London, Greater London

Royal Observatory Tickets

About Royal Observatory

The Royal Observatory is the historic home of British astronomy, Greenwich Mean Time and the world-famous Meridian Line. Established in the 17th century and designed by Sir Christopher Wren, it was from here that the great scientists of the time precisely mapped the stars to help navigate at sea.

Stand aside the Meridian Line with one foot in the eastern hemisphere and one in the west. The Greenwich Meridian was chosen to be the Prime Meridian of the World back in 1884 and is world famous ever since. Walk in the footsteps of the Astronomers Royal, discover their stories, and experience the past, present and future wonders of astronomy, space and the stars.

Must see attractions include the Great Equatorial Telescope, Harrison’s clocks, the Shepherd Gate Clock, the Time Ball and the famous Octagon Room.

Enjoy dramatic views of London across Greenwich Royal Park, the City of London and the River Thames. Located alongside the Observatory is the Peter Harrison Planetarium where you can touch a 4.5 billion year-old meteorite, watch how the universe was formed, guide a space mission and unravel the mysteries of the cosmos.

Visit time

1hr 30min.

Start date

1st April, 2023

Age

All Ages. Free admission for children under 4.

Opening Times & Itinerary

Open Daily 10am - 5pm

Admission Information

Please take your voucher to the admission desk to enter the attraction.

Important information

There are no cloakroom facilities at the Royal Observatory

Disabled Access The Royal Observatory and all other Royal Museums Greenwich sites have accessible toilets, and our cafés and gift shops are wheelchair-accessible.

Access at the Royal Observatory is limited to:

The Meridian line Meridian building ground floor Astronomer’s Garden Camera Obscura There is no disabled access to the older, Grade I listed buildings including Flamsteed House and Great Equatorial telescope.

The Royal Observatory and Peter Harrison Planetarium are at the top of a steep hill in Greenwich Park. There are two routes through Greenwich Park to the Royal Observatory and Planetarium and these are signposted from the Sammy Ofer Wing park gates. The main walking route follows the path directly up the hill and takes up to 13 minutes. This includes a short pause to take in the view of the city halfway up the path. The less steep route, which we particularly recommend for wheelchair users, takes approximately 25 minutes. This timing is based on an adult pushing an adult wheelchair-user and taking a short break along the route.

Venue