Visiting the Royal Observatory with children: everything you need to know

What is the Royal Observatory?

The Royal Observatory Greenwich is Britain’s oldest purpose-built scientific institution, founded in 1675. It is considered the birthplace of modern astronomy and is home to the Prime Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

Originally established by King Charles II to help solve the ‘longitude problem’ for navigation at sea, the Observatory played a crucial role in developing astronomical data for maritime navigation.

Today, the Royal Observatory serves as a museum, science attraction, and historic site dedicated to public understanding of astronomy.

Where is the Royal Observatory?

The Royal Observatory is located in Greenwich within Greenwich Park. As an observatory, the building is located halfway up the park. Do note that even if you don’t visit the Royal Observatory, there is an amazing and iconic view over London from just outside, so it’s worth a visit and the climb up the hill.

How much does it cost to go in the Royal Observatory?

As at April 2025, entrance to the Royal Observatory costs:

• Adult – £24;
• Child (age 4-15) – £12; and
• Child (under 4) – free

Various concession tickets are available, including Universal Credit tickets (see our post for more attractions that offer discounts for those in receipt of Universal Credit and other benefits).

If you are looking to make a visit to the Royal Observatory cheaper, there are certain shows at the Planetarium that include entry to the Royal Observatory (for example, the Chinese Astronomy and the Astronomy and Islam shows), which offers a significant saving on buying Royal Observatory tickets alone. This does not apply to all Planetarium shows, so do read the website terms and conditions carefully.

If you intend to see more than one attraction in Greenwich, you might find that a family membership to Royal Museums Greenwich works out cheaper – this gets you free unlimited entry to the Royal Observatory, Peter Harrison Planetarium, Cutty Sark and exhibitions at the National Maritime Museum (along with a number of other discounts).

Do you need tickets for the Royal Observatory?

You will need tickets in order to visit the Royal Observatory.

When is the Royal Observatory open?

The Royal Observatory is open daily from 10am-5pm (last entry 4.15pm).

What is the nearest tube to the Royal Observatory?

Greenwich is best served by the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) which is well connected with the tube network.

The nearest DLR stations are Cutty Sark and, slightly further away, Greenwich and Cutty Sark (although do note that Cutty Sark DLR station will close on May 31 until “spring 2026”).

How do you get into the Royal Observatory?

The entrance to the Royal Observatory is located right at the top of the path up through the park from Greenwich (look out for the green dome at the top of the building, the entrance is at the base). If you don’t already have a ticket you can buy one as you enter.

Do I have to queue for the Royal Observatory?

You may find that there is a queue to enter, depending on when you visit. At peak holiday periods and at busy times you may find that you need to queue. Timed entry slot tickets can be booked online in advance.

The Royal Observatory is made up of a number of areas. The primary draw for a lot of people and the thing that Greenwich is the most well-known for across the world is the Prime Meridian, the north-south line chosen to be zero degrees longitude for common reference: the line from which all locations east and west can be measured. Set into the floor in the courtyard outside the Royal Observatory is a line that shows the Prime Meridian. For international visitors you can look to see if your city’s longitude is mentioned on either side. Children will enjoy hopping from side to side and straddling the line.

Do note that if you don’t pay to visit the Royal Observatory, the line continues outside the paid area (albeit in a slightly simpler form). In order to find it, have the Royal Observatory’s green dome in front of you, to your right and next to the gates you should see a clock on the wall. Just to the right of this is an iron gate. Just through this gate is where the Prime Meridian Line continues.

In one of the buildings you can learn a bit about the work of astronomers and see their equipment, including Airy’s Transit Circle, a telescope that defined the historic Prime Meridian of the world.

The majority of the Royal Observatory is contained within Flamsteed House, which is where the leading astronomers in history lived and worked. Flamsteed House contains a number of exhibits on what living at Flamsteed House would have been like, before moving onto exhibits on time and navigation, including a display of John Harrison’s timekeepers, including H1, H2, H3 and H4, devices that he invented as part of the race to solve the ‘Longitude Problem’ – the inability of ships to accurately tell the time at sea. The Harrison clocks gave sailors a way to work out their ‘longitude’ – their position east or west, reducing the risk of ships and their crews (and their cargoes), being lost at sea. 

You finish your visit by seeing the Great Equatorial Telescope, the largest of its kind in the UK.

If you visit Greenwich around 1pm, look out for the Time Ball drop. The bright red Time Ball on top of Flamsteed House at the Royal Observatory Greenwich is one of the world’s earliest public time signals, designed to distribute precise time to ships on the Thames and Londoners. At 12:55pm the ball rises halfway up its mast, at 12:58pm it rises to the top, and at precisely 1:00pm it drops down. This distinctive ritual, which continues to this day, allowed ship captains to accurately set their marine chronometers by observing the ball’s movement. You do not have to be within the grounds of the Royal Observatory to see this, as long as you can see the top of the Royal Observatory, you will be able to witness this without a ticket.

What age children is the Royal Observatory best for?

Although the name might indicate that there would be an aspect of the attraction that is focused on space, there is very little that is focused on this element that doesn’t require additional payment (you can pay to visit the planetarium to see a show). As a result you probably won’t find a great deal of things of interest to young children, the focus here is primarily on time and maritime navigation.

There are a small handful of interactive exhibits, but this is probably an attraction that is best suited for ages 10+ who can read and understand the exhibits and who might be less likely to get bored as quickly as younger children.

Is it worth visiting the Royal Observatory with children?

It depends. If you are paying full price, probably not (unless you have kids that are really into time or maritime navigation). If you benefit from discounted tickets or are members of Royal Museums Greenwich then it’s definitely one way to spend a bit of free time in Greenwich.

What facilities are there for children at the Royal Observatory?

There are a number of interactive exhibits, primarily focused on time at the Royal Observatory but there are very few facilities aimed at children. The staff members are excellent and very knowledgeable, so do not hesitate to ask them questions or to join a tour.

Due to the narrow interior of Flamsteed House (the main building) pushchairs are not suitable unless required for children with disabilities or additional needs. Aspects of the site are inaccessible (such as the telescope) for pushchairs or wheelchairs. An accessible toilet and baby-change facility is available.