Imperial War Museum
history that hits hard, for nothing
A century of conflict from the trenches to now, in a building that was once Bedlam. A Spitfire hangs in the atrium and entry costs nothing.
Free to visit · Lambeth · Lambeth North · SE1 6HZ
Opening: Daily 10am–6pm · last entry 5:30pm
The Imperial War Museum sits in a grand domed building that was once Bethlem hospital, the original Bedlam. Walk into the atrium and a Spitfire and a Harrier hang over your head, a V2 rocket stands on its tail and a field gun points down the hall. All of it free to walk in and look at.
It is not a museum that glorifies anything. It tells the story of conflict from the First World War to the present through ordinary lives, letters, uniforms, propaganda and reconstructed trenches. The First World War galleries are some of the best in the world at making a hundred-year-old war feel real.
The Holocaust Galleries are the museum's most important rooms, free like the rest, and they are unflinching. They are recommended for ages fourteen and up and they ask a lot of you, so give them time and space rather than tacking them on at the end of a long day.
Getting there: Five minutes from Lambeth North on the Bakerloo line, or a walk up from Waterloo or Elephant and Castle through the park.
Best time to go: A weekday morning, and keep a clear hour for the Holocaust Galleries. They are heavy going and best not rushed.
Insider tip: Do the Holocaust Galleries first, while you have the energy for them, then come down to the lighter social-history floors afterwards. Doing it the other way round leaves you wrung out with the hardest material still ahead.
Official site: https://www.iwm.org.uk
Free things to do in London · London Free Guide