Bottisham Airfield Museum
Bottisham Airfield Museum
Bottisham Airfield Museum
5
About
An family friendly museum that tells the story of a busy WW2 airfield that was used by the RAF, USAAF and Belgian Air Force and played an important part in D-day and the Airwar over Europe. A warm, friendly welcome awaits with lots of interesting and interactive exhibits that tell the story of the people at the airfield from our WW2 Mustang cockpit, which you can sit in to our charming & informative Home Guard Display. You can also kick back and relax in the Flying Tractor cafe and enjoy a wonderful range of locally sourced cakes and drinks. Whilst kids can enjoy a treasure hunt, dressing up area and our Mustang Flight Simulator.
Duration: 1-2 hours
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingFull view
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Top ways to experience nearby attractions
The area
Address
Reach out directly
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Restaurants
17 within 3 miles
Attractions
78 within 6 miles
See what travellers are saying
- epdd1233 contributionsA wonderful, very interesting place to visitWhat a little gem of a place. Small but such an interesting museum; WW11 memorabilia beautifully set out in original buildings. Great ride around in an 80 year old Willys Jeep to see the perimeter of the original airfield and village. Thank you Jason. A visit is highly recommended. Lovely coffee and cake in the cafe too.Visited October 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 11 October 2023
- Rana K1 contributionGood quality time with some of WW2 historySuch a little family friendly place to spend some time in. Our 10 y old daughter started to learn about the WW2 and visiting this place has helped her in terms of hands on experience. We had a Jeep ride going through a little battlefield and sat on an aeroplane’s wing and both those experiences have now memories that our daughter can relate to her learning. Very helpful staff around. A beautiful little Cousy cafe!Visited October 2023Travelled with familyWritten 25 October 2023
- Jack S2 contributionsExcellent Visit on Cambridge's doorstepBe greeted by the silhouette of the mighty P-51 Mustang as you arrive at the home of the famous 'Bottisham Four'. A great variety of historic displays, many of which can be handled, personal stories of airmen and crew, and friendly volunteers adding colour and additional factoids as you like. Sit in a mock-up cockpit, ride in the Willy Jeep! Fantastic little trip out on Cambridge's doorstep. Easy access, plenty of parking. Total steal for the entry price and well stocked book store.Visited November 2023Travelled with friendsWritten 12 November 2023
- ChloeLondon, United Kingdom20 contributionsThe best school trip ever!We visited Bottisham Airfield museum with 90 Y6 children and seven members of staff. Every single person who attended, no matter what their age, had an amazing day. Many staff members and pupils spoke of how it's the best trip they have ever been on. We had a variety of activities that not only brought the children's learning to life but thoroughly engaged them during every moment of the trip. One staff member commented how they had never seen a group of children so thoroughly engaged on a trip before. The whole day was uniquely tailored to what we wanted to learn about too! The dedication of the staff (who are all volunteers) was unlike anything we have seen before. Their passion for the local history and spreading this to others shines through. They clearly care deeply about the museum and the experience others have at the site, but also, they invested in the children and staff as individuals. We felt cared for and valued as visitors. Suzie, in particular, put a lot of time and effort in to plan a day which would ensure we had an experience to remember. Overall, I truly can't think of enough words to express what an incredible time we had. We can't wait to go back next year with a new group of children for them to have the chance to love the day as much as we did.Visited November 2023Travelled on businessWritten 15 November 2023
- Flutter S7 contributionsThought provoking, educational and enjoyable. Something for everyone.Have just returned from the museum after its winter closure and have had a thoroughly enjoyable experience. There are even more exhibits than last season and the interactive flight experience was a hit with the kids. The information provided about the service men and their stories was explained in an engaging, simple way that was thought provoking but not overloaded. We had the opportunity to ride the jeep through the "battlefield" and this was so much fun. The cafe has a great selection of homemade cakes and snacks and plenty of seating. We really felt the passion that has gone into making Bottisham Air Museum what it is today and we will be back again.Visited March 2024Travelled with familyWritten 31 March 2024
- GrandTour315552711912 contributionsA grand day out!This is one of the best museums I have visited. There is so much to see and all volunteers are friendly and very knowledgeable. The cakes in the Flying Tractor Cafe are amazing. I can't recommend the museum enough. Well worth a visit.Visited April 2024Travelled with familyWritten 6 April 2024
- Chris I1 contributionLovely museum. A credit to the memory of those that served.A lovely museum with plenty of knowledgeable and welcoming volunteers. The site is beautifully kept and has a great range of models and exibits. There is also a small, well stocked gift shop and a fantastic cafe serving fresh food and drinks. This museum is a credit to the memory of those who served and flew from here all those years ago.Visited April 2024Travelled with familyWritten 7 April 2024
- JaguarXK130Swaffham, United Kingdom3 contributionsBottisham Airfield Museum One Of The Best.We visited this fantastic small museum yesterday for the first time and was amazed at the artifacts, memorabilia, history, original uniforms and war time personal possessions and stories donated by the families of loved ones who once served. The cafe called the Flying Tractor was excellent with a varied range of snacks and light bites. The museum is mostly run by volunteers who are very friendly and informative. There is plenty car parking and the entry charge to the museum is only £5.00 per adult. No charge for parking. We did have a problem finding this museum as unfortunately there isn't any signs on the roadside at all, and the satnav couldn't find it either. Thankfully the young guy in the village shop gave us directions. The tall flag pole with the RAF ensign and American flag can be seen from the A14 which is a good sign. So don't trust the satnav, but do go onto their website and follow their directions. Overall we had an excellent couple of hours, once we found it, and will definately return again with friends this time.Visited April 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten 8 April 2024
- ClaireCambridge, United Kingdom1 contributionHelicopter flight and Museum visitI went to bottisham airfield museum today for the first time as heard so many good reviews on the place from friends, i was there for a helicopter flight and then had a trip around the museum afterwards and i wasn't disappointed. I think 1 of my favourite parts of the museum was seeing the twin children evacuees in the shelter, my nan would have loved seeing them, the other was the RAF room as the prisoner of war camp was just as my granddad described years ago, was nice to see the mustang in the hangar i couldn't get over how big they was. And to TOP my day was the very nice young lady called Sophie who was running the cafe, she done a TOP JOB and was very polite and helpful id quite happily be served by her again. Id recommend this museum to my friends and familyVisited April 2024Travelled soloWritten 10 April 2024
- Kathy LHertfordshire, United Kingdom2 contributionsHelicopter flight and MuseumAbsolutely amazing! We visited for the helicopter flight brought as a birthday gift. After a 2 hour drive we had to wait a little, but was greeted by a lovely young lady in the cafe! Her name was Sophie. She was so helpful and made us feel at ease about flying. She was alone in the cafe and done a superb job of running it very quick and smoothly! We spoke quite a bit it and it was refreshing to meet such a charming young lady with so much knowledge. She would speak to every customer as though she had known them for years and had suggested to walk round the museum whiles waiting and we was not disappointed. The volunteers were all great too.. The cake was also delicious I highly recommend the chocolate one.Visited April 2024Travelled with friendsWritten 10 April 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
5.0
189 reviews
Excellent
181
Very good
8
Average
0
Poor
0
Terrible
0
heathermacwalker
Cambridge, UK14 contributions
Oct 2020 • Family
We visited today and had a great tour round the newly revamped museum.
The volunteers are so knowledgeable and enthusiastic, we pretty much got our own guided tour which was fab. The museum is really well laid out with lots of interesting exhibits. It’s a record of a fascinating bit of our local history.
They ask for cash donations as an entry fee and there is a cafe with drinks and cakes and snacks so take some cash with you.
It was really welcoming and worth a visit. We’ll be back, even if only for tea and cake!
The volunteers are so knowledgeable and enthusiastic, we pretty much got our own guided tour which was fab. The museum is really well laid out with lots of interesting exhibits. It’s a record of a fascinating bit of our local history.
They ask for cash donations as an entry fee and there is a cafe with drinks and cakes and snacks so take some cash with you.
It was really welcoming and worth a visit. We’ll be back, even if only for tea and cake!
Written 18 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kelly 611
Haverhill, UK47 contributions
Oct 2020 • Couples
What an amazing little museum!! We visited on a Sunday & it all started in the car park with some great military vehicles visiting to set the scene.
There’s an easy to follow one way system to take you round with a great video as you go in explaining all about the development of the museum with archive footage.
All of the exhibits are very well displayed, there’s lots about the airfield & its people, both USAF & RAF, all very interesting & informative. The volunteers are all very dedicated & knowledgeable, friendly too!! We enjoyed lovely coffee & cake served from the Nissen Hut which you must go into if only to see the mural on the wall rescued from one of the original buildings & reinstalled there.
All in all, we had a great time & we’ll be going back to learn some more :)
There’s an easy to follow one way system to take you round with a great video as you go in explaining all about the development of the museum with archive footage.
All of the exhibits are very well displayed, there’s lots about the airfield & its people, both USAF & RAF, all very interesting & informative. The volunteers are all very dedicated & knowledgeable, friendly too!! We enjoyed lovely coffee & cake served from the Nissen Hut which you must go into if only to see the mural on the wall rescued from one of the original buildings & reinstalled there.
All in all, we had a great time & we’ll be going back to learn some more :)
Written 25 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
steve A
Norwich, UK14 contributions
Oct 2020 • Solo
What an excellent morning at this so well put together memorial museum. Staff went the extra mile to make you feel welcome and answer questions. Gave great insights and stories to the base and local area. The time and effort put into the updates and building restoration really stand out. Considering this is their first year back operating again, in the circumstances they have done a great job. Wound whole heartily recommend it, especially combined with Duxford and other aviations highlights in the area. Oh, and the tea and cake are spot on, with excellent service 👍
Thanks to all, especially Jason, top work and onwards and upwards.
Thanks to all, especially Jason, top work and onwards and upwards.
Written 28 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mikebirley
Cambridge, UK31 contributions
Oct 2020
This museum is on the site of a former WW2 airfield, initially occupied by the RAF and then the United States Army Air Force. All of the exhibits are in the refurbished buildings so it does not matter if it is raining. Very well presented with a lot of information displayed and knowledgeable volunteers there to answer your questions.
The continuous film show was particularly interesting. I have visited many aviation museums in East Anglia and though quite small I think Bottisham is one of the best. The facility is open on Wednesdays and Sundays from 1030 until 1530 until the end of October. Entry is free but donations are welcome. Refreshments are available.
The continuous film show was particularly interesting. I have visited many aviation museums in East Anglia and though quite small I think Bottisham is one of the best. The facility is open on Wednesdays and Sundays from 1030 until 1530 until the end of October. Entry is free but donations are welcome. Refreshments are available.
Written 18 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
david66taylor
Royston, UK7 contributions
Jul 2021
Sit in a Mustang cockpit (combination of original and reproduction parts) and enjoy the varied items that are very well displayed to bring out the personal stories attached to them.
This little museum is well worth popping into for an hour or two and it brings the WW2 history of both the airfield and the local Home Guard to life. What makes the museum feel so special though is the wonderful volunteers who are on hand to explain the exhibits in more detail (that and the fantastic cake in the café).
This little museum is well worth popping into for an hour or two and it brings the WW2 history of both the airfield and the local Home Guard to life. What makes the museum feel so special though is the wonderful volunteers who are on hand to explain the exhibits in more detail (that and the fantastic cake in the café).
Written 12 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ruth B
Cambridge, UK12 contributions
Jul 2021
We visited this fascinating museum for the first time today, with a group of friends from the car club to which we belong. The displays are well put together, with lots of informative signs and posters. It is run by a group of friendly, knowledgeable and very enthusiastic volunteers. We can also highly recommend the homemade cake in the café!
Written 25 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RivermanCambridge
Cambridge37 contributions
May 2021
The museum agreed to open a day earlier than planned to host classic cars from the Newmarket & District Car Club. We comprised 14 classic cars and 24 people and the museum staff made us very welcome indeed. The museum is not large but it is well worth a visit to learn about the role played by Bottisham Airfield in the war. Some great exhibits and very knowledgeable volunteers. Plus a pleasant café and toilet facilities.
Written 27 May 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Andy T-R
london, United Kingdom72 contributions
Aug 2021
This is a small museum but that's probably a good thing. It feels very personal unlike some of the large highly funded ones that seem very remote from the visitor. It's run by volunteers and the atmosphere is always friendly and clearly everyone involved is passionate about the project.
It's been improving over the years and just gets better every year.
It has a 1940s weekend which is well worth getting along to - re-enactors, entertainment, trade stands, food and arena events.
... oh, and there's a lovely cafe with lots of home made cakes that are delicious and very reasonably priced.
It's been improving over the years and just gets better every year.
It has a 1940s weekend which is well worth getting along to - re-enactors, entertainment, trade stands, food and arena events.
... oh, and there's a lovely cafe with lots of home made cakes that are delicious and very reasonably priced.
Written 23 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
April
Cambridge, UK26 contributions
Sept 2021
With passionate and devoted volunteers happy to share their family and friends’ stories giving fascinating glimpses into the past, this museum is a little gem. Having recreated rooms as they looked during WW2 with carefully curated displays telling stories of sadness, courage, hope and bravery, it makes you realise how lucky we are today.
You even get to sit in the cockpit of a WW2 plane!
We loved the little tea room and shop too. The facilities were exceptionally clean.
Oh and if you’re into vintage and war time era, it’s the perfect place to hire for a 1940s tea dance. You can’t get much more authentic than an original WW2 airfield.
You even get to sit in the cockpit of a WW2 plane!
We loved the little tea room and shop too. The facilities were exceptionally clean.
Oh and if you’re into vintage and war time era, it’s the perfect place to hire for a 1940s tea dance. You can’t get much more authentic than an original WW2 airfield.
Written 13 November 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JaguarXK130
Swaffham, UK3 contributions
Apr 2024 • Couples
We visited this fantastic small museum yesterday for the first time and was amazed at the artifacts, memorabilia, history, original uniforms and war time personal possessions and stories donated by the families of loved ones who once served. The cafe called the Flying Tractor was excellent with a varied range of snacks and light bites. The museum is mostly run by volunteers who are very friendly and informative. There is plenty car parking and the entry charge to the museum is only £5.00 per adult. No charge for parking.
We did have a problem finding this museum as unfortunately there isn't any signs on the roadside at all, and the satnav couldn't find it either. Thankfully the young guy in the village shop gave us directions. The tall flag pole with the RAF ensign and American flag can be seen from the A14 which is a good sign. So don't trust the satnav, but do go onto their website and follow their directions.
Overall we had an excellent couple of hours, once we found it, and will definately return again with friends this time.
We did have a problem finding this museum as unfortunately there isn't any signs on the roadside at all, and the satnav couldn't find it either. Thankfully the young guy in the village shop gave us directions. The tall flag pole with the RAF ensign and American flag can be seen from the A14 which is a good sign. So don't trust the satnav, but do go onto their website and follow their directions.
Overall we had an excellent couple of hours, once we found it, and will definately return again with friends this time.
Written 8 April 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
No questions have been asked about this experience
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing