Your five minute guide to Greenwich, London!
Greenwich is the place where you will find a World Heritage Site, The O2 arena and one of London’s royal park. Greenwich is on the bank of the River Thames and is located just five miles from the centre of London. Compared to other London boroughs, Greenwich is more of a calmer, greener place.
History of Greenwich
Greenwich started as a Saxon village and it was called Green Wic (wic is meant a port). From the beginning Greenwich was a place where boats and ships were tied up and was mainly a fishing village. Greenwich is most famous for the Cutty Sark which is a ship which were built to bring tea from China in the fastest possible time. In the early 16th century it was home the palace of Henry VII and his son Henry VIII was born there as well as Henry VIII daughters. However, the palace was later demolished by Charles II.
Greenwich park was once a hunting ground by the Duke of Gloucester in 1433. In the 17th century, James I built a brick wall around the park and a garden was designed for it. Greenwich became connected to London in 1838 by a railway, as a result people from London moved to Greenwich and it became a growing city.
What to do in Greenwich!
Visit the Royal Museums Greenwich
The Royal Museum Greenwich is the place to go to see the Royal Observatory, the famous sailing ship Cutty Sark, the National Maritime Museum and the Queen’s House art gallery.
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Day explorer passes are available to see all four museums and to have audio guides.
Online prices for Day explorer:
- Adult: £23.65
- Child: £11.85
Walk up prices for Day explorer:
- Adult: £26.25
- Child: £13.15
The Royal Observatory is situated on a hill in Greenwich park, it played a big role in navigation and astronomy history. It is best known for the prime meridian massing through it!
Online prices for the Royal Observatory:
- Adult: £14.40
- Child: £7.20
Walk up prices for the Royal Observatory:
- Adult: £16.00
- Child: £8.00
The Cutty Sark is a ship with a history with tea, it was partially destroyed in a collision in 1952 but it was restored and now is a ship museum to show others what is was like!
Online prices for the Cutty Sark:
- Adult: £13.50
- Child: £6.75
Walk up prices for the Cutty Sark:
- Adult: £15.00
- Child: £7.50
The National Maritime Museum has fourteen different galleries with well known and famous paintings from the past. It is free to go to!
Queen’s House is the former royal residence built between 16161 and 1635. It is open to explore and see how the royals lived in the past. It is free entry but you can pay for a guided tour.
Online prices for the Queen’s House guided tour:
- Adult: £9.00
- Concessions: £6.00
Walk up prices for the Queen’s House guided tour:
- Adult: £10.00
- Concessions: £6.65
Have a day at The O2
The 02 is not just a music venue it is also has a Icon Outlet which is a shopping centre. It has a variety of brands and has cafes, bars and kids activities around!
The Emirates Air Line
Get a 360 view of Greenwich with the airline cable cars which go above the river. You can fly between Greenwich Peninsula and the Royal Docks to get views of what is around.
Go to the markets
You can spend your afternoon at the markets, there are a lot of designer-makers, artists, antiques dealers, beauticians and a range of food from all around the world. It is open every day 10am – 5.30pm.
Travel!
If you are wanting to know to travel to Greenwich besides by car here is ways you can:
Bus
You can travel to Greenwich on the public red bus. There are lots of bus routes that run through Greenwich, including the 188 from Russell Square, the 199 from Canada Water and the 129 which connects Greenwich with North Greenwich.
You can travel with an oyster card which is the cheapest and easiest way to pay!
DLR
You can get on a Docklands Light Railway train from Bank station direct to Cutty Sark for Greenwich town centre and the museums, Meridian line, Greenwich Market and Cutty Sark. It takes around 20 minutes.
Tube
The nearest Underground station is North Greenwich, on the Jubilee line. It takes 12-25 minutes on average from London!
Places to Stay!
There are a few places where you can stay in Greenwich, be quick to get your hotel or B&B before they are all booked!
Prices shown below are based on one person sharing for one night!
Hotels: £38 – £179
B&Bs and apartments: £45 – £550
