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The Royal Observatory, Greenwich

Greenwich, United Kingdom (general), United Kingdom

The Royal Observatory, Greenwich

The Royal Observatory in Greenwich is where the Prime Meridian is located, and where historically Greenwich Mean Time was calculated. It currently houses a small museum and astronomy center. It is located a short distance outside of London, and easily reachable via the tube.

I was surprisingly impressed with the Royal Observatory. I didn't expect much, but I found their exhibits on the history of time keeping quite informative. The observatory is located on top of a small hill and also offers nice views of the Canary Wharf buildings.

Other attractions in the area include The National Maritime Museum and the Queen's House. If you make the trip out to Greenwich, you may as well visit them all.

Pictures were not permitted inside any of the buildings at the Royal Observatory.

Getting There

The Prime Meridian

You can take the tube to get to the Royal Observatory - take the DLR to the Cutty Sark stop. Be careful when exiting the station - if you're using an oyster card, you must tap out at one of the yellow pads at the exit. This stop doesn't have the same turnstiles that the stations in central london have, so they're easy to miss.

After exiting the station, follow the signs towards The National Maritime Museum and the Queen's House. It's about a 5-minute walk to those sites. From there, the observatory is easily viewable on a hilltop, and there are also signs pointing you where to go. The climb up the hill is fairly steep, but fortunately it isn't too long.

It takes about 45-60 minutes to get to the Royal Observatory from central London, depending on where you are in the city. There is also a big parking lot near the observatory if you would rather drive.

Cost

Admission to the Royal Observatory was free before March 8, 2011, but prices are now £10.

Estimated Visiting Time

I spent approximately 45 minutes visiting the observatory and looking at the exhibits on how time is kept.