Military History Guide

recommended military museums and other military history sites


 

Caernarfon Castle

Caernarfon

  • fortress

Caernarfon Castle in North Wales is a mighty medieval fortress built by Edward I. With polygonal towers and commanding views, it symbolises royal power and stands as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Tower of London

London EC3

  • fortress
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  • family-friendly
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  • all-weather attraction
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  • open year round
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  • World Heritage Site
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  • café
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  • guided tours
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  • virtual tours
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  • shop
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  • history
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  • military history
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  • jewellery
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  • politics
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  • royalty

The Tower of London is a historic fortress on the Thames, famed for its role as a royal palace, prison and treasury. Visitors can see the Crown Jewels, Yeoman Warders and centuries of history within its ancient walls.

  • battlefield
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  • museum
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  • family-friendly
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  • all-weather attraction
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  • open year round
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  • café
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  • shop
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  • history
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  • military history
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  • World War II

Airborne Museum Hartenstein in Oosterbeek immerses visitors in the Battle of Arnhem with vivid exhibits, authentic artefacts, and the powerful Airborne Experience, recreating the intensity of Operation Market Garden during WWII.

Dover Castle

Dover

  • fortress
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  • museum
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  • viewpoint
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  • family-friendly
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  • all-weather attraction
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  • open year round
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  • English Heritage
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  • café
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  • guided tours
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  • shop
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  • history
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  • military history
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  • World War II

Dover Castle in Kent is a mighty fortress overlooking the English Channel, known as the “Key to England.” With medieval towers, wartime tunnels, and sweeping views, it tells centuries of history from Norman conquest to WWII.

Imperial War Museum

London SE1

  • museum
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  • family-friendly
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  • all-weather attraction
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  • free admission
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  • open year round
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  • café
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  • shop
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  • history
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  • military history
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  • social history

The Imperial War Museum explores conflict from WWI to today through powerful exhibits, personal stories, and military artefacts. Highlights include the Holocaust Galleries, Spitfire and Lancaster displays, and thought-provoking temporary exhibits.

  • museum
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  • family-friendly
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  • all-weather attraction
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  • open year round
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  • café
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  • shop
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  • history
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  • military history
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  • transport
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  • aviation

IWM Duxford in Cambridgeshire is Britain’s largest aviation museum, set on a historic RAF airfield. It showcases iconic aircraft from Spitfires to Concorde, alongside military exhibitions, air shows, and hangars full of aviation history.

  • film/tv location
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  • museum
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  • family-friendly
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  • all-weather attraction
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  • open year round
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  • café
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  • guided tours
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  • shop
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  • film
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  • history
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  • military history
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  • World War II
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  • Battle of Britain
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  • TV

maintained by the RAF, visitors can admire the only flying Lancaster Bomber in Europe, as well as Spitfires, Hurricanes and a Douglas Dakota

  • museum
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  • open year round
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  • café
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  • shop
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  • history
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  • military history
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  • World War II
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  • Battle of Britain

with full size replicas of aircraft such as the Spitfire, this museum has one of the largest collection of Battle of Britain relics. All the exhibits are housed in war damaged 1940s buildings

  • museum
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  • family-friendly
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  • shop
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  • history
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  • military history
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  • World War II
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  • Battle of Britain

piston aircraft - military jets - Vulcan bomber nose section - helicopter - engines - flight simulator - regular events

Carlisle Castle

Carlisle

  • fortress
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  • family-friendly
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  • all-weather attraction
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  • open year round
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  • English Heritage
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  • shop
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  • architecture
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  • history
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  • military history
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  • royalty

a formidable fortress spanning some 900 years of conflicts and sieges. Mary, Queen of Scots, was imprisoned here for some 19 years

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