Greenwich Park

What makes it special

The statue of General Wolfe stands at the park's most popular viewpoint. Below it, the hill drops to the Queen's House and the old Royal Naval College, with the Thames and the towers of Canary Wharf behind them. On a clear day you can pick out St Paul's Cathedral and the Shard to the west.

The giant grass terraces of the Grand Ascent climb the slope below the hilltop. They belong to a landscape designed for King Charles II in the 1660s, which had almost disappeared through erosion before the Royal Parks re-established it.

Beside the viewpoint, a metal line set into the Royal Observatory courtyard marks the Prime Meridian. Since 1884, every distance east and west has been measured from this line.

The Observatory also holds John Harrison's marine timekeepers, the clocks that let ships find their longitude at sea, and one of the biggest telescopes in the world, under an onion dome. The courtyard, the line and these collections all sit inside the ticketed Observatory, not the open park.

Visiting

One steep climb joins the two halves of the park: the river side, with the National Maritime Museum and the Queen's House, and the hilltop around the Observatory. The National Maritime Museum and the Queen's House are both free, open daily from 10am to 5pm with last entry at 4.15pm, and booking is recommended.

From the museums, take the main path up the hill, which has some steps. At the top, stop by the statue for the view, then walk on into the park.

Next comes the Flower Garden, with old trees and bright flower beds. Carry on to One Tree Hill, a quieter summit with its own view over London, before you walk back down to the river side.

Tips

Picnics are welcome in the park, barbecues are not. Bikes may ride only where marked, such as The Avenue and Blackheath Avenue, and dogs are kept out of the Flower Garden and the Royal Observatory Garden.

Accessible toilets are on The Avenue, at Blackheath Gates and by the playground, with a Changing Places toilet at the Ignatius Sancho Café. The mobility buggy stops at three points around the park on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, but it does not run from November to April.

For a sit-down drink, the Parkside Café at the National Maritime Museum is just down the hill.