Royal Observatory

I wish I had something good to say, about this place. Her Ladyship, got me out of a perfectly warm bed, shower, dress, and out the door. Where I was greeted, with typical picnic weather for Londoners, drizzly, wet, windy and cold. We caught an underground or overground, train to somewhere near the London Eye. Then Her Ladyship needed to run into the London Eye ticket selling area, to use the loo. She was in there so long, I started to feel like the weird, old guy, hanging outside the women’s loo. Out she comes, and we’re out the door running down (I don’t run, well) beside the Thames, then over the Westminster Bridge, to catch the City Cruise, to Greenwich. Thinking my worry’s were over, we happily, ate, drank, and made merry, getting off the boat, in Greenwich. No one, mentioned to me, that we had to walk across town. When, she started off across, a park, I firmly stated my objections, I didn’t want to walk any more, Parks are parks, and although, it looked like a nice park, I was ready to tuck in to a nice, warm, comfortable pub. She was having none of it, and I followed, through the park, wondering when we were going to see the «time line,» thing? Then I saw it, guess, I went on auto pilot, as we had to walk up and up, and up. Finally, making it to the top, my senses returned.
Okay, I had to admit, a stunning view of Greenwich Park & Canary Wharf. Here I was at the Royal Observatory. It really is a must see, good for families, etc. I found the place a bit humbling, knowing some of the most brilliant minds in history, had wandered here. Edmond Halley of Halley’s Comet fame. Seriously, these guys knew how to think outside the box.
The Observatory is focused on time. Accurate time is what makes ocean navigation possible. It’s not too difficult, to figure out your latitude by looking at the stars, but that just tells you where you are north to south. There’s no way to tell where you are, east to west and we kept crashing into rocky shorelines, at night. This pissed a lot people off, and the usual method of a pendulum clock doesn’t work at sea. So they had to figure out a way to get an accurate timepiece,
Harrison’s H4 Clock, solved the problem of establishing East-​West positions at sea… eventually making Greenwich the Prime Meridian of the World. So, now were able to figure out Longitude.
No more crashing into crap and spilling our groceries, all over hell and back.
There is a café, and souvenir shop, yes, we have one of those magnets on our refrigerator door, I just had to get one of their t-​shirts, so everyone would know, I made the damn trek up there!!!
Interesting note, rumor has it, on the other side of the hill where the observatory sits, is where they buried bodies of the victims of the Black Plague. Therefore, the name of Black Heath for the area. I asked my lady, (she was raised in London,) and she stated, that it’s probably not a rumor.

By itself, the observatory is nice enough. However, I would recommend not making the trip to Greenwich just for the observatory. You will leave somewhat disappointed. On the other hand, combining a stop at the observatory with other stops in Greenwich is a great way to spend a large chunk of a day. We made a tour of Greenwich Park, the Royal Observatory*, Greenwich Market, Cutty Sark*, and the Thames River Boat Cruise* back to Westminster Pier. Very fun day!
* Part of the London Pass, which we found to be a great value.

Visited on 3÷28÷15:
We walked from our hotel The Mitre (please see my review on this establishment), which was about 15 minutes. We took King Williams Walk through the main gate of the Greenwich Park, past the National Maritime Museum. It is a steep hill, but well worth the walk. We went to this attraction because 1) it was apart of our London Pass 2) to straddle the meridian line to be in two hemispheres sounded like fun 3) to stand in a place where it is internationally known as the official starting point for each new day, year and millennium is just mind boggling. The line was long, with children from different parts of the globe, and there was no one dictating to the tourist on how long they had at the «attraction». There was no pushing or shoving, and the line went rather quickly for a windy day. I was able to take photos up and down the line showing different degrees for cities around the world, with no one complaining about how long I was taking. You can also get free admission to the planetarium — which is the only one in London. This place really ties into the other Mariner locations throughout the Greenwich World Heritage Sites. You can go inside one of the brick buidlings to see the green laser that lights up the meridian at night. There’s also a few places where you can take pictures of the few of the London skyline.

Not sure if I agree with the the other 4 reviews as they appear to be in French. Be prepared to take a bit of a hike to get to the observatory. Part of it is quite steep and may not be possible if you have any sort of disability. The two things to see here, for the non-​astronomer, are the prime-​meridian and the view of London from the hill on which the observatory is located. It is a bit steep at £9 but worth the memorable and touristy pic of being in two hemispheres at once.
If anyone from the Observatory reads this, I would recommend charging a fee for a professional photographer to take your photo. This is really what people come to do anyway.

The walk leading up to the Observatory is beautiful, and the grounds and park surrounding the hill are breathtaking. They do parks and open spaces so well out here!
And yes, I did say «hill». The Observatory is, of course, the highest point in Greenwich, so it takes a bit of effort to get up there. Ten minutes of huffing and puffing later, we got to the top and walked in to the Observatory (pre-​paid tickets are the way to go!)
The visit there was also kind of a let-​down. I mean, we totally made use of our time on the actual Greenwich Meridian line itself, but the displays were lost on me. There was an audio guide included with the ticket, but I admit that I only half-​listened to the ones that I pressed «play» on, and gave up on the guide altogether about two stops in.
It’s interesting, the things that the first Astronomer Royals went through to find longitude, and they were super-​smart and super-​patient, but I was just not prepared to give up my entire afternoon listening to the guide describe — in increasingly verbose detail — how this pendulum differed from that pendulum, and why one worked better than the other, and how the next version was an improvement because of the motion and how the accuracy was improved by…
And did I mention that the clock that they had onsite — the one that they were using in a display — was wrong? At one point, my husband asked me, «Is it really only 2:36?» I checked my watch, thought it read 3:26 (I’m not always so good with the numbers), held it up for him to read, and said, «That does say 3:26, right?» Yeah — Greenwich’s clock was wrong…
Maybe I just wasn’t in the right frame of mind for Greenwich that day. I loved the line, loved the views (really spectacular from up there), but the Flamstead House just seemed too crowded and the audio guide seemed too long. I don’t know that I’d pay to go back again, even though the park at the bottom of the hill is, as I mentioned, is beautiful.
To be honest, when we started planning this trip, I really just wanted to hit one of the markers on the pavement at a random spot along the line, but my husband thought it would be «cheesy» to take a picture of a marker that’s directly across the street from a Burger King…

It is a great place with superb exhibits and a lovely planetarium with superb shows.
However after children came with great excitement today to see a show there, it turned out the planetarium was broken
They have no spare back up machinery and can break at no notice. It last happened 4 months ago.
Loads of disappointed young children who had come especially for the show, their parents had booked and paid for in advance. The children came and were turned away at the last minute, so an awful day and an unpleasant experience which to a degree puts me off ever risking booking and traveling there again.
At least the parents were promptly refunded, or could book for another day, but that did not make up for the dissapointed children, wasted travel costs and time for getting there and back
The general staff were nice and very capable. However the manager had no customer service skills and she just behaved with self important arrogance.

It’s unbelievable because of its knowledgeable and educational. My friend and I spent a wonderful time there.
It’s a worthy place to visit
But the traffic is not very convenient

I guess these 4 stars are for the view of the London skyline you get when you climb up the incredibly steep hill! its breathtaking. Would be such a romantic thing to do on a date!!! (a girl can hope anyway) the actual business part of it disappointed me though… its website made it seem like there would be much more cool free things to do but I found most of the parts were a paid entry thing. there was one free ‘exhibition’ if you could even call it that but it was one tiny room that I had no interest in.

The Royal Observatory is a fun and free thing to do in London. As Greenwich is a bit off the beaten path for those living in… well… most parts of London, you could easily spend years living in the city and never discover it. As for me, I recently visited it after seven years of never even knowing it was there. As I sit in my gentrified NW London headquarters, I feel ashamed at this.
What I love about The Royal Observatory is that, whilst small, it has an entirely different feel than most museum-​type London attractions. It’s unique and quirky in design, thoughtful and informative in the displays, and set amongst a truly beautiful array of spaces and buildings.
We went during the Astronomy Photographer of the Year exhibition and saw some of the most beautiful pictures of the galaxy I’ve ever seen. The exhibit blurred the lines between art gallery and museum. The other areas of the observatory are quite interactive, with lots of information conveyed through getting hands on with things like a telescope, an infra-​red scanner and special motion sensing video displays. Outside, you can visit the Prime Meridian and check out some fantastic views through the green spaces of the area.
I’d really recommend this place for an afternoon adventure. I’d set aside a couple of hours to visit, avoiding half term and school holidays if possible (it can get pretty crowded and in the super dark room that houses exhibits like Astronomy Photographer of the Year, it’s pretty easy to run over kids that you can’t see. I think I trod on two, before pretending it wasn’t me and hiding from their parents).
Highly recommended!

Ja, es ist ganz nett hier. Man kann am Nullmeridian ein Foto machen und die gute Aussicht genießen. Das Museum behandelt viele verschiedene Themen von Navigation über Zeitmessung bis Weltraum. Mein persönliches Highlight war aber eine Camera Obscura, die Livebilder von einem gegenüberliegende Gebäude macht.

This is a must visit when in London! Not only is it fun to stand on the prime meridian line, but the walk to get up to the observatory was so pretty. The view at the top is for sure rewarding. Oh and the majority of it is FREE!!! How can you go wrong?
My other secret tip… the food at the astronomy café was so good. I was not prepared for how fresh and yummy the cafes would be at tourist locations. I literally had the best pea soup and bread I have ever eaten. Do yourself a favor and have a snack while enjoying the view.

Did I ever tell you about the time I studied GCSE Astronomy? No? Well, at 15, we thought it was a great idea, and all our lessons were either based here or the national maritime museum. We loved it. The teacher did not love us. Somehow, we were the naughtiest bunch ever, that ring around saturn is not it’s excretion disc. Don’t even ask how we got to that assumption. Also we spent more time playing lego man on the massive globe model at the back than learning. They have the (fake) line about east and west. But it’s still fun to think you’re on either side of the world!
That aside, the observatory is amazing, and even though I didn’t learn anything, I still love the views from the top of greenwich park, I used to live there as a kid and that’s the image that sticks in my head. The planetarium is amazing, I still take my younger cousins and they love the star shows.

Right at the top of the hill in Greenwich is the Observatory. it is worth the climb.
We got to the observatory at twilight which gave us a limited amount of time in the observatory, but gave us spectacular views of the city and the green GMT line which stretched towards the Thames.
Inside the museum is full of assorted clocks, dials, and other time measuring instruments. It was very interesting to see how the measuring of time has changed and to straddle the GMT line.
I wish we were able to go to the planetarium since I LOVE planetariums. Just means I’ll have to come again.

What a pleasant surprise this place is. The tour is well worth doing, they have an actor, whom explains what was decided zero degrees west/​east… the centre of the universe, time and space! Actually… they benchmark, between east and west of the world and there is a moument to mark that. Great place for nerds.
I learn how to tell the time with a sun dial.
The views of london from here are amazing

I was told there would be no hills to climb. (Lie #1: Only way 2 get me to go, I suppose)
I was also told the views are breathless. (Lie #2: It was bloody foggy!)
I was told, finally, it would be worth my while! This, I must admit, was absolutely True.
Since my curiosity never ends, I searched for more answers, thought I’d share this link for those interested, because I hate to misquote history. Hope you find it useful:

Watch out for the massive school children and groups mucking about!
What a great place to learn, tour, and see fantastic views of Greenwich!
Its a easy nice stroll from the water boat taxi or tube stop. Fantastic views and gardens to stroll through.

Prime Meridian! Prime Meridian! So my friend and I stumbled into the Royal Observatory. and we’re just like looking for that sign that points us to the Prime Meridian. After looking for like 3 mins, I got pretty annoyed and was like «WHERE THE HELL IS IT!!!» Was about to ask someone. when i looked down… and saw this.“line” and then up. and see a whole bunch of people just staring/​taking pics of the line. and I see behind them, the, erm, what do you call it? That structure? that points at the line? I quietly said to my friend. «I think this is the prime meridian…» LOL!!!
So yeah, I got pics of one foot on the western hemisphere, and one foot on the eastern hemisphere… It was cool. Then I walked around the observatory and looked at Flamsteed’s «house» and some of the telescopes and the Times gallery. where I THINK I found the GMT clock, I took a picture with it, as did people after me, so hopefully it’s the right one! I thought Flamsteed’s octagon room was quite cool.

Wo kann man schon auf dem Null-​Meridian stehen??? Hier gehts. Klar, man steht nicht anders als sonst auf der Erde, aber es ist schon was besonderes gleichzeitig auf der Ost– und auf der Westhälfte der Erde zu stehen. Das ist schon ein Erlebnis.
Die Meridian-​Linie ist durch einen Glasstreifen dargestellt, welcher bei Dunkelheit von unten angestrahlt wird. Und direkt auf der Linie auch eine Weltzeituhr.
Der Blick vom Obervatory über die Stadt ist klasse. So einen Ausblick hat man auch nicht aus dem Riesenrad.
Das Museum selbst ist Geschmacksache. Es wird viel über Zeit und Nautik ausgestellt, welches recht interessant ist man muss sich aber auch ein wenig dafür interessieren.
Der Weg zum Observatory durch den Greenwich Park ist auch klasse. Und im Park kann man danach noch ein ausgiebiges Picknick machen.
In Verbindung mit dem Park und Greenwich selbst einen ganzen Tagesausflug wert man entflieht auch ein wenig dem Stress der Stadt.

Wenn man erstmal die fiese Anhöhe geschafft hat, sieht man viele interessante Stücke rundum die Astronomie. Besondres Highlight ist hier Zeitkugel, aber auch das Museum für Astronomie und Navigationswerkzeuge ist interessant.
Die Camera Obskura war auch erstaunlich, sowas sieht man ja nicht alle Tage. Und der Höhepunkt: der Nullmeridian. Die Aussicht auf London ist auch einmalig!

love this place. peaceful, interesting, and you get to see «where time begins!»
a definite must!

It’s appropriate that this review is my 1000’th. After all, the Royal Observatory is the center of the world. Why shouldn’t it be a major milestone for Unilocal reviews?
The Observatory is focused on time. Because accurate time is what makes it possible to navigate the seas. It’s easy enough to figure out your latitude by looking at the stars. That just tells you where you are north to south. There’s no way to tell where you are east to west and this makes it impossible to avoid rocks and shorelines when you’re sailing at night. The usual method of a pendulum clock doesn’t work at sea. So they had to figure out a way to get an accurate timepiece. The Observatory has a huge display of clocks and timepieces throughout the ages and tells the story of how they were invented and why.
Lots of displays of the skies. Lots of history here, including the Astronomers Royal. The list of Astronomers Royal should be names familiar to many — John Flamsteed, Edmond Halley (of Halley’s Comet fame), Sir Frank Dyson. Wow, the people that used to wander these hallways!
Access to the Observatory is not free. £10 is quite a bit of coin, so make it worthwhile. Don’t skip the Prime Meridian — you’ll want to get a picture of you and your feet on each side of the line — East and West come together here. You might also want to try to arrive before 1PM so that you can see the time ball drop. There’s an explanation of this inside — I won’t spoil the secret.
Amazing views of the city of London on a clear day. There’s no easy way to access the Observatory — you have to climb the hill.
After you’ve toured the Observatory, you may want to head next door to the Planetarium.
There is a gift shop with the usual trinkets. You’ll want to pick up Prime Meridian postcards and what home is complete without a Prime Meridian fridge magnet?

Aujourd’hui devenu musée, cet observatoire astronomique royal renferme nombre pendules (y compris un modèle annuel plutôt surprenant) et instruments d’observation des étoiles.
Mais surtout, oh oui surtout, il est le lieu où fut inventé le mythique méridien de Greenwhich, symbolisé aujourd’hui par un laser vert. D’ouest en est, d’est en ouest, vous passez le méridien à partir duquel sont calculées toutes les longitudes de la planète…
Pas étonnant que le site ait été déclaré Patrimoine Mondial de l’Humanité par l’Unesco !

Reason why I love London = we got Greenwich, where time began!
Royal Observatory Greenwich is right on top of the hill. It is a very long climb but very worth it. Amazing view as you reach to the top.
There’s three museums to check out, with lots of interactive and fun things to do. After taking a tour round the Flamsteed house, I was amazed at how much I’ve learned at the Observatory. I was not much of a «Planet Universe» buff before visiting the Observatory but gained so much after.
I love the fact that entrance is free, so bring your friends and family along!

Ein sehr schönes, kleines, auf einen engen Themenkreis bezogenes Museum kann man hier besuchen, wenn einem das bloße Herumstehen auf dem Nullmeridian zu langweilig wird.
Wir haben uns speziell auf den Teil zur Geschichte der Zeitmessung konzentriert. Dort kann man das grundlegende Problem der genauen Zeitmessung für die Navigation von Schiffen nachvollziehen sowie die Bemühungen von Generationen genialer Köpfe und Handwerker, allen voran die Harrison-​Chronometer. Wer schon einmal einfache Metallteile mit Säge und Feile hergestellt hat, dürfte aus dem Staunen darüber, was ein gelernter Tischler im frühen 18. Jahrhundert gebaut hat, nicht mehr herauskommen.
An die mechanischen Uhren schliessen sich dann einige Exponate modernerer Zeitmesser bis hin zur Erklärung der Atomuhr an.
Sicher keine hands-​on-​Ausstellung, für Technikinteressierte aber in jedem Fall sehenswert.

This is the throne of Father Time & he proclaims that «thou art enter my kingdom for free» — and I respect the old man.
The Royal Observatory is up a green grassy hill in Greenwich (a hike for those who only like to sit around, eat and review restaurants *cough* myself …) It was a rather blustery day in the words of Winnie the Pooh & the gales were in full fury but that just made the experience seem more like you’re in the pinnacle of where time literally begins.
Flushed from the wind but exhilarated, the top has a beautiful view. A red ball at the top of the compass drops at 1 p.m. everyday and apparently the time in Greenwich is accurate to a ¹⁄₁₀^th of a second. The Prime Meridian is located here and you can stand in both hemispheres at the same time! Eastern and Western. This is the one place you can be in 2 places at once, boom!
The museum is worth checking out too — a lovely antique time line of clocks, compasses and their history unfolds in a rustic looking building. And the octagon room? Don’t you dare miss it!

Schöné Lage im Greenwich-​Park.
Das Museum ist sehr interessant und kostet keinen Eintritt!
Hier verläuft der Meridian! Wer also gerne mal auf 2 Erdhälften stehen möchte kann das hier machen.
Eine Uhr mit der GMT — Greenwich Mean Time ist hier auch zu finden.

The prime meridian of the world befindet sich in Greenwich. Es befindet sich außerhalb vom London auf ein fast 30 Minutiger fahrt mit dem S-​Bahn. Dann etwas zu Fuß laufen und ihr seit dort in der Royal Observatory. Da ist einiges zu sehen. Es gibt keinen Eintritt und es dauert fast 30 – 45 min bis ihr alles gesehen habt. Es gibt 3 Gebäuden und ein extra Museum hinter. Man kann das London City von dort ganz gut sehen. Es ist wunderschön. Es gibt viele Leute, also es kann dauern bis ihr ein Foto am Meridian macht.
Wenn ihr in London über mehrere Tage seit, dann geht dahin auf jeden Fall.

Como casi todos los museos de Londres es gratis.
Cierran bastante pronto a las 17,30. El museo es espectacular, puedes ver el meridiano 0 desde aqui parten todos los demás.
Las vistas desde lo alto son espectaculares se ven todos los rascacielos de canary.
Es un poco complicado llegar hasta alli si no conoces bien el transporte de Londres, pero merece la pena.

Der Platz, an dem die Weltkugel willkürlich in zwei Teile geteilt wurde. Hier habe ich, wie Millionen Anderer auch, auf beiden Teilen der Erde gestanden. Das Observatorium strahlt Alter aus ist aber interessant anzusehen. Zu dem Null-​Meridian: Die Bedeutung ist nicht nur die Teilung der Erdkugel in zwei Hälften, sondern auch die Zeit spielt hier eine Rolle, nämlich die GMT
(greenwich mean time), Nach Osten in der jeweiligen Zeitzone + und nach Osten in der jeweiligen Zeitzone -. Etwas durcheinander geriet diese Zeiteinteilung mit Einführung der Sommerzeit, die (angeblich) zum Energiesparen beitragen sollte.
Ansonsten ist es immer gut besucht und für das obligatorische Foto herrscht ein ziemliches Gedränge, aber trotzdem sehenswert.

Kann ein Ort, der mich an meine Englischlehrerin denken lässt, wirklich einen Ausflug wert sein? Das war die Frage, die mich beschäftigte, als ich nach Greenwich rausfuhr. Grenn-​nitsch, nicht Grien-​nitsch! In der U-​Bahn sagte ich das wie ein Mantra etwas ungläubig und auch peinlich berührt vor mir her. Meine netten englischen Gastgeber müssen mich für blöd gehalten haben! Vielleicht sollte man ein Buch schreiben: «1000 Irrtümer des zeitgenössischen Englischunterrichts». Das klingt dröge, hätte jedoch sicher Unterhaltungswert.
Observatory spricht man als Deutsche dagegen fast automatisch korrekt aus. Eine Peinlichkeit pro Touristenattraktion ist auch wirklich genug. Außerdem mag ich das alte Observatorium. Es steht in einem der vielen Parks und auf einer Anhöhe. Der Weg nach oben kann an einem heißen Sommertag beschwerlich sein, doch der Ausblick entschädigt dafür. Der Panoramakartenblick mit Themse zieht viele Touristen an, sehr viele. Und natürlich der Null-​Meridian.
Ich hatte von Anfang an beschlossen, mich zu fügen und brav das komplette Programm zu absolvieren: Panorama fotografieren, den Museumsrundgang abschreiten und den Arbeitsplatz des ehemaligen Hofastronomen besichtigen, mich mit einem Fuß rechts des 0. Längengrades und mit einem links davon fotografieren zu lassen (welch ein Gedränge!), auf den Turm zu steigen, die Uhren zu bewundern, die die Grenn-​nitsch-​Mean-​Time anzeigen. Zum Abschluss begutachtete ich im Museumsshop noch die Effektivität der Merchandising-​Abteilung und kaufte in tiefer Anerkennung einen dieser Magnete ohne Wert, für 2,50 Pfund.
Danach spuckte mich die berühmte Sternwarte wieder aus und überließ mich der Parkanlage zu ihren Füßen. Dort überlegte ich sehr lange, ob ich nochmal hochgehen sollte. Um sicher zu gehen. Bedeutet es irgendetwas, am Prime-​Meridian of the World zu sein? Verbindet das mit dem Universum? Befinde ich mich nur in einer lustigen Jahrmarktsattraktion? Wem kann man danken, dass die Reisegruppen mit dem Bus nicht direkt bis ans Observatoriumstor fahren dürfen und wenigstens den Berg hochstampfen müssen? Gemischte Gefühle nennt man das wohl. Ich bin übrigens nicht nochmal hochgegangen. Und ohne Gründe nennen zu können: Ich mag das Observatorium.
Warum verläuft der Null-​Meridian eigentlich nicht durch Worcester? Auf die richtige Artikulation dieses Wortes bin ich einst ausdrücklich hingewiesen worden. Grenn-​nitsch. Bloß nicht vergessen!

Musée à visiter !
Cela vaut le détour en plus que l’entrée est gratuite ! A voir: le mécanisme mis en place pour l’horloge référence, c’est géant ! Autrement, si la science né vous attire pas, vous aurez aussi le plaisir de profiter d’une très belle vue panoramique !

Une vraie référence…
A voir vraiment car c’est super intéressant pour qui s’intéresse aux voyages et à l’histoire-géographie ! Le cadre verdoyant est aussi agréable et une belle vue en prime permet de s’y prélasser quelques instants.

Intéressant et très belle vue
Situé à Greenwich, le royal observatory vaut le détour. Il faudra être un peu sportif car l’entrée se situe en haut d’une colline mais vous né serez pas déçu parce que tout d’abord on a alors une vue imprenable sur Londres et puis parce que vous pourrez voir le fameux meridien de Greenwich. Le musée en lui même et tout aussi intéressant, on y découvre pleins d’instruments de mesure. Belle visite et en plus c’est gratuit.

Visite gratuite qui vaut le détour
On n’a pas regretté de laisser Greenwich pour le dernier jour de notre séjour ! L’observatoire, notamment, nous a beaucoup plu, avec la visite gratuite du mini musée qui regroupe tous les instruments de mesure, tous les manuscrits et tous les objets liés à ce fameux méridien. Comptez 30 à 40 minutes pour le tour, court mais vraiment intéressant !