Things To Do in Greenwich London For Your Greenwich Day Out!

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Greenwich in South East London is a lovely place to spend a day out in London.

I won’t lie to you and tell you that there are loads and loads of things to do in Greenwich London because in my experience are not, however, I think the point of going on a Greenwich day out is to slow down a bit rather than tick off lots of sites.

Greenwich is only across the water from the busy, high-stressed area of Canary Wharf but it feels a million miles away, like a leafy village where everything is nicely compact, and upon the hill the air is fresh.

If you fancy spending one day in Greenwich on a Greenwich day out, here are the best Greenwich London things to do!

Greenwich Day Out!

How To Get To Greenwich London

Getting to Greenwich can feel like a bit of a mission as its main stations are on the DLR line of the tube and unless you’re going to Greenwich or the O2 there’s not that much need to use the DLR. Cutty Sark for Maritime Greenwich is the best station to go to as it is right in the centre.

If you want a bit of adventure on the way though I would recommend getting the Emirates Air Line which is a cable car going across the River Thames and is actually one of the fun things to do in Greenwich! I went on it at night a few years ago and really enjoyed it, it’s a pretty unique thing to do in London that not many people know or think about!

You could take it from Royal Victoria station on the DLR to North Greenwich which is where the O2 is, walk to Canary Wharf or get on the Jubilee line, and the change onto the DLR at Canary Wharf. It is a bit out-of-the-way I admit, but it’s also pretty cool!

Getting to Greenwich by boat is another popular thing to do and is a great way to make your Greenwich day trip even more interesting. Hop on a boat further up the River Thames by the London Eye or even Tower Bridge and sail all the way down the river to Greenwich.

If you want to book a boat trip and/or the Emirates Air Line in advance, have a look into the below options:

If you’re not in London already and need to book train tickets to London, be sure to check out The Train Line. I use them all the time to compare the best train times, journey lengths and prices!

Things To Do in Greenwich London!

Greenwich Market

I would make your first stop in Greenwich, Greenwich Market. It’s an indoor market so it’s perfect for the unpredictable British weather and a good thing to do in London when it rains, it’s surrounded by independent shops, cafes and pubs, and inside the market hall is an array of stalls selling clothes, homeware, jewellery and best of all, lots of food so it’s the perfect spot for some lunch.

Greenwich market definitely has more stalls on the weekend but during the week there are still plenty of food stalls selling all sorts of international cuisine.

If it’s a nice day don’t stay in the market hall, head outside towards the Cutty Sark ship as there is lots of seating around there, if possible try to sit on the ledge close to the river overlooking Canary Wharf in the distance.

Museums in Greenwich

If you read any of the ‘things to do in Greenwich’ posts online they are generally full of museum and building recommendations – Cutty Sark, the Royal Observatory, the National Maritime Museum, the Queen’s House, Old Royal Naval College etc etc, and if you are into these things then they are great places to visit and worth going into however my idea of a fun day out is not going into these kinds of places which is why I put off returning to Greenwich for so long.

If you are looking for one slightly cultural thing to do and one place to enter I would recommend Cutty Sark, aka the big ship that you can’t miss. It is actually really interesting to go inside the ship and learn about where this ship has been all around the world as it was once the fastest ship of its time!

It is nice to walk around these buildings though and after eating lunch I would recommend walking around the grounds of the University of Greenwich and taking the buildings in from the outside as they are pretty impressive buildings, before crossing over the main road and heading towards the Queen’s House.

From Queens House, you can enter into Greenwich Park.

Greenwich Park & Greenwich Park Viewpoint

Greenwich Park is the oldest enclosed Royal Park and the largest single green space in South East London (however I went in the middle of a heatwave we were having in the UK which is why the grass in my photos is dead and not green!).

Your first stop in Greenwich Park should be Royal Observatory viewpoint which is up the hill and although the hill may seem steep towards the end the view is well worth it!

Not only can you see the beautiful buildings in Greenwich including the stunning symmetry of the Old Royal Naval College but across the river and in the distance it’s possible to see St Paul’s Cathedral, the London Eye, the O2 Arena, the Walkie-Talkie building, The Shard, the Cheese Grater and the Gherkin! Wow, who says you need to pay to see a view of London!?

Greenwich Park Gardens

From here I would head up Blackheath Avenue and before the main road at the end, turn left in search of the deer park. Follow the signs to the deer park to see what you can see and after this, you can continue to wander the pathways through Greenwich Park and see the pristine flower gardens that fill the park!

Greenwich Park is also home to Roman Ruins, a boating lake, a cricket pitch, a tea house and so much more. If it’s a  nice day remember to pack a picnic blanket so you can relax in one of the many areas and take in the view of the city below.

You could easily spend a good few hours in Greenwich Park if you explore it at a chilled pace.

Pubs in Greenwich

After you’ve explored the park head to one of Greenwich’s many good pubs, they’re especially good if you want a real English pub experience. The Gipsy Moth is in a great location opposite Cutty Sark.

If you need another reason to head to a pub, the very popular Meantime Beer is brewed and made in Greenwich so you really should have a taste of its homebrew before you leave.

If you’re really interested in Beer and Meantime Beer you can even book a brewery tour in Greenwich, check out their website here.

Before you leave Greenwich, why not pre-arrange to head back via the O2 and pre-book a climb up the O2, whilst you’re this side of London, you might as well. It looks really fun and is a pretty unique thing to do in Greenwich and in London!

You will need to book this advance and you can look at prices and availability here:

And that will give you a good Greenwich day out and Greenwich day trip. Remember that this part of London is to be enjoyed at a slow pace, it’s not full of tourist attractions and instead gives a really good local feel which should be appreciated.

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• More of my Perfect Day in London Guides See:
• A Guide to the Perfect Day in Kensington, West London.
• A Guide to the Perfect Day in Kings Cross & Euston, London.
• A Guide to the Perfect Day in Camden Town, London
• A Guide to the Perfect Day in Hampstead, London.
• A Guide to the Perfect Sunday in Shoreditch, East London