Top 11 things to do at Royal Observatory Greenwich

Coronavirus closure

Visitor notice: All Royal Museums Greenwich sites are currently closed to visitors, but you can still join us for online events and search our digital collections. Find out more

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

Buy tickets now

  • 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

Book a show

  • 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