Flying Scots Girl

For a long time, I’ve fancied exploring the area of Greenwich in South East London but it’s often felt a bit out of the way when visiting friends and family in other areas and whilst it’s been on my list it’s only recently I’ve finally made the trip! In reality it’s not that much further away than other areas of London and it’s only a little bit longer on the tube to explore Greenwich. You’re in for an action packed day when you get there! From discovering getting to grips with its history to incredible views, here are 8 reasons why you should visit Greenwich!

1. The Museums

If you want to uncover London’s maritime & astronomical history then Greenwich is the place to come because it is rich in history and now with plenty of museums to visit! You could easily spend a whole day here just visiting the museums and learning about Greenwich’s past. When I spent the day in Greenwich I bought a pass to visit both the Cutty Sark & Greenwich Observatory (where you can see the Prime Meridian) for £25.

Both The Queen’s House & The National Maritime Museum are free to visit (although you do need to book tickets to make sure you can go!). Look out for the beautiful Tulip Stairs in the Queen’s House for a perfect photo shot!

2. The Park

Greenwich Park is the perfect spot to take a break (and maybe a picnic!) and enjoy being in one of the largest green spaces in South London as well as sitting right in the middle of a World Heritage Site! Greenwich Park was formerly a hunting park but has origins stretching back to the Roman times. The Park overlooks the River Thames and has plenty of walkways through it to explore. Make your way to the rose garden or spot the Bridgerton’s house (Ranger’s House) on the edge of the park.

If you visit in the right season you’ll spot plenty of cherry blossom too🌸

3. The View

So technically, the best view in Greenwich is in Greenwich Park but it’s so good it deserves a whole point to itself! The view from here shows the real juxtaposition of London with the wonderful historic buildings of the Queen’s House & the Old Naval College on the south side of the river with the soaring sky rise office buildings of Canary Wharf in the background.

4. The Market

Greenwich Market is the only market in London to take place on a World Heritage site and it’s a wonderful place to search for gifts, birthday presents or something to take home for the house! There are lots of lovely independent designers including the v cute Peng Succulents. You can eat your way around the world under roof as well with everything from Brazilian churros to Italian arancini and The Thai Kitchen.

5. The Antiques

Greenwich is home to lots of funky antiques shops to find a hidden treasure. In Greenwich Market there are a few antique stalls amongst the food and modern British designer stands but visit the Greenwich Vintage Market (closed on a Monday) for all things vintage. Seek out the eclectic Junk Shop for a trove of goodies to uncover.

6. The Food

As already mentioned, you can find a lot of good street food stands in Greenwich Market (I had some amazing arancini with extra hot melted cheese added on top 🤤) but there are lots of other places to pick up something tasty! I started the morning with a coffee at Peyton & Byrne with an early brunch at Greenwich Grind which had (and I’m not even close to exaggerating) the BEST hash brown I’ve had in my life! For lunch I had the arancini but there were also street food stands around the Royal Naval College! Finally, I finished the day with a well earned glass of champagne matched with some cheese from the incredible Champagne & Fromage 👌

7. The Film Locations

Greenwich is a film producer’s dream with so many historic and atmsopheric locations to choose from. You don’t need to be a film fanatic to recognise some of the places in Greenwich that have made their way onto the big screen! Specifically, the Royal Naval College has featured in everything from The Crown to Les Miserables, The King’s Speech to Pirates of the Caribbean and when you stroll through you can feel why.

Up in Greenwich Park you may recognise the view from Layer Cake and the park itself from Sense & Sensibility whilst the Ranger’s House on the edge of Greenwich Park was the family home of the Birdgertons in the Netflix hit series Bridgerton! A spot that I’m GUTTED to have missed is Park Row where the home of Elizabeth James played by Natasha Richardson in the iconic kids film The Parent Trap was filmed.

A foot tunnel might not seem an obvious location for a film to be shot but the Greenwich Foot Tunnel featured in the horror 28 Weeks Later. Take the lift down and you’ll see why…it’s pretty eerie!

8. The Streets

Greenwich is a beautifully historic part of London so you definitely just have to spend some time wondering the streets and admiring the homes here. Turnpin Lane & St Alfege Lane are very near Greenwich Market and make great photo ops. Wander further from the heart of Greenwich to explore the residential streets around Royall Hill, Circus Street & Point Hill – it must cost a lot to live here 👀

Get ready to start your Greenwich adventure!

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Cat x