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Times & admission | Beat the rush | Planetarium | Closures & works | Travel | The London 2012 Olympic Games

The London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games

Greenwich Park, the National Maritime Museum, the Old Royal Naval College and Circus Field will host the London 2012 Olympic Games Equestrian and Modern Pentathlon events in July and August 2012, and the London 2012 Paralympic Games Dressage competitions in September 2012. The Museum is working closely with LOCOG (London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games) to minimise the disruption caused to our visitors. 

The National Maritime Museum (including the Royal River exhibition) will be open throughout the Games, with some changes to opening hours starting from 26 April. The Queen’s House will be closed 25 June–21 Sept 2012 and the Royal Observatory will be closed 23 July–3 August 2012. View latest opening and transport information.

Opening times

Summer opening hours

The National Maritime Museum, Queen's House and south site of the Royal Observatory (Astronomy Centre and Planetarium) are normally open 10.00–17.00 seven days a week. Last admission is 30 minutes before closing. Any closures or changes to times will be posted below. See also times and admissions.

Royal Observatory opening hours, until 22 July: The north part of the Royal Observatory site (the Meridian Line, Flamsteed House and Time galleries) are open 10.00–18.00, seven days a week. Last admission is 30 minutes before closing. Any closures or changes to times will be posted below. See also times and admissions.

Sammy Ofer Wing, including Royal River and the Museum Café, until 26 July: Monday to Friday, 10.00–18.00. Last admission is 30 minutes before closing. Any closures or changes to times will be posted below. See also times and admissions.

Library opening hours: Monday to Friday, 10.00–16.45 (until 19.45 on Thursday), and 10.00–13.00 and 14.00–16.45 on Saturday. Please note that the Library will close from 2 July to 4 September 2012 inclusive due to the preparations and holding of the Olympics equestrian events at Greenwich Park. See Temporary closure of Library for more information.

Admission costs

Admission is FREE to the National Maritime Museum*, the Queen's House and the Astronomy Centre at the Royal Observatory. Charges apply for Flamsteed House and the Meridian Courtyard (FREE for Members):

• Buy your day ticket or annual pass online and join the fast queue
• See times and admission for a full breakdown of the charges
• Find out about becoming a Member (free entry to Flamsteed House / Meridian and to planetarium shows, plus discounts in our shops and cafés)

Please note: We have now introduced a charge of £2.00 for children aged 6-15 visiting Flamsteed House and the Meridian Courtyard at the Royal Observatory. Family tickets are now priced at £15.00 (2 adults + 2 children) or £8.00 (1 adult + 3 children). The annual pass remains at £10 and includes up to three children. The child Astro ticket price (combined admission + planetarium ticket) also increases by £1. Pre-booked school groups as part of the formal learning programme go free. See times and admission.

* Entrance charges apply for the exhibition Royal River

Beat the rush at the Royal Observatory

Buy your day ticket or annual pass online and join the fast queue – or become a member and get FREE entry to the Royal Observatory and the Planetarium.

The Royal Observatory can become very busy at weekends after 13.00. We recommend you plan your visit for earlier in the day where possible – the galleries are at their quietest from 10.00–11.30. An early arrival will also give you time to visit the National Maritime Museum and the Queen's House in the afternoon, where there is less congestion at the larger sites.

Please note: there are no cloakroom facilities at the Royal Observatory, so please keep your belongings with you at all times. There is limited capacity for storing buggies which are left at the owner’s risk. See buggy access.

Planetarium

See Planetarium show times for details of current shows and times and to book tickets. All planetarium shows are FREE to Members.

Please always remember to allow sufficient time to reach the Planetarium as latecomers cannot be admitted. Walking time from Greenwich Station or Cutty Sark DLR is usually approx 25 mins, or 20 mins from the National Maritime Museum. Pay & display parking is available on Blackheath Avenue.

Closures and site works

Temporary Closure of 'Cutty Sark', 2 June

The Cutty Sark will close at 14.00 on 2 June.

Royal Observatory

Access to the 28-inch Telescope Dome

Due to essential maintenance work, the 28-inch Telescope Dome and the 28-inch Greenwich refracting telescope will be closed until late June 2012. 

NMM galleries and grounds

Closure of Navigators: 1100 to Now gallery, 22 May

The Navigators: 1100 to now gallery will closed until 12.00 on 22 May.

Queen's House closures

The Queen's House or certain rooms of the Queen's House will be closed at the following dates and times:

Membership Room

The Membership Room has now been relocated to the Queen's House Cabinet Rooms. The Membership Room will be closed on the following days:
24 May, 25 May (from 14.00)
18 June (from 16.00)

Travel and transport

The Museum's three sites can all be reached by a number of different forms of transport.

DLR

See details of planned works on DLR website for full details of all forthcoming disruptions and alternative transport. The next phase of upgrade work includes construction of the Stratford International extension and may cause disruption to services.

Southeastern trains engineering work

See details of planned engineering work which may affect Southeastern train services.