Going to do a partial "day trip" to Greenwich to visit the Maritime Museum, Cutty Sark, and the GMT line. I figure I am going to take a Thames Uber Boat....just to save some time.. Is there a need to pre-book any of the necessary tickets for the Greenwich area experiences? I think the Maritime Museum is free. Any tips for an aimless wanderer? TIA!
Posted by
Preston UK
1863 posts
Personally I think the outstanding sight in Greenwich is the Painted Hall in the old Royal Naval College - the UK’s version of the Sistine Chapel.
Posted by
Penzance
189 posts
Take the boat by all means but it probably won’t save time, depending on where you are starting from of course.
Posted by
London
1308 posts
Where will you be coming from? The boat is unlikely to be the fastest way, but it's its own experience, so I would only do that if you wanted to enjoy views of London from the river. I've never prebooked anything in Greenwich so you should be fine- and you're correct the Maritime Museum is free. Some other good sites in Greenwich:
-Greenwich Park- which you will see if you visit the Greenwich Meridian at the Greenwich Observatory- and you can even find Queen Caroline's old sunken bath in one corner of the park (near The Ranger's House)
-The Queen's House, which has a haunted staircase (and is also just a nice historic home to visit)
-The Ranger's House, which has a very nice art collection (which is totally unrelated to the house- they needed a place to display it and this historic home happened to be available)
-Greenwich market- both for food and items
-St Alfege Church- nice historic church to wander into
-Fan Museum- also has a really nice place to eat (The Orangerie)
-Old Royal Naval College with painted hall (as mentioned above)
If you'd like to have lunch or a drink at a pub with a nice view of the river I like The Sail Loft and Trafalgar Tavern. Enjoy your visit!
Posted by
Camano Island, WA, usa
1731 posts
Be sure to check out the Prime Guide Meridian,which is the base of Greenwich Mean Time, up on the hill. It is fun to take photos of you standing on both sides of the World!
Posted by
Lynnwood, Washington
10108 posts
The Thames Uber boat is my favorite way to get to Greenwich. I’m usually walking so much in London that this scenic ride on the river is a great break!
Cutty Sark is right next to the pier and you can make it through in about an hour unless this is a site of particularly high interest to you. The Maritime museum is a few blocks further along and, once again it could be 1-2 hours.
I would definitely detour over to the Painted Hall (30 min) before going up the hill to the Royal Observatory. The Royal Observatory can be just a few minutes if your only interest is the Prime Meridian or it can be another hour if you enjoy science and astronomy exhibits.
The Cutty Sark, The Maritime Museum, and the Royal Observatory all have small cafeterias associated with them which can save you some time as you don’t have to go search for a place to eat.
No need to prebook tickets. The Museums Greenwich day pass would save you money with this itinerary.
Posted by
Colorado Mountains, USA
8732 posts
A few moments before 1PM, stand outside the Maritime Museum and face the Royal Observatory. There’s a big ball at the top of a post, which boats nearby used to use to synchronize their clocks. At precisely 1:00, the ball drops, where “Keep your eye on the Ball” originated, before baseball picked up the phrase. Sailors seeing exactly when the ball dropped would have the correct time from that moment onward.