A complete guide to visiting the Royal Observatory

You can leave your TARDIS at home: Greenwich is perfectly straightforward to get to by all manner of public transport.

Trains 

The nearest station is Greenwich, a pleasant 15-minute stroll from the Royal Observatory when it isn’t raining, and a soggy 10-minute dash when it is. You can also roll in on the Docklands Light Railway (DLR), a driverless service that calls at both Greenwich and Cutty Sark stations. Nab seats right at the front of the first carriage for the win.

Bus 

Routes 129, 177, 180, 188, 286, and 386 all stop near Greenwich Park. Enter the park and follow the signs uphill to the Observatory.

Riverboat 

Surely the most stylish (and scenic) way to arrive at the Royal Observatory. Hop on a Thames Clipper from any one of 24 stops between Putney and Barking Riverside, snapping Royal Observatory and Cutty Sark selfies to your heart’s content as you cruise into Greenwich Pier.

Named after the observatory’s first Astronomer Royal – a role that still exists to this day, fact fans – Flamsteed House is the OG of the Royal Observatory complex. It was designed by Christopher Wren (who else?) who, as luck would have it, happened to be a professor of astronomy as well as the 17th Century’s top architect-for-rent. And tis a terribly fancy confection indeed, all proud turrets, molded architraves, cupola-topped pavilions, and classic red-brick charm. Snap a selfie out front, then step inside for a whole universe of timey-wimey spacey-wacey marvels…

Consider life, the universe, and your own grinning visage as you capture yet another selfie in this extraordinary stargazers’ sanctum. There are many sides to the Octagon Room – well, eight to be exact. It’s here, in the oldest part of the observatory, where centuries of sky-fanciers (including inaugural Astronomer Royal John Flamsteed) have gazed heavenwards through Earth’s most advanced telescopes, pondering infinity. It’s a lovely, light-filled space, with 13-foot-high windows, the better to peer at the night sky. You can almost picture the 17th-century scene as musty, breeches-clad gentlemen carefully calculated planetary positions by candlelight. Or, indeed, stepped outside to get a better view. True story: Flamsteed made many of his observations from a man-cave in the garden.

There are also plenty of antique clocks to ogle here: precision instruments that allowed the astronomers and scientists to make ultra-accurate observations, as well as knowing when it was time for cocoa. And if timepieces are your bag, you’re going to absolutely love…

Did you know that, up until the early 18th-century, sailors navigated the globe largely by the position of the sun and, well, gut instinct. Extraordinary, right? No wonder shipwrecks were a near-daily occurrence back then.

The issue was this (here comes the science bit): while latitude is measured from a fixed point (the equator), longitude moves with the rotation of the Earth and can only be calculated by comparing the time on the ship to the time at a port, where longitude is known. Still paying attention? Good: it’s the bit about keeping time on a ship that caused what came to be known as ‘the Longitude Problem’, as there was no gadget reliable enough to keep time accurately across long voyages. Step forward plucky young clockmaker John Harrison, who achieved the unimaginable: a timepiece that required no lubrication (unlike those famously boozy sailors of yore) and was therefore immune to sea air and extreme fluctuations of temperature.

Anyway, the Time and Longitude Gallery is where you can goggle at the eye-popping fruits of Harrison’s labours, plus several other early navigational objects, including marine chronometers, sundials and more.

Must-see: Don’t miss your chance to clock (sorry) the indisputable jewels in this gallery’s crown. Harrison’s pioneering and quirky timekeepers – named, with rather less inventive flair, H1, H2, H3 and H4 – were instrumental (again, sorry) in bringing centuries of navigation disasters to an end.

This thing’s so massive that the observatory required a new dome to accommodate it when it was installed back in 1893 – that’d be the distinctive ‘onion dome’, named for its striking resemblance to the versatile bulbous allium, and concealing contents no less eye-watering. At 28 feet long, the telescope within is about the same height as your house, or a giraffe-and-a-half. Heck, even the lens is more than two feet across. All the better for peeping at planets, comets and binary stars, which remained the Great Equatorial Telescope’s primary purpose for more than 75 years, until its retirement from active service in 1970.

Pop inside to find out how the telescope works – and it does still work:  the observatory even hosts public astronomy sessions beneath the onion dome during winter.

Now then: you only get one chance a day to catch the observatory’s iconic Time Ball in action, so make it count. Pop out into the courtyard in front of Flamsteed House just before 12.55PM to see the big red tomato on the roof rise halfway up its mast, before continuing to the top at 12.58 and dropping back down the pole at precisely 1PM. And yes, you really can set your watch by it, as mariners, clockmakers and the good people of Greenwich have done for nearly 200 years. Whatever you do, just don’t be that person who needs to pop to the loo at precisely the wrong moment!

There’s bags more to see and do around the Royal Observatory grounds, like:
 

1. The Prime Meridian. Here’s your chance to place one foot either side of the Prime Meridian, thus straddling east and west hemispheres like a modern-day colossus. You’ll find the Meridian line in the courtyard, clearly indicated by a stainless steel strip on the ground and a perfectly straight line of happy, selfie-taking tourists.
2. The camera obscura. Just a short shuffle from the Meridian line, this low-tech treat (or, at least, one of its ancestors) was used by 17th-century observatory boffins to gaze at solar eclipses without otherwise blinding themselves. Nowadays, this pinhole device mostly projects picture-perfect panoramas of the National Maritime Museum, Royal Naval College and River Thames. You’ll find it inside the small courtyard summerhouse.
3. The Peter Harrison Planetarium. Named after the famous British philanthropist (no relation of Longitude Problem-solving legend John), this high-tech planetarium projects digital shows onto its domed ceiling and also hosts immersive science experiments and other events. You’ll need additional tickets to get in though – the planetarium isn’t included with standard Royal Observatory admission. 

We like your style. The aptly-named Astronomy Café & Terrace will have you loosening your Orion’s belt the better to accommodate all those delicious sandwiches, cakes and pastries. There’s a cute kids’ lunchbox available for your mini stargazers, too. It’s always time for tea here, and the sunny terrace – with those coveted panoramic Thames views – is out of this world.

Mosey over to the shop, where you can pick up H4-inspired pocket watches, actual telescopes, cute space-themed socks, and various other galactic gadgets and goodies at prices that aren’t always astronomical.

Are you kidding? There’s a whole galaxy of starry attractions (plus several fine lunch options) to explore without even leaving Greenwich. Here are our top picks…

Nearby attractions you can visit with your pass 
 

• Cutty Sark. All aboard for an adventure on the high seas! Surely one of the most famous boats in history, this 1869 tea clipper has found its permanent home on the banks of the Thames in Greenwich. 
• The Painted Hall. Baroque’n’roll your way over to the UK’s Sistine Chapel to ogle 3,700 square metres of 18th-century art, including portraits of kings, queens and mythological beasts.
• Queen’s House. Fine art and a quite extraordinary spiral staircase are highlights of this regal manor, just next door to the Royal Observatory.
• National Maritime Museum. Ship ahoy! This one goes out to all the battleship buffs and sloop savants. Expect ship models, naval uniforms and epic tales of the explorers who charted our oceans.

Fancy a bite to eat? There are some solid waterfront options with lovely river views. Try the River Gardens Café or Victorian Trafalgar Tavern. The Gipsy Moth is a traditional Greenwich pub with a large garden, or hit up the Greenwich Tavern for pleasant views of the park. Greenwich Market is where it’s at for sizzling street food – grab your picnic and pick an elevated spot on the park’s lush lawns, the better to soak up all those sweeping Royal Observatory and river views.