HMS Belfast is a Second World War Royal Navy cruiser moored in the Thames between London Bridge and Tower Bridge, kept as a museum by Imperial War Museums. You can walk down through nine decks, from the bridge to the boiler rooms below the waterline, and an adult ticket costs £26.80 (September 2026).
The ship was launched in 1938, escorted Arctic convoys to Russia, fired on the Normandy beaches on D-Day and served in Korea before being saved for the nation. She has been open to visitors since 1971. Because she is a real warship rather than a building, getting around means ladders, low doorways and hatches you step over rather than through.
Know that before you buy a ticket, because nothing else about the visit matters as much. If everyone in your group can climb a steep ladder, this is one of the best value big attractions in central London. If they cannot, you will see perhaps a third of it. The other IWM sites, including the free Imperial War Museum in Lambeth, are much easier on the legs.
HMS Belfast at a glance
- Adult ticket
- £26.80, or £29.50 with the optional 10% donation (2 September 2026 to 31 March 2027)
- Child 5–15
- £13.40 (£14.75 with donation); under-5s free
- Concession
- £24.10 for over-65s, students and disabled visitors; carers free
- Opening hours
- Daily 10am–6pm, last entry 5pm; closed 24–26 December
- How long
- IWM suggests at least three hours; many people stay half a day
- Address
- The Queen's Walk, London SE1 2JH
- Nearest station
- London Bridge, under half a mile
- Audio guide
- Included, in twelve languages plus a British Sign Language option
What the nine decks actually contain
The route runs from the Flag Deck at the top down to the machinery spaces. On the way you pass the ship's laundry, chapel, bakery, galley, sick bay, dental surgery and the mess decks where most of the 950-strong crew ate and slept. IWM has laid out several of these as the crew left them, with voices and sound playing in the background.
Three spaces are worth planning your visit around. The Operations Room shows how radar, radio and signals intelligence were pulled together to direct the ship. One of the 6-inch gun turrets holds a sound installation set at 05:27 on 6 June 1944, the moment Belfast opened fire on the Normandy coast. And the Engine and Boiler Rooms, several decks down, are the part people remember: enormous machinery in a confined space, with a recorded soundscape of the engines running.
The Captain's chair on the bridge is the photograph everyone takes. The open forecastle at the bow is the other one, with Tower Bridge behind you. Because the ship rises and falls with the tide, the deck can be about six metres higher or lower than it was when you boarded.
Photo: Thomas Dahlstrøm Nielsen · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized
The ladders, and who should not attempt them
To reach every deck you have to climb several ladders. Some are steep stairs with handrails; the ones down to the engine room are vertical, with narrow walkways at the bottom. IWM advises that people with restricted mobility, and children under four feet tall, should not go into the engine room.
Doorways have raised lips you step over, floors are uneven in places, and some compartments are deliberately dimly lit to match how they looked at sea. The temperature swings as you move through the ship, and several spaces are genuinely cold, so carry a jumper even in summer.
The boiler room, galley and gun turret are all loud by design. Recorded gunfire plays in the turret, machinery noise in the boiler room and Action Stations alarms in the galley. Ear defenders and sensory backpacks can be borrowed free from the ticket counter in the pavilion, and it is worth collecting them before you board rather than going back for them.
What wheelchair users and families with prams can see
Below decks is not accessible to wheelchair users, and IWM says so plainly. The Main Deck, Quarterdeck, Boat Deck and café have been modified, which covers the laundry, chapel, bakery, galley, sick bay, mess decks and dental surgery. A lift takes wheelchair users up to the quarterdeck, with a maximum combined weight of 275 kg for chair and user. Three manual wheelchairs can be borrowed free on a first-come basis.
Prams and pushchairs are allowed only on the exterior decks, and there is a marked area on the Quarterdeck to leave them while you go inside, at your own risk. Realistically, with a baby you are better off carrying them in a sling. Our guide to getting around London with a pushchair covers the wider problem.
Buying tickets, and the prices that matter
Ticket prices for the period from 2 September 2026 to 31 March 2027 are £26.80 for an adult and £13.40 for a child aged 5 to 15, with under-5s free. Each price also appears in a slightly higher "with donation" column, at £29.50 and £14.75, which adds a voluntary 10% so that IWM can claim Gift Aid. You are free to choose the lower price.
| Group | Standard price | With 10% donation |
|---|---|---|
| One adult | £26.80 | £29.50 |
| Two adults | £53.60 | £59.00 |
| Two adults, two children aged 5–15 | £80.40 | £88.50 |
| Two adults, one child, one under-5 | £67.00 | £73.75 |
Tickets are sold through the IWM booking page. IWM members go free, which is worth a calculation if you also plan to visit the Churchill War Rooms, the other IWM site in London that charges. UK residents receiving Universal Credit, Pension Credit and certain other benefits can buy £3 tickets for up to five people in their household, booked online in advance. Check whether HMS Belfast is included before you buy a sightseeing pass; our assessment of whether the London Pass is worth it explains how those sums usually work out.
Luggage: the rule that catches people out
There is no cloakroom and there are no lockers on board. Visitors with suitcases, wheeled bags or large holdalls and rucksacks are not admitted at all, because of the space and the historic fabric of the ship. This catches out people who arrive from London Bridge station on their way to a hotel.
Leave bags at a station or a staffed storage point first. There is staffed storage near both London Bridge and Waterloo; see left luggage in London. A day bag you can carry in front of you is fine, and you will want your hands free on the ladders anyway.
The quietest times to go
IWM says the quietest time is the afternoon, after 3pm, and that weekends and peak holiday weeks are the busiest. That creates a small conflict with the three hours the museum recommends, since last entry is 5pm. A sensible compromise on a busy Saturday is to arrive around 2pm, do the lower decks while the school groups are leaving, and finish on the open decks in the evening light.
On a weekday out of the school holidays, opening time at 10am is fine and you will have the engine room largely to yourself. Family activities run every weekend and daily during the school holidays, and a guided tour about the Second World War runs every Wednesday.
The family audio tour is aimed at ages seven and over, and only in English. The standard audio guide has far more languages, so a bilingual family may want one of each: the family version for the children and the standard one, in your own language, for the adults.
Getting to the ship, including by boat
London Bridge station is less than half a mile away and is the obvious approach: it is served by the Jubilee and Northern lines as well as Thameslink, Southern and Southeastern trains. Walk down to the river by Hay's Galleria and turn left along the Queen's Walk. Buses 47, 343 and 381 stop at Abbots Lane and Hay's Galleria.
Arriving by river is more enjoyable and not much dearer. London Bridge City Pier is about 0.2 miles from the gangway, and the river bus takes contactless and Oyster; see our guide to Uber Boat by Thames Clippers. There is a Santander Cycles docking station on Tooley Street, about 0.3 miles away. There is no car park, and the ship sits inside the Congestion Charge zone.
Entry is from the Queen's Walk through a small pavilion, reached by six steps or a ramp. Bag searches may be carried out before you board.
What to combine it with
HMS Belfast sits in the middle of a very short walk. Five minutes east is Tower Bridge, whose high walkways look straight down on the ship. Ten minutes west is Borough Market for lunch. The neighbourhood guide to Borough and Bermondsey covers what else is in walking distance.
If the ship has given someone in your group an appetite for maritime history, the obvious next trip is downriver to Greenwich for the Royal Observatory and Cutty Sark. Families weighing up a whole day of this sort of thing may find our notes on which London museums hold a teenager's attention useful, and the wider London with kids guide covers younger children.
Frequently asked questions
How much does HMS Belfast cost?
An adult ticket is £26.80, or £29.50 if you add the voluntary 10% donation that lets Imperial War Museums claim Gift Aid. Children aged 5 to 15 pay £13.40, under-5s are free and concessions are £24.10. These prices apply from 2 September 2026 to 31 March 2027, so check the IWM website before you travel.
How long do you need at HMS Belfast?
Imperial War Museums recommends allowing at least three hours, and says many visitors stay for half a day or more. Two hours is enough only if you skip the lower decks. Since last entry is at 5pm and the ship closes at 6pm, arriving after about 3.30pm means a rushed visit.
Is HMS Belfast wheelchair accessible?
Partly. The Main Deck, Quarterdeck, Boat Deck and café have been adapted and can be reached by lift, which covers the chapel, bakery, galley, sick bay, laundry and mess decks. The upper and lower decks, including the engine and boiler rooms, are reached only by ladders and are not accessible.
Can you take a suitcase on HMS Belfast?
No. There is no cloakroom or locker on board, and visitors with suitcases, wheeled bags or large holdalls and rucksacks are refused entry. Store luggage before you arrive; London Bridge and Waterloo both have staffed left luggage nearby.
Is HMS Belfast suitable for young children?
Children enjoy the ladders and the sound installations, but the noise in the gun turret, galley and boiler room can frighten younger ones, and IWM advises that children under four feet tall should not enter the engine room. The family audio tour is aimed at ages seven and over. Ear defenders can be borrowed free at the ticket desk.
Sources
- Imperial War Museums - HMS Belfast (checked September 2026)
- Imperial War Museums - HMS Belfast ticket prices (checked September 2026)
- Imperial War Museums - Accessibility at HMS Belfast (checked September 2026)
- Imperial War Museums - What's here on HMS Belfast (checked September 2026)
- Imperial War Museums - Getting to HMS Belfast (checked September 2026)