Royal Observatory Greenwich Entrance Ticket: Stand on the Historic Prime Meridian Line
4.1
266 Ratings
London
Stand on the historic Prime Meridian Line at the Royal Observatory Greenwich. Discover the wonders of astronomy, space, and the stars while enjoying stunning views of London.
Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Royal Observatory Greenwich - Make your way to the Royal Observatory Greenwich which is located on a hill in Greenwich Royal Park. As you do, you will enjoy dramatic views of London across Greenwich Royal Park, the City of London and the River Thames. Once inside, you can pick up a complementary audio guide. There are 7 languages available.

Your visit will begin in the Meridian Courtyard where you will stand astride the Prime Meridian Line, with one foot in the east and the other in the west at the home of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

The tour will take you through Flamsteed House where you will walk in the footsteps of the Astronomers Royal. Visit the Octagon Room which was designed by Sir Christopher Wren and is one of the best preserved Wren interiors in London. See Harrison’s clocks, the inventions that changed the world. Discover the Shepherd Gate Clock, mounted outside, which was the first clock to show Greenwich Mean Time to the public. Learn about the discoveries of great scientists and inventors based at or associated with the Royal Observatory, including Harrison, Newton, Halley, Bradley, Maunder, Harrison, Airy, Einstein.

The bright red Time Ball on top of Flamsteed House is one of the world’s earliest public time signals and was first used in 1833 and still operates today. Don’t miss the Great Equatorial Telescope, located in the huge iconic onion dome, which gave astronomers new views of the universe over 100 years ago.

Located in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Maritime Greenwich, the National Maritime Museum and the Queen’s House are both located within a short walking distance from the Observatory and are free to visit. Cutty Sark, the world’s sole-surviving tea clipper is now an award-winning museum and visitor experience and is a must-see when visiting Greenwich.

What's Included
  • Attraction admission ticket included
What's Not Included
  • Transportation to/from attractions
Additional Information

No trip to London can be deemed complete without a stopover at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, the birthplace of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Here, you’ll have the unique experience of placing one foot in the east and the other in the west while standing on the Prime Meridian Line. Follow in the path of past Astronomers Royal, learn about their contributions, and delve into the fascinating journey of astronomy and space exploration, traversing the past, present, and future. Marvel at the breathtaking views of London cityscape, Greenwich Royal Park, and the River Thames.

  • Children under the age of 4 years are free to enter the attraction
  • Children must be accompanied by an adult
Location
Royal Observatory Greenwich
Blackheath Avenue
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.1
(266 Ratings)
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Balaji_v
May 19, 2024
The East and West explained - It was a great feeling to know that we were standing at the precise spot where the East and West of the globe get divided.
Review provided by Viator
Helga1985
May 16, 2024
Another place that is really interesting to tourists with gorgeous grounds - We visited this on a lovely sunny day and it was quite a walk up to the Observatory but the park and surrounding area was beautiful. The tour started with a talk in the courtyard and this was really interesting and I would say a must so you know what it’s all about. How GMT works . Then we had a tour of the house which was quaint, the clock room and the telescope. Really interesting reading the history and then standing either side of the meridian line so one foot East one foot south (well it’s a great pic opportunity) We had a drink in the cafe and walked back through the park and into Greenwich town
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tadashis48
Mar 29, 2024
The center of the world is here - The center of the world is here After all, the world standard meridian runs through it. On it are written the longitudes of cities around the world. For example, Tokyo is E139°. However, since Japan's standard meridian is 135°, passing through Akashi, the time difference with London is 135 divided by 15, which is 9 hours. This city is full of the world that I saw in textbooks. *This is just my personal opinion.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rita_h
Apr 18, 2024
Cool to see Prime Meridan - We really liked seeing the Prime Meridan, but the walk up to the observatory was way longer than we knew about. Also, there was an area closed off and we didn't know until we walked that direction and then had to walk even further to get up the hill.
Review provided by Viator
Florian0483
Apr 16, 2024
Visit to the Royal Observatory Greenwich - Picturesquely situated on a hill in the park, you have a wonderful view of Canary Wharf with its modern skyscrapers and the surrounding area. The museum itself is interestingly designed if you are interested in astronomy and navigation. The highlight is of course the 0 meridian, where everyone wants to have their picture taken.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Katie
Apr 5, 2024
Sunny family day out - Firstly, it's a lonnnng walk up a very steep hill- not accessible for those with mobility challenges. But...once you get there its a lovely site with amazing views over London. Lots of interesting historical bits and bobs to look at, a shame there isn't much to interact with though. Friendly and helpful staff, and a lovely little gift shop.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Pakabay
Mar 29, 2024
Why does everything with the word royal in it cost so much? - Yes, it’s historically significant and yes, it’s a ‘must do’ on a trip to Greenwich but at £20 per person it could & should be a better experience. And why wasn’t the 1:00pm ‘time ball’ not operating. No reason given. Many of the displays were difficult to read &/or see with so many lights not working, and anti reflective coatings & films on display cases is not new technology. I’m glad that we went, I hadn’t been here in more than 45 years and it is certainly an interesting place holding significant historic & cultural significance. As they say (somewhat incorrectly), it’s where time begins.
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Nellie83_13
Mar 30, 2024
Signage and guide books are very poor - Not great , The signage and tour guides are very poor , Its quite a long walk up hill to the Observatory The route is blocked by works in the park . There are no refreshments available even the ice cream hut is shut . we wandered into the shop looking for some sort of sustenance ,when we tried to go back into the museum a member of staff became confrontational about our route of entry . I can only assume he has power issues , suggest he takes training .
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rhinog
May 22, 2024
What a shame, so disappointing. - What a shame. £20 spent on a museum that is mostly closed down and outdated. No longer able to visit “Time for the Navy”, the Altazimuth Pavilion or the Weller Astronomy Galleries. Even Yuri Gagarin has left the building. The staff are friendly but apologetic and at times blunt bordering on rude. The whole site relies on the arbitrary meridian and the wonderful Harrison Sea Chronometers and even of these H4 is missing without explanation. Most of the other clocks no longer function although the staff claim they will but are not maintained and wound by a horological specialist. The shame is this was once a wonderful example of the best of British maritime history, time keeping and global time discovery and distribution. It seems it’s now just a cash cow and a very disappointing one at that!
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Chwaca777
May 22, 2024
Waste of money - We arrived 20 min before closing and the rude employee didn't let us to buy a tickets. Then I heard him shouting on some other customers, making him sounds very important, but this pathetic behavior was ridiculous. When I checked the ticket price this morning I was in shock, they are charging tourist £26 for seeing the line ? Seriously ? Something that use to be free ? What service do they provide for those £26 ? I wonder. Well nothing, accept rude staff. Very disappointing.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 4 guests
1 Adult
June 2024
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