Greenwich London: 7 Reasons to Visit!

When you’re in England, trying to choose from the staggering list of places to visit, you definitely won’t regret spending a few hours in Greenwich, London, to escape the hectic pace of Central London.

Greenwich is a vibrant borough in London on the south bank of the River Thames. Greenwich Park is situated on a hilltop with the most stunning views of the River Thames and the City of London. Greenwich is known for its maritime and scientific history, lovely markets, and a fantastic park boasting impressive views of London.

Greenwich Park is home to the Cutty Sark, a restored 19th-century ship, and the National Maritime Museum. Situated on the hilltop with dramatic views of London, is the Royal Observatory which is the site of the Greenwich meridian line. The meridian line represents the Prime Meridian of the world, Longitude Zero (0° 0′ 0″).  Every place on earth was measured in terms of its distance east or west from this line.

Greenwich Park

Greenwich Park is one of London’s eight Royal Parks, and is filled with maritime history and lovely restaurants and cafes. From the top of Greenwich Park you can enjoy one of the most impressive views of London.

Greenwich Park is famous for housing the Prime Meridian Line, the Royal Observatory, and is part of the Greenwich Maritime World Heritage Site.

Cutty Sark

The Cutty Sark is the only surviving tea clipper in the world. She is moored in the centre of Greenwich, close to Greenwich Park.

She was built in 1869 to carry tea back from China, and has travelled the globe visiting every major world port. The Cutty Sark was one of the fastest and last of the sailing clipper ships.

The amazing restoration and impressive displays, allow you to view the entire ship, including below the water line. There are lots of interactive areas for children of all ages, and as you walk around, you cannot help but imagine this magnificent ship at sea.

Royal Observatory

The Royal Observatory is where the historic Prime Meridian Line is located. The Prime Meridian Line is where east meets west at Longitude 0° and literally everywhere else on the planet is measured from this very line.

The Royal Observatory also serves as the exact point of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), meaning all time is either officially set ahead or behind this line. The Royal Observatory highlights three areas: Astronomy, Time, and Navigation, explaining how they interconnect. We learned how important the accurate measurement of time is on both land and sea.

Of course we took the obligatory photographs with one foot in the western hemisphere and one foot in the eastern hemisphere.

National Maritime Museum

This is the largest maritime museum in the world, and is filled with historical treasures and inspirational tales from life at sea. There are special areas and activities to keep children of all ages entertained, and entrance is free.

Old Royal Navel College

The Old Royal Naval College holds an impressive 500 years of history. There’s a permanent exhibition with several historical artifacts and plenty of interactive exhibits too. Free tours are offered multiple times a day. If architecture is your jam, you’ll be in heaven browsing the impressive buildings designed in the 18th century by Sir Christopher Wren, the famous architect who designed St Paul’s Cathedral.

Greenwich London Markets

This bustling indoor market dates back to 1737 and is the only market in London located on a World Heritage site. We entered the market down a cobbled walkway, and were immediately greeted with an array of lovely stalls selling original handmade goods, clothing, food and drinks.

The street food trucks were located outside the market and we were thrilled to find them; the falafel wraps were outstanding!

*** This article is sponsored but all opinions are my own***

What is your favorite thing to do in Greenwich London?

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