Western Approaches Self Guided Tour

A hidden gem that we really enjoyed! We live near by and didn't even know it was there! Would definitely recommend 👍🏻

Very interesting experience to history lovers, recommending.

What an amazing museum. We spent two and a half hours here as there was so much to see. I had no idea this museum existed or what went on here during the war. If you are in Liverpool, this is a must do. Staff friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. Recommended.

Fascinating and immersive look into history below the streets of Liverpool. The volunteers/ staff were friendly and so informative. The gentleman in the Operations Room was a wealth of information. My husband and I had a great chat with him. Love the way the tunnels were able to be restored and preserved so close to how they would have looked during it’s original operations.

This place is a hidden gem and I would recommend anyone who is interested in the part Western Approaches and Liverpool played in the Second World War to pay a visit. Staff on the front desk are very friendly and welcoming and you can spend as much time as you want looking around at all the fantastic items and information provided.

Valuable in sight into what people of that generation did for the future ones. The fact its located in the original location, showing perfectly what was involved to won’t he battle of the Atlantic.

Fascinating. It brought a reality to the firsthand stories that had been passed to me from relatives who were in the area during the war. Information boards were just right on detail, with plenty of supplemental information for deeper reading. Being self-guided and an all day ticket meant we could go out for lunch and return in the afternoon. We were there for 2.5 hours and could easilty have spent another hour there. I like guided tours and I may possibly go back for one of these that was avdertised near the exit.

what a wonderful experience, so informative in bringing the past war into perspective. worth every penny of the submission ticket. i would go again as it was totally absorbing

I adored it and learned so much. The fee was reasonable and I am going to pay for an annual ticket because I would like to go back. Very informative, it was approx an hour, the staff were lovely and an important museum to remember all those that sacrificed so much for our freedoms today. Highly recommend.

Absolute gem Really interesting on the work that went on in Liverpool during WWII Great exhibitions and interpretation

Excellent museum! So much information, well laid out, welcoming staff at the desk. Really good value for money.

A great museum, located in the centre of Liverpool. You feel a great sense of history walking around this building. It really is very evocative. Highly recommended.

Really great to see it being kept so well. Everyone should go.

Very interesting time-capsule and it showed how we nearly lost WW2 in the Battle of the Atlantic. The front entrance of the building has flags hanging outside it, otherwise you would walk past it

This was a most interesting tour with excellent written information included in each room. The highlight of the tour was the Map room which had the original ceiling to floor map of the Atlantic used in the Second World War to plot the position of Warships, Convoys and Uboats. Fascinating! I went with my husband as part of a weekend away for his birthday. He is interested in the War, I didn't think I would find it very interesting....but I was wrong!

Very interesting learned about the battle of the Atlantic

Brilliant exhibition. My daughter is 6 and was very engaged with the activities. Lots of opportunity to read detail, but also able to pick up the main points quickly without having to read too much. Lots of original layout which is great. Bigger than I had expected. The staff were very friendly and informative. Recommended to friends. We spent about 2 hours there but could have been longer.

A hidden gem in Liverpool's history. After going to Liverpool University for four years and countless trips to the city since, we stumbled across this amazing piece of history. We never fully knew how integral Liverpool was in the war effort.

We had done the War Rooms recently and while this was a similar underground bunker style the stories are very different. It is incredibly impressive to see how they tracked the ships and planned routes.

The staff are very pleasant and friendly easy to navigate with plenty of interactive bits and dress up areas for the kids the price was reasonable less than £20 for 1 adult and 1 child

Very enlightening and atmospheric tour.

Very interesting place to visit, the key nerve centre from which the Battle of the Atlantic was coordinated and fought. Lots of great exhibits and very cool inside during the warm summer weather.

I found it very interesting and informative and worth the entrance fee. We arrived as it opened and we were the only ones there. As many areas are small I would not have enjoyed it as much if there had been many people there. This is primarily an adult experience though older children may enjoy parts of it and there are interactive areas such as decoding morse code which would occupy them. We stayed nearly 1.5 hours. It could have been longer if had read more of the information provided. Staff were friendly.

Very informative. Can take as much time as you like. Value for money. Glad to see making it bigger - e.g. new WREN section

This place is not that cheap (I think £17 each adults) but it did have the wow factor when you enter the main control room. Its a real piece of history, maybe watch the movie "Das Boot" before visiting to get into the mood! Fascinating to show teenagers the kind of technology in use then and to get to know the importance of the atlantic war. Also a small car park directly opposite in perfect position, I am a bit surprised they don't put a sign up to explain that the car park is actually a WW2 bomb site that has never been repaired but you can still see a corner of the original building's windows.

In all the times I've been to Liverpool I never new this was here. What an amazing place and such an atmosphere when walking around it. Well worth a visit if you're into your military history.

This was much better than expected. We went as my parents in their 60s wanted to visit. I was worried my 8year old would be bored but actually he loved it. The gold trail was lots of fun to follow and he really immersed himself into the interactive exhibits. Not something I’d have chosen originally but an absolute treasure to find.

Fantastic experience full of interesting facts. Every room had something interesting to say. So pleased we found this museum. Staff wonderful and really helpful

This museum was amazing. It really was like stepping back in time to 1945. Fascinating to read the first hand accounts of the men and women who worked there. And it was truly impressive to see the machines and tools they used. Gives you a real appreciation of what they went thru during the war.

This was a great place to go during our trip to Liverpool . I am a fan of war museum of any kind and this particular museum was fantastic!! Going around the museum was brilliant, there was so much to see and the atmosphere was great :) :) The staff were very friendly and knowledgeable. The route started with a nice informative video playing on a project which was very interesting! Also we were handed these stamp cards so we could find 4 stamp stations around the museum , a great way to give families an activity to do during the stay. The rest of the museum was spectacular and informative and the gift shop was very good and reasonable priced :D I got 2 magnets and a coaster for £10 Overall ,this is a great place and I highly recommend a visit if you are interested! :) thanks for a great trip

Great self guided tour. Time advised to be needed was spot on but we could have spent longer depending on the interests of the participants eg the WRNS exhibition

Amazing day out! I can't believe we've never been here before. Me and my son are big WW2 history nerds so we were in our element here at Western Approaches. Admission being £1 for children is fantastic. Gives families the opportunity to have a fun, interactive and informative day out without breaking the bank. We arrived at 10am and spent an hour and a half at the museum and had the opportunity to see everything we wanted to as it wasn't overly busy. The 2 female staff members on the reception as we came in were super friendly too. My son loved the task of solving the riddles to find the hidden golden coins throughout the museum. He especially loved the prize he got at the end! Overall a fantastic day for all ages. We will definitely be returning.

This was an outstanding experience in Liverpool and I'm so glad I got to experience it. It was totally and immediately immersive because you are exploring actual WWII command headquarters and every room is a treat. I went with my grown kids both over 18, but they were totally captivated by everything from the typewriters to the map walls to the speaking tube. I loved seeing the tiny little bedrooms and bunks where people slept, and all the little hallways and staircases in this underground warren of activity. Since it's self-guided, it feels almost like you're discovering something yourself that was sealed off in 1945. The staff were warm and welcoming; there were mini-activities to keep younger kids engaged and curious; and the whole experience was 100% a must-see.

Fantastic experience well worth the money definitely come again

Fab experience to see history were it was actually made and walking in the footsteps of the men and women who helped secure and win the battle of the Atlantic.

Well presented and thoroughly interesting museum, gave insight of how it would have been during operation during war time. Recommended visit.

The museum is a nice little attraction but entry isn’t cheap so it needs to be judged accordingly. Some of the items in need of repair and needing fixing. Very little to hold attention of kids. Needs a little bit of a refresh.

Easy to prebook the reasonably priced tickets and to find the venue. Very pleasant and informative welcome. The whole place has very interesting features and exhibits. Lots of information and history. We took.our time taking everything in, so we were there for about 90 minutes.

Excellent place with lots of interesting case studies.

Excellent tour, full of relevant Information, able to stand in the actual Operations Room, see how the service personnel lived and worked. Considering how crucial to the war effort the station was from the outside it looks so insignificant but boy, the inside is incredible. Must see piece of actual history

Very interesting and educational. Well laid out and easy to understand. Good short films. Insight into life during that time and hardship of the war. Personal little bits as well Well worth a visit

This is a hidden gem in Liverpool. Very informative and interesting place to visit.

We spent about an hour and a half, some of which listening to a guided tour and it was incredible. The operations room in particular really gave the scale of the job these men and women had before them. Would love to come back as more of the WRNS exhibit is completed. Staff was great with questions and I hope there is more to come as more of the bunker is explored.

Interesting place and history, great being in the actual building. Easy to follow self-guided tour. Good displays & information. Reasonably priced. Steps and uneven floors as advertised by venue. Outdoor signage could be better.

This museum didn’t come under our radar but was a comment by a guide on another tour. Went back and found it and so glad we did. A lengthy tour, it gives you access to a true command center WWII bunker as well as highlighting the critical role of women during the war. There are child friendly parts of the tour. Anyone with an interest in WWII history or just has watched a film with the big wall size map and operations center during the war will be impressed.

A very interesting, hidden away museum. Lots to see and do. A real walk back into the 1940's. The real life and hardships that some had to suffer, in order to get us through the war on the winning side. A great history lesson.

Very interesting and informative, especially in the current political world. Very helpful, enthusiastic staff who clearly enjoyed answering our questions. Thank you.

This was such an interesting museum that told the story of the Battle of the Atlantic. The Control Room where convoys and U boats were plotted was completely genuine and gave a real sense of the drama. If you love your history this is a must visit museum. The one thing that is currently missing is arguably the most important and that is a setup and exhibition on how the Western Approaches Tactical Unit (WATU) developed tactics to defeat the U boats. It's such an important story to tell about how Gilbert Roberts persuaded high ranking staff to let him run a war game to explore tactics. Along with some amazing WRENS, e.g. Jean Laidlaw they won the Battle of the Atlantic and were instrumental in saving England from starvation. There are plans for a separate museum on this and I can't wait to come back again and see it.

Fabulous visit. If you’ve not been consider going. Staff excellent throughout.