We love spending days in London sightseeing and have been to Greenwich to wander around a few times but this time we were actually going inside the Royal Observatory.
We travelled up to London Waterloo on the train and sailed on the Thames Clipper from the London Eye to Greenwich pier. This is a great way to travel (if a little pricey) as its so stress free, especially with a toddler in a push chair.
The walk from the pier to the Royal Observatory is a very pleasant one. Not only was the park full of people enjoying their Sunday but we ambled through Greenwich market too. The food looked and smelt amazing and if we had longer to linger I’m sure I would have loved to snap up some crafty bargains.
Just as you’re almost at the Observatory there is a steep hill to climb. It’s paved with a few shallow steps at the top but for those less able there is a longer less steep route.
Despite its obvious history the Royal Observatory feels like quite a modern museum. Everything is light and airy and with well-manicured grounds. Included in the entrance fee are free audio guides which helps bring what you’re seeing to life.
After parking the buggy at the buggy park we headed into the Time and Longitude Gallery. This shows how the timekeepers at sea found longitude. The building is chock full of clocks and instruments and paintings. We especially liked the recordings of the speaking clocks over the years and seeing how our watches and smart phones matched the atomic clock.
Then we moved on to the Camera Obscura. This is a pin-hole type camera that projects an image of the Greenwich Riverside right onto the table in front of you. It’s quite magical seeing a live image essentially like a photo and our two-year old was transfixed.
Arguably the largest attraction at the Observatory is the Meridian Line and we took the obligatory feet shot at 0 degrees.
Lastly we walked around the Meridian Line and Historic Royal Observatory museum which was full of old telescopes and the Greenwich Great Equatorial Telescope, one of the biggest telescopes in the world.
We stayed only about an hour in total but if you had older children you could easily stay for triple that. Our two year old wasn’t interested in reading the exhibits or listening to the guide but we saw plenty of children from the age of 8 getting more involved.
The toilets were modern and clean with no queue. We didn’t stop for refreshments but there was an ice cream van in the main courtyard and a cafe above the shop (which you don’t need to pay for a ticket to use).
Overall I think good value for older children and in a lovely setting. Can’t wait to go again when our daughter is more into it.
Rating: 4/5
Tickets: Adults £22.50 / Children £11.50 (under 5s free).
For more information or to book tickets visit www.rmg.co.uk/royal-observatory.
Royal Observatory, Blackheath Avenue, Greenwich, London, SE10 8XJ
Also see this review at WGTD http://whatsgoodtodo.co.uk/the-royal-observatory-greenwich-review/
<I was not paid for this review but I did receive free tickets via Whatsgoodtodo.co.uk>
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