The Tank Museum
Photo: Own work — CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Tank Museum in Bovington, Dorset, houses over 300 tanks from 26 nations, including the only working German Tiger I tank and the world’s oldest surviving combat tank, a British First World War Mark I.
Planning your visit
Bovington has been the British Army's tank training centre since the First World War, and the museum there holds over 300 vehicles from 26 countries — the most comprehensive collection of armour anywhere.
Two are unrepeatable. Little Willie, built in 1915, is the world's first tank and the ancestor of every one since. Tiger 131, captured in Tunisia in 1943, is the only running Tiger I left, and seeing it move is the reason a substantial international audience comes.
The galleries run chronologically from the trenches through both world wars, Korea, the Cold War and modern conflicts, and the treatment of crews — the conditions, the casualties, the survivors' accounts — keeps it from being merely a hardware display.
Tank Fest, held each summer with vehicles driven in the arena, sells out far ahead.
Allow half a day. Bookable options include guided tours from London. Current availability is shown below.
Before you book
Where is The Tank Museum?
The Tank Museum is in Bovington, United Kingdom. The map on this page marks its exact location.
How long should I allow for The Tank Museum?
Allow half a day. That is the time the collection itself takes at an unhurried pace, before any queue.
Do I need to book The Tank Museum in advance?
Skip-the-line entry is worth booking ahead here: the saving is the queue, which is exactly what sells out.