Greenwich (pronounced ‘gren-itch’ not ‘green-witch’) is a borough of London to the South of the River Thames, slightly out of the centre of London and the perfect place for a day trip from the city. Greenwich is known for its Maritime history, as well as being the spot where the Eastern and Western hemispheres of the world meet at a longitude of 0º.
It’s often missed of visitor’s radars, but in total I’ve spent 2 full days exploring the area over the last couple of years and there’s still more to see so it really is a great option for something a bit different whilst in London.
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Where is Greenwich
Greenwich lies outside of central London, to the east of the city and south of the river. There are multiple ways to get to Greenwich using public transport.
- Take a South Eastern train from London Bridge to get from the city to Greenwich in 8 minutes
- Take the DLR from Bank or Canary Wharf through to Greenwich or Cutty Sark stops
- Make the short hope on the Jubilee tube line directly in to Greenwich North
- Take the Thames Clipper boat – from Embankment Pier, Tower Pier or Canary Wharf. This was the option we chose, and we really recommend it as you can take in the sights of The Thames as you go.
Things to do in Greenwich
The Old Royal Naval College
The Old Royal Naval College is the centrepiece building of a set of buildings which make up “Maritime Greenwich”, a UNESCO World Heritage site. UNESCO actually describes this area as “the finest and most dramatically sited architectural and landscape ensemble in the British Isles”. On a cold, frosty winter’s morning it took my breath away – here are some of the highlights:
Grounds of the Old Royal Naval College
With sweeping views up to the Maritime Museum on one side, and down to the River Thames and the city on the other, the grounds are just stunning. It’s hard to believe that these buildings were actually built as a hospital for Royal Navy sailors. They were designed by Christopher Wren, and built between 1696-1712. The hospital closed in 1869 and so between 1873 and 1998 the buildings were used as a training establishment for the Royal Naval College, and the site became a cultural venue in 1997. Imagine coming here to hospital!
The Painted Hall
Wow, I said as I entered the Painted Hall for the first time, having it all to my self. It’s a true masterpiece, often referred to as “Britain’s Sistine Chapel” because it boasts one of the most spectacular Baroque interiors in Europe. The extraordinary ceiling and wall decorations were conceived and executed by British artist Sir James Thornhill, and were restored in 2019.
The incredible Hall took 19 years from the start of the commission to its completion in 1726, and reflects the importance of the newly opened Royal Hospital. It was actually opened as a grand dining room for the naval pensioners, who had served their lives in the Navy. How special. And completely special for me – my husband and I visited in January in quiet season and had it to ourselves. INCREDIBLE.
The Chapel of St Peter and St Paul
Forming part of the interior of the Old Royal Naval College, the Chapel of St Peter and St Paul is a beautiful and peaceful place to visit. The Chapel was built on the site of a previous royal Chapel, which was regularly frequented by Queen Elizabeth I. The same composers, such as Thomas Tallis and William Byrd, are still sung in the present Chapel – and given it’s still an active place of worship, please check opening times before you visit.
The Cutty Sark
Just across the road from The Old Royal Naval College is the Cutty Sark. This historic ship is an ex-tea trading ship, and fastest of its time, which first set sail for Shanghai in 1870. It could carry about 47 double decker buses full of tea, and completed 8 successful trips to China before having to change with the times when the Suez canal was opened and she was no longer needed in the tea trade. Instead, Cutty Sark transported wool from Australia, until again steam ships began to enter the trade and complete the task much more quickly.
Cutty Sark was sold to the Portugese, and eventually became a sailing ship, and then a training ship for cadets until it was restored to its original form and converted in to a museum. The ship has seen everything – from every major port in the world, to murder on board, to a Captain committing suicide by throwing himself in to the sea from the deck. And she’s here to tell us the tale – a really interesting way to spend a couple of hours.
The National Maritime Museum
Unsurprisingly, Greenwich is home to England’s National Maritime Museum, which is just around the corner from the Cutty Sark. Outside the museum is a ship in a bottle – this is a scaled down version of Admiral Nelson’s HMS Victory, on which he died at the Battle of Trafalgar.
In the museum you can learn more about the UK’s Maritime history, covering everything from major battles, uniforms, weapons, ships themselves and maps. It’s such an interesting and interactive collection to explore and there are also some super interesting temporary exhibition – at the time we visited, this was ‘The Moon’ – which celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Apollo landings. We easily spent 2.5hrs here.
Greenwich Park
Leaving Maritime highlights behind, it’s time to focus on some of Greenwich’s other famous attractions. Greenwich Park is a beautiful open space, perfect for a little stop to watch the world go by. There are some nice walking trails, a small café to grab a drink, and lots of open space to just sit and relax. Walking to the top point of the park also gives absolutely stunning views back down to the Old Royal Naval College and across the Thames to the city of London.
The Royal Observatory & Prime Meridian
Within Greenwich Park is another incredible place to visit – The Royal Observatory. It played an important role in the history of astronomy and navigation and as such the prime meridian line passes through it, giving it its name Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). At the Observatory, you can stand astride the Meridian line with one foot in the East and one in the West. You can also tour the museum around the history of time and navigation which was incredibly interesting.
As an extra fun fact – the red ball on top of the Observatory actually tells the time! At 1pm every day the time ball drops, and you can learn more about how it was used by attending a talk in the Courtyard.
The Planetarium
The Peter Harrison Planetarium is a 120 seat theatre where you can take a tour of the solar system, narrated by astrologers. Shows are around 40 minutes long, the seats are really comfortable, and they can take you to land on Mars, watch the birth of a star, speed through the solar system or head inside the Hadron Collider at CERN. There are loads of shows to choose from, and we chose one about Dark Matter which was brilliant.
There are also a few floors of exhibitions to discover so if you’re really in to space and the planets, then you may want to spend longer here and either not go to the Maritime Museum or The Cutty Sark.
Greenwich Town
At the bottom of the hill, Greenwich town itself is also lovely to stroll around. There are lots of lovely independent shops, and both Greenwich Market and Greenwich Vintage Market are also amazing, full of antique shops, lots of other stalls and plenty of places to eat.
If you’re visiting England and want to try an English tradition, head to Heap’s Sausages which serves incredible home made sausages and mash. If that’s not for you, you could hit Gastropub The Greenwich Tavern, head to Pho Street for tasty Vietnamese, grab Argentinian at Buenos Aires Cafe or even Japanese at Sticks’n’Sushi.
The O2
The O2 is just down the road from Greenwich, and it’s a great place to visit with regular shows and concerts on. It also has a number of nice restaurants, and if you’re feeling adventurous you can also do ‘Up at the O2’ and climb up to the top of it for views over London. Even better, you can ride the cable car to and from Greenwich/the O2 Arena, and it was beautiful at sunset as we finished off our day.
More Information
- Looking for a longer stay in London: Full 7 day Itinerary HERE
- Wanting more London Area Guides:
- Full Area Guide (post coming soon)
- Shoreditch
- South Bank
- Bloomsbury & Kings Cross
- Southwark
- The City of London
- Westminster
So there you have it – what do you think of slightly lesser known Greenwich? I really hope you enjoyed the tour, and that it gave you some inspiration for a visit. Thanks for reading, and as always – stay safe and happy travelling.
Saasdia Travel Gid
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