Old Royal Naval College: Painted Hall
4.6
168 Ratings
London

Embark on a captivating journey through 600 years of history at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich. Explore stunning architecture, discover fascinating stories, and visit the breathtaking Painted Hall. Don’t miss the chance to uncover the secrets of this iconic filming location!

Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Old Royal Naval College - Don’t miss a visit to the breath-taking Painted Hall (known as the UK’s Sistine Chapel), which took 19 years to Paint, located in the heart of the Old Royal Naval College Grounds in Greenwich. Included is an optional tour of this magnificent 17 acre riverside estate, which is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Learn…
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What's Included
  • Helios on display in the Painted Hall until 25th March 2025
  • Visitor Centre entry included
  • Skittle Alley open 12-3pm
  • Optional guided tours depart the visitor centre on the hour (11am - 3pm)
  • Multi-lingual Audio guide of Painted Hall included (English, French, Spanish, Italian, Mandarin, German, Japanese)
  • Guided Painted Hall talks every 30 minutes from 11am - 4pm
Additional Information

The Painted Hall at the Old Royal Naval College is renowned as one of Europe’s most exquisite interiors, situated in the heart of Greenwich’s UNESCO World Heritage Site. Luke Jerram’s remarkable installation, Helios, will be on display in the Painted Hall until March 25, 2025.
Visitors can enjoy a Painted Hall audio guide available in English, French,…

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Location
Old Royal Naval College
King William Walk
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.6
(168 Ratings)
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Anne_h
Feb 18, 2026
We paid for the tour and... - We paid for the tour and so pleased we did because the information gained was so helpful and made the whole experience so much more meaningful
Review provided by Viator
Philipesantalla
Jan 13, 2026
A masterpiece - One of the most iconic sites in the history of the UK for preserving a beautiful painting in a building full of history. To make everything even better, in the surroundings is very close there are other interesting attractions. From the tour there is the record of being able to arrive at any time (I had an unforeseen and arrived 1 hour after the scheduled). Although I was late I had no problem to follow my walk. The building itself is small and is a quick visit, but is a must. The staff is very polite and with some regularity leave guided visits. I had an audio guide that was very helpful to see details and understand the magnitude of the work. It is also worth knowing the other local buildings that are part of the entrance, as is the case of the beautiful chapel that is in the building.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sightseer33613593139
Dec 28, 2025
Beautiful site - Beautiful site, absolutely worth a visit. The guide Jim made it even more fascinating and... no mass tourism. Must visit!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
611manfreda
Dec 23, 2025
Best art tour - I had the best tour guide. Antonio took his time to take me through a detailed history. It’s been my best art tour by far and I really do encourage everyone to visit.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
O9171xonadiaa
Nov 30, 2025
History & Beauty - We had such a great time on our tour of the Painted Hall in Greenwich. Jim, our guide, was absolutely lovely and so knowledgeable! He made everything fun and easy to follow. The Painted Hall itself was stunning, and Jim pointed out so many details we never would’ve noticed on our own. We also did the “600 Years of History” tour, which was brilliant. We got to see the chapel, learned loads of cool facts, and even found out about some of the movies filmed there. Overall, it was a really fun, interesting day out. Would totally recommend, and thanks to Jim for making it even better!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Vinnielondon_se2
Nov 28, 2025
Superb light show experience - Bought tickets for the Step into Time, Muralis light show experience which used the Painted Hall, Undercroft, Seamen’s Chapel and the outside of the naval college to project onto an amazing light show. Visited this sites many times, but the light show transformed the location. Sites are worth a visit anyway, but watch out for future light show experiences.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Witneygirl
Nov 22, 2025
Beautiful, impressive place with very knowledgeable and entertaining guide - We were thoroughly entertained and educated by our wonderful French tour guide Vincent on the painted Hall. Would totally recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rosiehall56
Nov 13, 2025
Greanich - Awesome city of Greanich! Very nice shops. Helpful people. Lovely trees. Yellow houses. Large buildings. Nice market. Gorgous parks. Super tall white church. Fresh green grass. Colourful leaves. Super cute birds. Grey fountains. Loved visiting Greanich! 10/10
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Karenb8290
Jan 13, 2026
Volunteer Jim - We got rather confused when we turned up because we did not really understand that each section was chargeable at differing prices. I was aware of a modern art exhibition at the Painted Hall but could not remember the name; it was called Connection and Identity. Anyway we bought tickets for the Painted Hall, not really knowing what we were visiting and received some confusing directions. We found it in the end only because we asked for directions as the entrance is not signed and it has an A frame advertising a café – not the hall! So, we found it and was amazed at the wonderful painting of the ceilings and baroque interiors, just stunning. However, we did not know what we were really looking at until a volunteer called Jim turned up. What a treasure, he gave us a tour of the paintings and talked about the propaganda and politics behind them, what a great orator he was. At the end of the tour, of which there was no charge, Jim said he had more time and offered a further tour of 600 years of the buildings, which we attended. Jim took us on a walk outside and pointed out the various buildings, talked about their history, going into great detail. Jim also talked about the various films that had taken place on site and the various famous actors. Jim made our whole visit worthwhile and gave us great value for money – thank you Jim.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kinlet72
Jan 3, 2026
Marred by the "Installation" - Our visit to the Painted Hall was an experience we had been looking forward to for a long time and we were very impressed by Vincent, the guide, who gave an amazing insight to the stories behind the painting. However, we were less than impressed as we entered the hall, to find that its full splendour was obscurred by eight giant toilet rolls (about 4m x 2m} with flashing lights inside, hanging from scaffolding along the length of each side of the hall. Who thought that was a good idea?
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).