You can straddle the line that divides the eastern and western hemispheres for nothing. Going inside the building that marks it costs £24.
The Greenwich Prime Meridian runs through Greenwich Park, and the park is free. The Royal Observatory sitting on top of it charges £24 for an adult and £12 for a child.
So the hemisphere-hopping photograph, the hill, the view and the Meridian’s line through the park cost nothing. The ticket buys you the Observatory interior, not the idea.
Closing on 2 November 2026. The Royal Observatory closes for a refurbishment project on 2 November 2026, with no reopening date published, and its Peter Harrison Planetarium has been shut since September 2025. The park, the view and the rest of Greenwich are unaffected. See the planetarium for where shows run instead.
It closes at seven, which surprises people
Pedestrian gates: 6am to 7pm. Vehicle gates: 7am to 7pm.
Note that walkers get in an hour before cars and both are turned out at the same time.
And note how short that is against the other Royal Parks. Greenwich gives pedestrians 13 hours. Hyde Park gives 19. Richmond gives 24.
The full comparison, because no two Royal Parks match:
Richmond Park: pedestrians 24/7, vehicles 7am to 6.30pm.
Hyde Park: pedestrians 5am to midnight.
Regent’s Park: pedestrians 5am to 7pm, vehicles 7am to midnight.
Greenwich Park: pedestrians 6am to 7pm, vehicles 7am to 7pm.
Greenwich is the tightest of the four. If you are planning a summer evening walk, it is the wrong park.
There are two viewpoints and everyone uses one
The famous one is at the top of the park’s highest hill, looking over the London skyline, and it is busy.
The other is One Tree Hill, which the park describes as giving spectacular views away from the crowds and as a long-standing magnet for artists and writers.
Same park, same river, far fewer people. That is the single most useful thing on this page for anyone who has been before and found the main hill full.
A Roman temple and an Anglo-Saxon cemetery
Two things in the grass that almost nobody looks for.
The remains of a Roman temple stand in the south of the park, close to where the bandstand is today. It stood from roughly AD 100 to 400.
The distinctive mounds of an Anglo-Saxon cemetery are to the east.
So the park holds Roman, Anglo-Saxon, Tudor and Victorian traces in one walk, which is a better historical range than anywhere else in the Royal Parks.
The Flower Garden is the formal planting, with mature trees and bedding.
Sport and food
Tennis courts can be booked, and boats can be taken on the water.
Food and drink is available in the park.
How to plan it
Free: the park, the hill, the view and the Meridian line.
Paid: inside the Royal Observatory, £24 adult and £12 child.
Avoiding the crowds: One Tree Hill, not the main hill.
Gates: in from 6am on foot, out by 7pm. Cars from 7am.
An evening walk: go to Hyde Park or Richmond instead, which stay open far later.
Doing Greenwich properly: the two free museums are the National Maritime Museum and the Queen’s House, both covered on the Cutty Sark page.
Greenwich Park
- Address
- Greenwich Park, London SE10
- Nearest
- Greenwich, Cutty Sark DLR, Maze Hill and Blackheath
- Hours
- Pedestrian gates 6am to 7pm. Vehicle gates 7am to 7pm
- Booking
- None needed for the park. Tennis courts bookable
- Price
- Free. The Royal Observatory inside the park is 24 pounds adult and 12 child
- Standing
- A Royal Park holding the Greenwich Prime Meridian, with Roman and Anglo-Saxon remains and two separate viewpoints
How to get in
The Prime Meridian runs through the park and is free to stand on, while the Royal Observatory above it charges 24 pounds. Pedestrian gates open an hour before vehicle gates and both close at 7pm, making this the tightest of the Royal Parks at 13 hours against Richmond’s 24. One Tree Hill gives the same view as the main hill without the crowds.
Where to go next
Cutty Sark covers the four Greenwich museums and which two are free, and Greenwich covers the rest of the area.
Regent’s Park is the other Royal Park closing at 7pm, and the parks page compares them all.
Questions we get asked
Is Greenwich Park free?
Yes, the park is free, including the hill, the views and the Greenwich Prime Meridian line running through it. The Royal Observatory building sitting on the Meridian is ticketed at £24 for an adult and £12 for a child.
What time does Greenwich Park close?
Pedestrian gates run 6am to 7pm and vehicle gates 7am to 7pm, so walkers get in an hour earlier and everyone leaves at the same time. That makes it the shortest-opening of the major Royal Parks: 13 hours on foot against 19 at Hyde Park and 24 at Richmond.
Can you see the Prime Meridian for free?
Yes. The Greenwich Prime Meridian runs through the park, which is free, so you can stand with a foot in each hemisphere without a ticket. The Royal Observatory interior requires paid admission.
Where is the best view in Greenwich Park?
The famous one is at the top of the park's highest hill, and it is busy. One Tree Hill gives spectacular views away from the crowds, and has long been a draw for artists and writers.
Is there a Roman site in Greenwich Park?
Yes, the remains of a Roman temple stand in the south of the park, close to where the bandstand is today, dating from roughly AD 100 to 400. There are also the mounds of an Anglo-Saxon cemetery to the east.
Can you play tennis in Greenwich Park?
Yes, courts can be booked, and boats can also be taken out on the water. Food and drink is available in the park.
Written by Robert J Wills, no. 301 in the guide.
Last checked 6 October 2026 against the venues' own published information. Nobody pays to appear here and we take no bookings.
