Top 11 things to do at Royal Observatory Greenwich

Lift closure

We're making improvements. From 7 to 28 May there will be no lift access to Flamsteed House or the Time and Longitude gallery. The Meridian Line and Gallery will still be accessible via wheelchair. Find out more about accessibility at Royal Museums Greenwich

 

There's so much to explore at Royal Observatory Greenwich, from historic objects, to cutting edge astronomy. 

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Time and Longitude Gallery
  • Learn about John Harrison’s epic race to solve the Longitude problem
  • Admire the craftsmanship of the world famous Harrison clocks, including H1, H2, H3 and H4.

1. Visit the Harrison Clocks & discover the longitude problem

Included in entrance ticket | Time & Longitude Gallery  

 

Stand on the Meridian Line
  • Stand with one foot in the west and one in the east at the Prime Meridian of the world.
  • Snap that all important selfie, not forgetting to share it with us at #primemeridian
  • Learn all about Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and how Greenwich came to be the home of time.

2. Stand astride the historic Meridian Line

Included in entrance ticket | Meridian Courtyard

 

Image of Royal Observatory Greenwich - Flamsteed House
  • Explore where the Astronomers Royal lived and worked, as well as all about the families that supported them

3. Visit Flamsteed House

Included in entrance ticket | Flamsteed House

View of the Great Equatorial Dome, Royal Observatory Greenwich, at night
  • Gaze in awe at one of the largest telescopes of its kind in the world.
  • Learn about the telescopes past, and its time at the Royal Observatory since 1893
  • Admire the Onion Dome from the courtyard.  

4. Marvel at the Great Equatorial Telescope

Free | Great Equatorial Telescope Gallery

Airy Transit Circle telescope at the Royal observatory Greenwich
  • Visit the telescope that determined the exact location of the Prime Meridian

5. Wonder at Airy’s Transit Circle

Included in entrance ticket | Airy Transit Circle Room

 

  • Get up close and personal with the stars in one of our planetarium shows
  • Choose from 3 shows, all led by one of our expert astronomers.

6. Get to know the stars in the Peter Harrison Planetarium

Included in entrance ticket | Astronomy Centre

View from Camera Obscura at Royal Observatory, Greenwich
  • Enjoy a unique moving panorama of London’s iconic buildings, including the River Thames and Old Royal Naval College
  • Learn about the history of the Camera Obscura’s housed at the Royal Observatory since the 1700’s

7. Enjoy the view with the Camera Obscura

Included in entrance ticket | Meridian Courtyard

Shepherd master clock
  • Accurately tell the time with this Shepherd Gate Clock, the first to ever show Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) to the public

8. Tell the time using the Shepherd clock

Free | Royal Observatory Gate

Meteorite at the Royal Observatory Greenwich
  • Get to grips with the past by touching a 4.5 billion-year-old meteorite at our Astronomy Centre.
  • Learn all about our closest neighbours in our free galleries.

 

9. Touch a 4.5 billion-year-old meteorite

Free | Astronomy Centre

time ball
  • Watch the time ball drop at exactly 1pm every day.
  • Learn all about how this historic time telling device was used

10. Tell the time with the historic time ball

Watch from the courtyard with a ticket | Meridian courtyard

Octagon Room
  • Visit the Christopher Wren designed Octagon Room, and examine the astronomical instruments on display.
  • Learn about the story of the Astronomer Royal, and how they worked from this specially built room. 

11. Get astronomical in the Octagon Room

Included in entrance ticket | Flamsteed House