seem much interested initially, and they loved it. It does have a real general appeal.

Please post back after your trip and let us know your decision. Have a great time in London!

While I enjoyed them both I felt the IWM had more to offer overall. There is also a very good spy section.

An interesting thread. I've never bothered to visit the Cabinet War Rooms in my various London visits; while I have an interest in military history (including owning and reading all six volumes of Churchill's WWII history), my military museum interests tend more towards hardware and battlefields. Maybe I'll have to break down and do it next time (I think the commercialism of the brochures tended to turn me off).

IWM I can definitely recommend highly. It's a bit out of the main tourist circuit, but not out in the suburbs or anything. It's one that I will visit again.

Plus, on the way to the IWM you will pass a nondescript house bearing a blue plaque, identifying it as the former home of one Capt. William Bligh, of some notoriety.~&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;

You will also pass the old offices of the London Necropolis Railway.