Top 11 things to do at Royal Observatory Greenwich

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

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  • 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.

1. Stand astride the historic Meridian Line

Included in entrance ticket | Meridian Courtyard

 

  • 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.

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

Included with Planetarium Ticket | Astronomy Centre

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  • 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.

3. Visit the Harrison Clocks & discover the longitude problem

Included in entrance ticket | Time & Longitude Gallery  

 

  • Sightsee from the best view in London, keeping an eye out for the London Eye and St. Paul's Cathedral 
  • Take in the fresh air as a UNESCO heritage site rolls out in front of you 

 

4. Enjoy the view

Included in entrance ticket | View from inside the courtyard or the park for free

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

5. Visit Flamsteed House

Included in entrance ticket | Flamsteed House

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

6. Enjoy the view with the Camera Obscura

Included in entrance 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. 

7. Get astronomical in the Octagon Room

Included in entrance ticket | Flamsteed House 

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

8. Wonder at Airy’s Transit Circle

Included in entrance ticket | Airy Transit Circle Room

 

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

9. Tell the time using the Shepherd clock

Free | Royal Observatory Gate

28 inch Visual Refractor Telescope Royal Observatory
  • 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.  

10. Marvel at the Great Equatorial Telescope

Free | Great Equatorial Telescope Gallery

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

11. Tell the time with the historic time ball

Watch from the courtyard with a ticket | Meridian courtyard