Holiday apartments in Greenwich: World Heritage, museums and the Thames

Greenwich combines world-historical orientation, maritime culture, parkland and riverside in a unique way. Maritime Greenwich was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. At the Royal Observatory Greenwich, visitors can stand on the historic Prime Meridian of the World; the observatory is also the home of Greenwich Mean Time. Beneath the distinctive onion dome is one of the largest refracting telescopes in the world.

Culture and history

The National Maritime Museum offers daily tours and gallery talks. The Maritime London Gallery shows how life on the Thames has developed over the past 300 years. The Queen’s House is a renowned art gallery with more than 450 works of art. It is considered the earliest surviving neoclassical building in Great Britain and is the only remaining part of the royal palace complex in Greenwich.

Maritime history is also immediately present: the Cutty Sark is the world’s only surviving tea clipper. Visitors can stand beneath the ship’s raised hull. At the Old Royal Naval College, the Painted Hall is an 18th-century masterpiece and can be visited with guided tours as part of the visit. The chapel of the Old Royal Naval College has a neoclassical interior with preserved pastel-coloured stucco elements.

The National Maritime Museum, the Queen’s House, the Cutty Sark and the Royal Observatory Greenwich are all within convenient walking distance of one another in Greenwich. As a result, very different historical and cultural sites are located within the same visitor area, without their respective distinctive features becoming blurred together.

Nature and riverside

Greenwich Park is designated as an area of metropolitan importance for nature conservation. Greenwich Park offers extensive views across London’s skyline. The park also has outdoor sports facilities for tennis and cricket. Greenwich Peninsula Ecology Park presents a different aspect of the landscape: it encompasses four acres of freshwater habitat.

Greenwich has 8.5 miles of paths along the open riverbank for walking. Above the water, the IFS Cloud Cable Car offers a distinctive perspective and crosses the Thames between Greenwich Peninsula and the Royal Docks.

Special experiences

Eltham Palace and Gardens complements the historical impressions with 19 acres of historic gardens featuring medieval elements. Up at The O2 offers a distinctly different view of the surroundings: a guided outdoor climb across the roof of the arena is available there. From Up at The O2, the 360-degree view extends across historic Greenwich, the Olympic Park and Canary Wharf.

Market

Greenwich Market was established in 1700 by Royal Charter. The market offers international street food as well as art, antiques and handmade gifts. Different forms of cuisine, design and historic market culture come together there.

Further local pages: Greenwich, Plumstead, Bexley, Southwark, Kingston Upon Thames, Lewisham, Waltham Forest, Barnet.

For the higher-level travel overview: Greater London.