Ever since there have been organised states, there have been agents working behind the curtains, as well as things that regimes have sought to protect from prying eyes and ears.

The revealed activities of both these agents and sites are fascinating to some travellers, even if the themes exposed, events and specific methods (aka tradecraft) involved can seem brutal, controversial or in some instances downright surreal.

Understand

“ Hence it is that which none in the whole army are more intimate relations to be maintained than with spies.
None should be more liberally rewarded.
In no other business should greater secrecy be preserved. ”

—Sun Tzu, The Art of War

While the history of espionage goes back to ancient times, it is usually the spy stories of the 20th century that have created the public impression of the business; especially World War I, World War II in Europe and Cold War Europe.

In the typical case, an intelligence agency is a government organ which collects information about foreign governments and other target organizations. Some of them are CIA of the United States, SIS (or MI6) of the United Kingdom, SVR of the Russian Federation, and Mossad of Israel. Their staff consists of intelligence officers, who should not be confused with spies, secret agents or assets, who are recruited (usually from within a target organization) to provide secret information. There are two main categories of spies: A mole is recruited by an intelligence agency, and then makes a career in the target organization to get secret information, whereas a defector is an official who decides to provide information for the enemy (in some cases fleeing their homeland). A double agent is an agent who pretends to work for the intelligence organization that recruited them, but is loyal to the target organization. In some cases, people who are "outed" as double agents then proceed to become "triple agents" and so on, although this is more common in fiction than in reality.

In a few cases, an intelligence agency can carry out assassinations and sabotage operations against enemies, either using their own officers or through an agent.

There are several operation methods. Signals intelligence (Sigint) is a highly specialized intelligence process which intercepts radio and telecommunication signals, usually in a separate agency such as NSA in the United States, or GCHQ in the United Kingdom. Secret messages are usually encrypted (cryptography is the art of creating ciphers), intelligence agencies need cryptanalysis to decipher them. From World War II to the 21st century, cryptology and signals intelligence have been supported by government "big science" projects to develop electronics, computer technology, aviation and space flight.

A security agency fights crime and espionage (counterespionage), and protects strategic targets such as leaders or buildings; in the U.S.A., both the FBI and the Secret Service have this function, while the corresponding agency in the UK is the Security Service (or MI5), Russia's equivalent is the FSB, and Israel's equivalent is known as Shin Bet. A secret police is a government security agency directed against internal opposition or other individuals and groups a more or less authoritarian government has decided to harass, arrest or worse. Examples include the Gestapo of Nazi Germany and the Kenpeitai of Imperial Japan. Some government agencies have had multiple roles, such as the KGB of the Soviet Union, which was both an intelligence service and a secret police force.

Despite the glorious and mysterious image surrounding espionage, most intel is actually gathered in rather "boring" ways. One example is to measure the security preparedness of the US by the number of cars in the CIA parking lot. Another example is Tom Clancy who had to answer some uncomfortable questions about "revealing military secrets" for his description of submarine engines in Hunt for Red October - turns out he could point to books available in public libraries as the source of all his information, combined with a bit of educated guessing. The most famous spies are ironically those who failed their missions and got caught.

In the 21st century, cyberwarfare is increasingly becoming an important part of conflicts between nations, in many cases even more so than actual military action. The countries generally considered to have the best cyberwarfare capabilities are the United States, Russia, Israel, the United Kingdom and China.

Today, the "Five Eyes", which consists of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, is widely considered to be the most powerful spying alliance in the world. Some of their methods were controversially exposed to the public by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden in 2013.

See

Most facilities for intelligence and national security are very restricted to visitors. Intrusive photography is prohibited, in many cases. The most interesting places to visit are usually museums, and decommissioned buildings.

Asia

Japan

• 1 Japan Coast Guard Museum, 1-2-1 Shinkō, Naka-ku, Yokohama. The museum contains a North Korean spy vessel, which was sunk in the East China Sea in 2001. (updated Feb 2018)

Turkey

• 2 MİT Museum of Espionage (Ankara, Turkey). A museum operated by the National Intelligence Organization. It was kept secret until 2011. Normally closed to the public, it has occasionally been opened for tours in the past. (updated Jan 2019)

Europe

Czech Republic

• 3 KGB Museum (Музей КГБ), Vlašska 13, 118 00 Praha 1, Malá Strana (Prague/Castle and Lesser Town), ✉ info@kgbmuseum.com. 10AM-5PM. Museum of World War 2 and Cold War era espionage and covert operations. Many unique historical artifacts on display. Includes a tour (30 - 40 minutes) in English or Russian. Tours start every 30 minutes, or whenever guests arrive. Entrance fee of 14 EUR or 380 CZK can be paid in either currency. Basic knowledge of Soviet history is recommended, not suitable for young children. Famous for its collection of weapons, which visitors can hold and make pictures with. 14€. (updated Mar 2017)

Estonia

• 4 KGB Museum, Riia 15b (Tartu), ☏ +372 7461717. This nondescript building was known as the Gray House and was the headquarters of the Estonian KGB. It tells the story of how the prisoners were treated there, and some stories about the Estonian resistance heroes, the Forest Brothers. The museum is small and does not have a very big sign, so look carefully.  

Finland

• 5 Spy Museum (Vakoilumuseo), Satakunnankatu 18 (Tampere). Jun-Aug: M-Sa 10-16, 11-17. Sep-May: M-Sun 11-17. Claims to be the first spy museum in the world, exhibiting everything from world-famous spies to their equipment such as spy cameras and secret weapons - many of which you can try. You can also attempt to fool the classic lie detector. 8€ for adults, 6€ for children and students.  

Germany

The bridge of spies. Prisoner exchanges often were held at its midpoint.

• 6 Spy Museum Berlin, Leipziger Platz (Berlin/Mitte). (updated Feb 2018)

• 7 Berlin Friedrichstraße station (Berlin/Mitte). During the cold war, this railway station was a major crossing point between East and West Germany. The station is said to have been used by several spies to cross the border and is mentioned in several spy novels. It was also "tear palace" where tearful goodbyes between members of families separated by the wall took place after visits. (updated Feb 2018)

• 8 Former KGB Prison Potsdam (Gedenk- und Begegnungsstätte Ehemaliges KGB-Gefängnis Potsdam), Leistikowstr. 1 (Potsdam). Tue-Sun 14:00-18:00, Mon closed. Memorial and meeting place at the former KGB prison. From August 1945 it was occupied by soviet forces. It has been reconstructed as a prison for the counterintelligence. Today it's been left standing to remind people of the depressing reality of dictatorships. Free entry.  
• 9 Glienicke Brücke (over the Havel River near Berlin). Once a border crossing during the Cold War, this bridge is best known as the Bridge of Spies, and was used as an exchange point for captured spies between the United States and the Soviet Union.  
• 10 Stasi Museum, Ruschestraße 103 (Get out at U Magdalenenstraße  U5  and head to Ruschestraße), ☏ +49 30 5536854 (Mon-Fri only). M-F 10:00-18:00, Sa Su 11:00-18:00. This museum describes the procedures applied by the East German secret police. Every Friday to Monday, there is a guided tour in English at 15:00 (included in ticket price). €6 adults, €4.50 concessions. (updated Aug 2018)
• 11 Gedenkstätte Hohenschönhausen (Stasi Prison), Genslerstraße 66 (S-bahn to Landsberger Alee, then tram 6 to Genslerstraße, then walk 1 km along Genslerstraße, the prison is on the right), ☏ +49 30-98 60 82-30. Daily English-speaking tour between July 1st and November 14th, 14:30. This is the former prison used by East Germany's infamous "Stasi" secret police. While overt torture was only used in the early years of this prison, the Stasi developed ever more sophisticated means to get information or confessions out of inmates. Tours are compulsory. Some of the tours are done by former inmates. €6. (updated Aug 2018)

Latvia

• 12 Former KGB Building, 61 Brīvības iela (Riga/Centrs), ☏ +37127875692. The former KGB building is actually an attractive, ornate historic building at the corner of Brivibas and Stabu. It is now a branch of the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia, holding a general exhibition about the KGB activities, and guided tours of the cellar where interrogations took place. (updated Sep 2017)

Russia

• 13 Lubyanka, the KGB prison (Лубя́нка), Lubyanka Square (Moscow/Central-North). Open to the public. The Lubyanka is the popular name for the headquarters of the KGB and affiliated prison on Lubyanka Square. It is a large Neo-Baroque building with a facade of yellow brick designed by Alexander V. Ivanov in 1897 and augmented by Aleksey Shchusev from 1940 to 1947. Today headquarters of the Border Guard Service of Russia, and houses the Lubyanka prison and one directorate of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB). In addition a museum of the KGB (now called Историко-демонстрационный зал ФСБ России, Historical-demonstration hall of the Russian FSB) was opened.  

United Kingdom

A rebuilt Bombe machine at Bletchley park.

• 14 Bletchley Park, The Mansion, Bletchley Park, Sherwood Dr, Bletchley, MK3 6EB (near Milton Keynes), ☏ +44 1908 640404. Milton Keynes has a claim to being the home of the modern computer, as the German Enigma codes were cracked by Alan Turing and others at Bletchley Park. The historic value of this site and its importance to the development of the computer has now been belatedly recognised in the form of a museum with a significant number of things to do for both adults and children (updated Jul 2017)

North America

Cuba

• 15 Museum of the Ministry of the Interior (Memorial de la Denuncia), 5ta Avenida, Havana. Museum about 40 years of Cuba's intelligence service, including some exhibits on failed attempts by US agencies. $2. (updated Feb 2018)

United States of America

Part of an NSA supercomputer from 1993, housed at the National Cryptologic Museum

• 16 International Spy Museum, 800 F Street, NW Washington, DC 20004 (Washington, D.C./Waterfront), ✉ info@spymuseum.org. A museum exploring the history, and role of espionage, from historical events up to contemporary issues. (updated Feb 2018)

• 17 National Cryptologic Museum (Fort Meade, Central Maryland). (updated Feb 2018)
• 18 SpyScape, 928 8th Ave, New York, NY 10019, ☏ +1 212 549-1941. (updated Feb 2018)
• 19 National Archives, 700 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20408, ☏ +1 866 272 6272, ✉ archives1reference@nara.gov. 10AM-5.30PM daily. The main record-keeping agency of the United States, it has exhibits where you can see many important documents in the nation's history, including some declassified intelligence reports by the CIA and FBI. (updated Jul 2020)

Oceania

Australia

• 20 Spy Camera Museum, 49 Grace St, Herberton, Queensland. large collection of rare tiny cameras. (updated Feb 2018)

See also

• Diplomatic missions
• James Bond tourism
• Hacker tourism
• History of justice
• Nuclear tourism
• Military tourism
• Science tourism

Category:Espionage museums

Espionage