Family day trip to beautiful Greenwich

Greenwich in south-east London is known for its rich maritime history and the famous GMT (Greenwich Mean Time). There are many sites of interest in Greenwich and it is a perfect place to spend a lovely day out with your family.

Listed below are some of the places of interest in Greenwich.

The Queen's house in Greenwich was once a richly furnished summer villa for Queen Henrietta Maria, wife of Charles 1. It is now an elegant setting for fine art and entertaining. The main highlights are: The Great Hall - a spectacular setting with an elaborately tiled marble floor and The Tulip Stairs - the first spiral stairway in Britain with no central support column.
Entry is Free and the house is open from Monday-Sunday 10:00 to 17:00.


The National Maritime Museum in Greenwich is the leading maritime museum of the UK and possibly the largest museum of its kind in the world. The museum houses more than 2 million objects relating to seafaring, navigation, astronomy and time measurement.

National Maritime Museum,
Park Row, Greenwich SE10 9NF
Tel: +44 (0)20 8858 4422


Entry is Free and the museum is open Monday-Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00. On Thursdays there is a late closing at 20:00.

The Old Royal Naval College at Greenwich is one of the most extensive groups of public buildings in the baroque style in Britain. The Royal Naval College houses the 'Painted Hall' and 'The Chapel'. The Painted Hall was decorated by Sir James Thornhill. The hall was used as a dining hall for the sailors. James Thornhill started the work in 1708 and finished it nineteen years later in 1727.


The construction of the Chapel was completed in 1752 by Thomas Ripley. However a huge fire broke out in 1779 burning down the entire Chapel. The Chapel was then redesigned and rebuilt in 1780s.


The Chapel underwent a full restoration in the 1950s with the original colour scheme re-established.
The Pulpit of the Chapel is made from oak, mahogany and lime-wood. The vast painting above the Altar is by the American artist Benjamin West. It depicts the story of St Paul’s Shipwreck on the Island of Malta.

The Greenwich Park is one of the oldest Royal Parks in London and is situated on top of a tiny hill spreading to around 183 acres. It is home to the Prime Meridian Line and the Royal Observatory. The park provides some stunnig views of London and is favoured by visitors.


The Royal Observatory in Greenwich  is the home to Greenwich Mean Time(GMT) and the Prime Meridian of the World thereby giving it the distinction of being the official starting point for each new day. The Observatory was commissioned way back in 1675 by King Charles II.


The Observatory houses the world famous Meridian line (M3) (the Prime meridian of the world, Longitude 0 deg 0' 0" which defines GMT) and the Peter Harrison Planetarium, London's only public planaterium, offers a range of visually captivating shows.

The Greenwich market dates back to the 1800s and is a market where you will find everything from food (food-to-go, fresh produce) to handbags to hand-crafted metal art to clothes to jewellery to paintings to antiques and collectables. The market attracts more than 2 million visitors every year and is a must visit if you are visiting Greenwich.


Greenwich Space
11A Greenwich Market,
London SE10 9HZ
Phone: 020 8293 3110

Market opening times:
Wednesday 11am - 7pm.
Thursday and Friday 10am - 5pm.
Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holidays 10am - 5.30pm.

The Fan Museum - the only museum in the world devoted in its entirety to all aspects of the ancient art and craft of the fan. The museum boasts of a collection of 3,500 predominantly antique fans from all around the world dating from the 11th century to the present day.


The Fan Museum
12 Crooms Hill
Greenwich, London SE10 8ER
Tel: 020 8305 1441
Open: Tue-Sat: 11:00 to 17:00 and on Sundays: 12:00  to 17:00
Admission is £3:00 per person and Guided tour is £5:00 per person.

The Cutty Sark - is a Scottish Clipper ship that is now a museum. Its a popular tourist attraction and was reopened to the public in April 2012 after it was severly damaged in a fire in 2007. Admission is by timed ticket and the opening hours are MOnday-Sunday 10:00 to 17:00.

With so much to see, Greenwich is the perfect place for a family day out. There are numerous eateries to choose from and for those who would like some live entertainment, there is the Greenwich Theatre. So, have a fun day in Greenwich.

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