Greenwich
Greenwich is situated in South London and is the site of Maritime Greenwich on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Greenwich is located some 6 miles east of central London, on the south bank of the River Thames. Because of congestion, driving is not to be particularly recommended, but there are three good ways of getting to Greenwich from central London by public transport.
The Transport for London Journey Planner can plan your journey, as can National Rail website.
North Greenwich tube station is not recommended. It is a bus ride away from Greenwich town centre and was built for the now-closed Millennium Dome. However, it is possible to walk from here along the Thames Path to Greenwich town centre - it's a bleak but peaceful industrial landscape, and it'll take you about 45 minutes.
All the locations mentioned in this article are within easy walking distance of each other and both the Cutty Sark DLR station and Greenwich Pier. Note that the Royal Observatory is up a short but steep hill.
Although far from central, Greenwich is the home of several of London's more interesting tourist attractions. These include:
The combination of Greenwich Park, the Old Royal Observatory, the Queens House and the Royal Naval College make up Maritime Greenwich, which is a site on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Greenwich has restaurants of different types and costs and it isn't possible to list them all here. The following small selection are restaurants which have been visited and recommended by Wikitravellers:
Many of Greenwich's pubs have been bought and revamped by the American-owned Greenwich Inc group - a source of concern to some locals who miss the old venues, and they have built up a reputation for poor service. But commercially, they are very successful in attracting tourists.
The Plume of Feathers in Park Row - off Greenwich Park, is a quaint little watering-hole, nearly on the prime meridian, with a variety of guest ales tucked away from the run-of-the mill riff-raff in Greenwich town centre. Excellent food at reasonable prices - try the delicious mixed platter for 4 to get the taste buds going!!
The Cutty Sark is a great pub. Best time to go is on a warm summers evening when you can sit out by the river and watch the sunset in the west. Can get pretty busy though!
The Trafalgar Tavern (Greenwich Inc-owned) is beautiful, but overcrowded. The bar is over bright and sitting outside has become less pleasant since they lined loads of benches up along the river path. Service can also be brusque - it's best avoided.
The Greenwich Union on Royal Hill is owned by the Meantime Brewery, based in nearby Charlton, which stocks its own range of lagers. Recommended. Next door is the Richard I, owned by Young's, which sells its real ales.
McMillan Student Village, Creek Road (in nearby Deptford) is a fantastic place for a good night's kip after a heavy night out.
The area code for all London numbers is 020 when dialed from within the UK or +4420 from outside the UK.
