What a great experiential aircraft visit in a historically significant place. The displays span the century including spitfires, P-51's, B-52's, A-10's, SR-71, U2, and commercial aircraft like the SST. Two major display building with several hangars of planes WW2 operational planes or in process of being restored. For you yanks, this on the quality of the Smithsonian Aircraft exhibit in DC, with out all the outer space stuff. read more

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It had been years since my last visit to Duxford. A Christmas present of tickets and an In the Cockpit Spitfire Experience made a return visit a 'must do'. On arrival, and wandering around, I immediately noticed so many changes. More outlets throughout the grounds for refreshments. Prices are more than reasonable and the food very fresh having been made on site. My last visit there was only one restaurant. Also, it may sound silly, but many more toilet facilities. All a very big plus to this wonderful museum. We decided to start our visit in the Land Based War area at the very furthest point on the runway. Although there is a bus service we decided to slowly stroll the 15 minutes. This idea worked out perfectly as we finished our visit in the main hangar near the exit, tired, but having visited every area on our way back. The whole experience was an education and extremely enjoyable. The aircraft are an impressive display and the planning in setting out these huge vehicles in such small spaces incredible. This, especially, in the American hangar. Seeing the old passenger planes on the runway brought back memories of DanAir, BEA, BOAC, Monarch......all planes and companies I have flown with. Finally, my Spitfire experience was outstanding. An informative talk for 20 minutes before climbing into the cockpit of N3200. Still wonder how those pilots in flight jackets, boots and parachute managed to even move. Shown all the controls in a hands on way. It was so interesting, A fabulous day out and a would definitely advise a visit of a few hours. read more

Imperial War Museum Duxford - Museums Near Me - Cambridge, CAM

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This is amazingly well done. No corners cut! The planes and other displays are in very well restored condition. The museum is made up of several buildings spread across a campus alongside a functioning runway. The price is a bit steep but well worth it. Anyone interested in aviation or military will find the trip here worth taking. Taxi/Uber runs $25-30 from Cambridge. read more

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This is an active airport with Spitfires and many planes flying regularly. You can even get a ride in one. Among the several hundred vintage aircraft, they have a B-52, SR-71, U-2, F-4, and a Concord you can walk through. DON'T MISS THIS WORLD CLASS MUSEUM read more

Imperial War Museum Duxford - Museums Near Me - Cambridge, CAM

There is no way this hasn't been reviewed on Yelp before. Un-possible. But okay, I'll give it a shot. Duxford was my first stop in England, in Europe in fact. Straight off the plane, my friends graciously hauled my jet-lagged carcass to an air museum. Yes, I'm a history nerd and an airplane geek. They said they had fun and were glad to go, but I'm sure they never considered going there before. For me, though, it was something I'd been looking forward to for months. And it was even more interesting than I'd expected. Located on a former airbase, and housed in 8 varied buildings (many old hangars, a few new buildings,) this place is astounding. Worth a whole day; we spent an afternoon, and I'd go back tomorrow. You start off in the AirSpace building, containing important British aircraft from WW1 up to the present day (and not limited to military planes- there's a Concorde prototype, etc.) Take a map- you'll need one- and move on to the other buildings, grouped by era and type. A flying/restoration hangar, Battle of Britain one, the American Air Museum, even a land warfare collection. All well arranged, well preserved, well lit, with detailed captions. I loved every minute of it, even though I hadn't slept in 30+ hours. They were giving (selling, I'm sure) rides in Tiger Moths; it was a pretty cool, blustery day though, and I've been up in an open cockpit biplane, so I passed. There are a few aircraft outside, but most are well-protected. read more

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Great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. My husband took me out on a date and decided to go to a museum and dinner. The Imperial war museum used to be a base to train people to fly. It never was big enough to actually be an active base but the hangers are quite breathtaking. The vast amount on aircrafts they have here is just wow! And the fact that some are still actively running! We did a tour with one of the volunteers and he was delightful, very friendly and informative. Though the tour took awhile, so we didn't get to go to all of the exhibits. However since we live so nearby, I could see myself just coming here to visit throughout the year. I gave this a 4 since some of the exhibits were closed and the restaurant... read more

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A solid resteraunt combined with pieces of history and art from the cold war to the 1st world war. Great full day of fun to have here, recommend taking advantage of the land museum, American hangar, Air at sea and British hangars. read more

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Boyhood dreams came true. Spent over 6 hours here and still had to miss things out. Loved touring the hangers of all those iconic aircraft. Was able to walk inside a test version of Concorde. Even met and chatted with an ex pilot of a Lancaster who flew during WWII. Seeing Spitfires up close was the highlight for me. So want to visit on an airshow day. read more

Imperial war museum collection of planes , armoured vehicles etc dating from wirld war 1 to today . Lots of historic names such as the Spitfire and Lancaster , Concorde and the Blackbird . Theres over 200 major exhibits spread over six hangers . The place is a little expensive in my opinion when you can see ither collections for free but kids do get in for free . Its a pretty great place to vusit though . read more

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Put simply, if you like planes, you'll adore this place. It's got pretty much everything, from Second World War warbirds like the Spitfire and the Kittyhawk, right up to the modern day machines. They've even got a plane so big the hangar was built around it, it wouldn't fit through the doors (the B-52 Stratofortress in the American Air Museum hangar). The American Air Museum also houses the only SR-71 Blackbird exhibited outside of the United States. They also have an example of the Bouncing Bomb, used in the Dambuster raids. It doesn't only do military planes, though. There's a couple of commercial airliners there too, and even a space shuttle. And even if planes aren't your main interest, there's still things for you to see, such as the land warfare museum (this is quite a walk from the main hangers, though. Take the tram if you can). The gift shop can be a bit overpriced, but their variety is good. The catering (found in the American Air Museum) is also very good, but again, prices are a little high. read more

I must admit to being sceptical before going to the air show earlier in the year as i really didnt thinkit was 'my thing'......how i was wrong! The flying displays are fantastic & undoubtedly the pinnacle of the day, but you must make time to walk round the different hangers and get to learn at least part of what the Imperial War Museum can teach us. The chance to get close to & learn about the history is great & although I may not have flown - at least i can say i have been on concorde now!!! read more

Expensive to enter (although children get in free), once inside the site is huge and easily fills a day. Some of the plane information labels lean towards the technical, but there is also a fair amount of social history too. The prefab is a particular favourite exhibit. Within the Land Warfare Hall is the Anglian Regiment Museum with displays about war in the Far East. Rememberance Sunday is always a free day (and very crowded), so consider visiting then. Air shows are even more expensive, but an amazing experience. There are cafes on site and you can watch planes being restored. The private owners who keep their planes at Duxford are contracted to put in a certain number of flying hours over the site a year, and even if it just the Tiger Moth of Dragonfly (pleasure flights) there is usually something flying at a point during the day. read more

Part of the IWP, Duxford specialises in aircraft (though there are some ground vehicles). More than just a day out, this venue is a walk through the history of air warfare, with a little bit of commercial input. One of the dominant buildings is the American museum dedicated to the thousands of U.S. servicemen who gave their lives in the Second World War. In there you will see an amazing selection of aircraft from the almost basic piston-engined, through combat jets like the Mcdonell Phantom, the awesome B52 to the ultimate jet - the iconic F117 Blackbird. Not to be outdone, the British exhibition has it's own outstanding aircraft; the Spitfire, the Vulcan Bomber from the cold war, the futuristic TSR2 and, in an outside area, you can walk around and climb inside the hird Concorde built (and the first one to exceed Mach2 on a sustained flight. There are ground exhibitions and some interactive displays. there are tanks to climb on for the active little ones, and a wonderful gallery of original paintings all in the theme of flight. If you can, try to visit when there are flight programmes and get the feel of what Duxford was as an active base. As a tribute to the fallen Americans, you may have time to visit the American Cemetery at Madingley, not far away on the outskirts of Cambridge. Here are listed the names of over 5,000 souls who never returned from missions. Visiting Duxford is an uplifting experience and definitely leaves you with a feel-good feeling. read more

The imperial was museum is a great day trip for all the family and its only just south of Cambridge. Its informative and keeps you interested. Whats more exciting is that you can hire a hangar for functions and parties and dine under neath the planes! read more

The Imperial War Museum Duxford is simply a must for everybody who's interested in history of aviation. Particularly all the large aircraft made in UK (Bristol Britannia, D.H. 106 Comet, D.H. 121 Trident etc.) are something worth to be seen. All these things are set on an original RAF airfield. The Land Warfare Hall, however, seems somehow superficial to me. HINT: Visit the museum off-season as it tends to be quite crowded. read more

We had a great day out at the Autumn Airshow this year. We didn't actually get to visit everything as it's quite a long walk round all the various hangars for a toddler, and the 'train' can't run on Airshow days because of the crowds. The Airspace hangar was my son's favourite place, but he was a bit sad that a few of the interactive exhibits were broken. read more

This was so fascinating!! The planes are just outstandingly beautiful and this was a fabulous day out many times round!!! I took my charge and she loved it I used to live not far from here and the flying displays were breathtaking! Well worth a visit or two read more

Not your thing? think again. We visited the Flying Proms as a family outing last year and it was FANTASTIC. You are able to arrive earlier than the show starts which allows you time to wander through the museum areas. The planes are great, and the museum is informative. The flying proms which we attended were amazing - see my review for more details. there are different buildings to visit, they have different atmospheres inside the buildings. I recommend visiting the Land Warfare Hall. This has a display of military vehicles and can give you a little insight intot he conditions that are endured during wartimes. The vehicles displayed run through the timeline from the First World War to the Gulf War, they are kept in running condition. It displays the technical advances that have been made through the years. Duxford still have a concorde on display, and a whole range of waritime planes. The shows that are put on here are fantastic and well worth the cost. read more

If you like planes and world wars this is a great place. We are not that in to planes etc. but we still really enjoyed it. If you and your kids like history, it is quite facinating. The place is divided into areas. There are a few planes outside that you can go into and check out. There are also hangers which have various exhibitions in. Some are better than others. There is: The Battle of Britian, The Maritime Collection, The Working Museum (you can see people working on the planes in here), The Flying Museum, The Amercian Air Museum, The Land Warfare Museum and Air Space. They have various tours on which are quite interesting, but a bit boring for kids. Air Space is their new hanger, which houses the concorde. You can go on and look around, which is quite interesting. The kids were interested too. The Land Warfare Museum is more interactive. My kids enjoyed it in here alot more. They have a walk through that goes through The Normandy Experience. They play videos in various places too, and you can watch as much or as little as you want. They have a few small cafes, selling drinks and snacks. One in the American Air Museum and one nearer the entrance. Both are nice, but not really that cheap. They have the usual shop on the way out, which you have to go through to get out, and get the usual crys of 'I want' from the kids. There are a few cheaper things though, which is useful if you would like to get a small memento. read more

Well signposted on event days, as its quite a distance away from central Cambridge, on event days there are some fantastic displays, on non event days there is plenty to see and do and the simulators are great, ideal for big parties of people read more

I absouloutley love going here It's fun to learn about the history of war, and plus it's very interactive.. I haven't been for about 3 years since my grandad became parylised from the waist down.. we used to go to the memorial days and then look around the museum, I miss it very much, read more

I visited IWM Duxford with my two young uns (7 and 3), and it was a good day out - but, as other posters have noted, quite pricey on entry. The hands-on exhibits in the Air and Space Hall are very good for introducing kids to the science of aviation, and there's lots of fun to be had nipping in and out of the various planes on display. There's a good, but small, playground that my 3 year old found met his exacting standards, and plenty of room on the grass to picnic and keep costs down. The range of exhibits are very impressive, and they're working hard during the Summer to engage kids of all ages with some good hands on activities - particularly in the Battle of Britain hangar. Check out their website for details of what's on and when. The Land War hangar is well worth the longer walk - and my 7 year old, who's addicted to the BBC's Horrible Histories - found the engaging exhibts really interesting. One note of caution. We visited on a day when there was lots of flying and this did make it especially interesting. It might have been a little bit of struggle to keep their interest and enthusiasm levels so high without that special addition. read more

Great with kids, a good day can be spent here, and look out for Air Shows as there are many!

This is a fantastic place. A former WW2 airfield and a huge site (thank goodness for the on-site tram service!). A number of hangers with a wide variety of displays. Exhibits are excellent, from an experimental concorde which you can walk through, the American hanger with the fabulous Blackbird SR-71, and even a hangar full of tanks. Here you can see military aircraft being restored to their former glory as well as a wide range of civilian aircraft which you can go into. Duxford hosts a number of excellent air displays through the year and i would highly recommend their version of the proms (take a picnic and hope for good weather). read more