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Greenwich: the Observatory to the O2
riversideheritage

Greenwich: the Observatory to the O2

Time, tea, a ship in dry dock, and the strangest riverfront walk in London.

Distance

5 km

Time

~ 90 min

Start

Greenwich DLR

End

North Greenwich

Best at

afternoon

Right now
28°C· Clear

12 nearby transit lines disrupted — Waterloo & City, District.

Open in Maps for turn-by-turn, or take it offline as GPX.

Greenwich makes sense as a walk and nothing else. The observatory, the ships, the tunnel under the river, the sudden turn toward the dome — it's a five-kilometre line that covers four centuries.

Start at the top. Climb to the Royal Observatory, stand on the meridian, say the thing about zero degrees out loud. Drop through the park past the Queen's House and the Painted Hall — both worth stopping at, though only the Hall is worth the ticket.

At the river you get the Cutty Sark, which is less hokey than expected. The foot tunnel is free; take thirty seconds to walk down the spiral stair and feel the shift of air, then come straight back. Don't cross.

The last stretch is the strange one. You walk east along the Thames Path past the power station ruin and the wharves, and the O2 dome looms up looking like it shouldn't be there. Get there at the hour and the cable car's moving overhead. End in the plaza; jump on the Jubilee line.

The route

On the map.

Elevation

74 m·108 m·048 m ASL

Stops along the way

Things to notice.

  1. Royal Observatory1

    Royal Observatory

    Don't do the planetarium unless you have kids. Do walk up the hill to the statue of Wolfe and stand on the meridian line for free.

  2. 02
    2

    Queen's House & Painted Hall

    The Painted Hall is London's most under-visited masterpiece. Ten pounds, half an hour, ceiling by Thornhill.

  3. Cutty Sark3

    Cutty Sark

    You can walk right under the hull. It's cheaper outside than in, and arguably the better view.

  4. 04
    4

    Greenwich Foot Tunnel

    Duck in for thirty seconds. The Victorian tile and the slight damp smell are very specifically London. Come back up the same side.

  5. 05
    5

    Trinity Buoy Wharf view

    From the riverside path, look north. The lighthouse across the water is real and still working. That's your target.

  6. 06
    6

    The O2 plaza

    Finish in the dome's outer ring. Noisy if there's a gig, peaceful at 4pm on a Tuesday. The Jubilee line takes you home in two stops.