We are going to be in London in August and want to visit the Churchill War Rooms. Not sure yet of exact itinerary and am wondering how far in advance it is really necessary to book. Approximately how long should we expect to be there.
Also, if we want to tour Buckingham Palace how far in advance must we get tickets?
Hi Jstroose!
I cannot help with the Churchill War Rooms but I did just book tickets for Buckingham Palace in July.
There are plenty of tickets available in August for the self-guided tours however the East Wing Highlights tour is sold out for the year.
The only other guided tour is the Garden Highlights Tour.
Buckingham Palace is both quite popular and has timed entry. If you want a specific timeslot, your best bet is to book as far in advance as you can.
To put this into perspective, the East Wing tours sold out within minutes and while the self-guided tours are not as in demand, August is tourist season.
Book early to avoid missing out.
Edited: 18 April 2024, 14:22Despite what people say here, I pass by the Churchill War Rooms regularly and rarely see a queue now. It was different prior to 2020.
So you don't need to book tickets in advance if you don't want to.
For Buckingham Palace you should definitely book your tickets as soon as you can.
Edited: 18 April 2024, 15:02I would disagree with #2. As said in #1 August is peak Tourist season for both Domestic and International travellers in London. The War Rooms can, and do, sell out partly because they can only accommodate so many people at one time as it's a confined space, but mainly because it's so popular - especially with our US visitors as Churchill was half American on his Mum's side.
I would book your Buckingham Palace Tour now - of the two, it's more likely to sell out first. It's difficult to put a time on "how long" as it depends on your level of interest in the History of our Royal Family, but I'd aim for 2 to 3 hours. Then see what slots are available for the War Rooms and buy accordingly.
I would book both and then plan the rest of your London itinerary around what you have booked. We were in London in October and did not book tickets for Churchill War Rooms in advance. We got there early around 9:30 or so and we did want in a queue but not for all that long. There is a line for people and people on tours and a line for people buying tickets day of. With limited space, there are only so many people that can be admitted at a time but no one rushes you along once you are inside You move at your own pace with the self-guided audio tour. Everyone does go through a security check
To clafify, a line for people on tours and people with advance reservations and a line for people purchasing tickets day of.
I would definitely pre-book both. The line to the Churchill War Rooms was very long in September 2022, when I passed by them, and I was very happy we had pre-booked the tickets for our visit in 2018. You can easily spend four hours there - so much to see!
To visit the Buckingham Royal Apartments was a challenge even with pre-booked tickets… we had spent at least an hour waiting to pass security control. We started with the King’s Gallery followed by the Royal Mews (no wait for both) and then got stuck in line to see the Royal Apartments. Our combined ticket was “Royal Day Out”.
We booked the War room tour and it was great! It was really worth the money and we arrived without a line and the guide was a historian that explained so much. I highly recommend it… We spent a total of 3 hours there and this included the museum that you see on your own after the tour.
We also ate lunch there and the food was very good..
Buckingham Palace was a site that I enjoyed more than I expected.
