HMS Belfast

About HMS Belfast

HMS Belfast is a Second World War light cruiser moored permanently on the River Thames, between London Bridge and Tower Bridge, with the Tower of London and Tower Bridge in clear view across the water. Launched in 1938, she saw action during the war, including the Arctic convoys and the D-Day landings in June 1944, and later served in the Korean War before being saved from scrapping and opened to the public in 1971. Today she is a floating museum, one of only a handful of surviving ships of her kind, run as part of the wider Imperial War Museum group.

A visit takes you across nine decks, from the bridge and the gun turrets down to the engine and boiler rooms deep in the hull. You can sit in the captain's chair, see the cramped mess decks and galley where the crew of around 950 lived and ate, and walk through the operations room where the ship was fought. The route involves a lot of steep, narrow ladders and low doorways, so sensible footwear helps and it is not an easy visit for anyone with limited mobility. Interactive displays and audio bring the daily routine of the crew to life, and the gun turret experience recreates the noise and motion of the ship in battle.

Most people spend somewhere between one and a half and three hours on board, depending on how much of the lower decks they explore. The ship sits on the south bank near London Bridge station, an easy walk from Borough Market and the Shard, so it pairs well with a wider day around that stretch of the river. Entry is by paid ticket, and booking online ahead of your visit usually saves time at the gangway, especially in summer and during school holidays.