Walk in the footsteps of our wartime heroes and visit the best World War II museums in the UK – and the world

Walk in the footsteps of our wartime heroes and visit the best World War II museums in the UK – and the world

Learn about life on the Home Front during World War II and how the Allies eventually overcame the might of the German Army with these fascinating museums in the UK and across the world.

Published: April 28, 2025 at 2:11 pm

Rediscover what life was like on the Home Front as well as the Front Line during the Second World War at these fascinating museums, says Emma Field.

Best World War Two museums in the UK

Eden Camp Modern History Theme Museum

Malton, North Yorkshire

Credit: Eden Camp / Christie & Co

Originally built to house prisoners of war, this museum lifts the lid on wartime life through medals, photos, contemporary newspaper front pages, POW artefacts and a Dig for Victory garden. 

Ramsgate Tunnels

Ramsgate, Kent

A group of people in Ramsgate tunnel during an air raid by German bombers. Credit: Getty

In 1940, the Daily Express called Ramsgate’s deep-shelter system of tunnels “the safest spot in Britain”. The tunnels were designed to shelter 60,000 people, and about 1,000 people lived down here permanently.

    Royal Navy Submarine Museum

    Gosport, Hampshire

    The British Royal Navy's HMS Alliance, the only surviving British WWII era submarine, stands in dock following a £7M conservation and restoration project at The Royal Navy Submarine Museum in Gosport in 2014. Credit: Getty

    Experienced submariners lift the hatch on life in the Silent Service on a tour of HMS Alliance, the only surviving British ocean-going submarine from WWII. Atmospheric noises and smells included.

    Bletchley Park

    Milton Keynes, Bucks

    Bletchley Park
    Credit: Getty

    No list of WW2 museums would be complete without a mention of the world famous Bletchley. Vital intelligence activity took place at Bletchley: Alan Turing and a team of codebreakers played a crucial but top-secret part in helping Britain win the war by cracking the Enigma code from a hut in the grounds, which has since been turned into a book and film, The Imitation Game.

    Churchill War Rooms

    London

    Tour the rooms as they were left on the day the lights were switched off in 1945. Credit: Getty

    Winston Churchill, key cabinet members and government staff took shelter in this underground bunker beneath the streets of Westminster. The Map Room has been left exactly as it was when they emerged in 1945.

      Orkney Wireless Museum

      Kirkwall, Scotland

      G J Coyne, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

      WWII maps, Allied and German radios and photos of wartime Orkney are displayed in this museum, along with information on how wireless helped defend the Home Fleet at Scapa Flow.

      Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre

      East Kirky, Lincolnshire

      Credit: Getty

      Sited on an original WWII airfield, this heritage centre has a restored Control Tower, a hangar filled with RAF memorabilia – as well as the chance to taxi in a Lancaster bomber.

      Best World War Two museums in the world

      Musée d’Arromanches

      Normandy, France

      The museum was renovated in 2023. Credit: Getty

      This museum was the first to commemorate the D-Day Landings, and is located on the stretch of coastline used for one of the most significant military operations during World War II. Items on clothing are on display, as well as films.

      Anne Frank House

      Amsterdam, Netherlands

      The exterior of the building in the Prinsengracht canal/Credit: Getty

      Discover the story of Anne Frank, her diary and the Secret Annex in this world-famous museum. Anne's first diary, with its recognisable red-and-white checked cover, is on display, as well as many other traces and personal objects from those who hid in the annex.

      The National World War II Museum

      New Orleans, US

      Inside the U.S. Freedom Pavilion - The Boeing Center/Credit: Getty

      This museum tells the story of the American experience in World War II. Explore exhibits of military machines, 360° displays and a 4D film (narrated by Tom Hanks).

      Learn more about UK history

      Header image: The Map Room in Cabinet War Rooms bunker, which has been preserved entirely unchanged since the second World War. Credit: Getty

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