8 Lesser-Known Things to Do in Greenwich

I'd never spent much time in Greenwich until recently, and all I could have really told you before 2020 was there's a big boat thing, a market I'd once bought churros from and a park. The more time I've spent in this area, though, the more endearing I've realised it is - it's like it's own little village just a 5 minute train journey away from London.

In addition to the Cutty Sark, the huge National Maritime Museum, and the Old Royal Naval College, there are a lot of subtly beautiful spots in Greenwich if you know where to look - here are my top 8.

Most people I've mentioned this to have had no idea that there is a deer park within Greenwich park - they're not easy to find, despite it being the oldest of London's deer parks; they actually used to roam freely around the entire park until the 1920s, when - due to traffic - they were moved to the south east park by the Flower Garden.

Number 16, St Alfege passage, pictured above, no longer actually serves nectar tea - it's a bed and breakfast just tucked a couple of minutes away from the Cutty Sark. The colourful houses are on Point Hill - if you go to the top of the Hill to the little-known Point park, you'll also have panoramic views of London.

There are lots of streets full of pretty buildings hidden just away from the main bit of Greenwich; you could also walk down Ashburnham Grove next time you're in the area to see some beautiful homes.

The queue outside Dark Sugars made me realise that this place might just be my little secret after all, and for good reason. Whether you go for a hot chocolate in winter or ice cream in summer (a wide range of flavours & vegan options available), everything I've ever tried there has been incredible. It's an expensive option but worth it if you're any kind of chocolate enthusiast...

Okay, so this one is in Deptford, not Greenwich, but it's only a 10 minute walk or so away from the centre of Greenwich.

It's a double decker old fashioned London bus that has been turned into a restaurant and bar, and although I've never eaten there myself, I've been reliably informed that they offer excellent pizza and top-notch cocktails at a very affordable price for London.

Get a cup of tea from a red phone box on Greenwich High Road, two minutes from Greenwich market.

A few of these have popped up recently - there’s also phone box turned sweet shop by the Cutty Sark and a mini-library in a phone box in Lewisham. Fun fact: the red boxes were actually intended to be green and silver – but this was rejected by the Post Office on the basis that they would present 'a dangerous road hazard' in those colours.

The entrance to this is located right by the Cutty Sark, and both the Greenwich and Woolwich Foot Tunnels were originally built in 1902 and 1912 to provide local residents with reliable all-weather access to the London shipyards and docks on the north side of the Thames, but they're now popular with tourists and locals alike (well, in non-COVID times).

The Bridgerton Residence, for any Netflix enthusiasts, is actually called Ranger's House and is located in Greenwich, as it was Greenwich Park's ranger's (a royally appointed role) official residence for most of the 19th century.

In 1968, it got taken over by English Heritage and since 2002 it's housed the world-famous Wernher Collection of art.

You can find it around the back of Greenwich park.

Permission to open Greenwich's Royal Charter Market was granted to the Commissioners of Greenwich Hospital in 1700, making it one of London's oldest markets, and when it opened in 1737, it had about 60 stallholders: half were butchers and there was one grocer, one baker and one hatter.

Although it's unsurprisingly undergone a lot of change since then, the market has survived ever since and it's now London's only historic market in a World Heritage Site.

There are a lot of food (like the pretty little cafe pictured above, Turnips), antiques, jewellery and art (it's a great place to buy prints or cards) stands, mostly run by small independent businesses.