Greenwich to The Tower via Canary Wharf and the Thames Walking Tour

This great walk in London explores the maritime history of east London. The walk takes in Greenwich Market, National Maritime Museum, Greenwich Park, the Cutty Sark, Canary Wharf and the Docklands area, and the Thames as it winds to The Tower.

From the Greenwich DLR Station, go left and along College Way. Cross the busy College Approach and then go right into Greenwich Market. Greenwich Market is considered to be among the best of London’s covered markets. The market includes up to 120 stalls featuring craft and design, collectibles, and antiques. There are also several pubs, cafes, and restaurants in and around the market.

Walk through Greenwich Market and exit the other side, taking a left at Turnpin Lane. Continue on Turnpin Lane for 164ft, passing Goddards at Greenwich, a good place to get a traditional pie and mash.

Go right onto King Williams Walk and follow this, passing the Kings Arms, a pleasant pub. When you get to Nevada Street go left onto a path bordering Greenwich Park. Follow the path for 558ft before turning right onto a path leading into Greenwich Park. Within Greenwich Park you can find the Royal Observatory and the Prime Meridian Line. The park is also part of the Greenwich Maritime World Heritage Site which includes the Old Royal Naval College and The National Maritime Museum. Greenwich Park is the most historic of London’s Royal Parks as it dates back to Roman times.

Heading into the park on a path bordered by trees on both sides. The path slowly rises, and when you come to an intersection in front of a set of stairs, go to the left. Follow the path for 558ft to the end, passing the Meridian Line along the way and the entrance to the Royal Observatory. Home of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), the Royal Observatory’s Meridian Courtyard offers the perfect photo opportunity. Be sure to get a photo of yourself standing on the Meridian Line. The observatory also contains the only planetarium in the city.

Turn left to see the General James Wolf Statue. You will find spectacular views from the statue stretching across the Thames to St. Paul’s Cathedral. From the statue, walk straight for 49ft, then turn left onto the next path. Continue for another 180ft before taking a left at the next path. Keep straight for 1804ft, exiting the park and continuing onto Park Row.

After passing a carpark on your left, turn left to walk through the National Maritime Gardens and continue down the path for 755ft to the National Maritime Museum. The National Maritime Museum is definitely worth a stop, and has some great exhibits.

Come out of the museum, and continue straight walking through the grounds of the University of Greenwich down to the Thames, you are walking through the Naval College Gardens.

Go left at the Thames and continue walking past Greenwich Pier on your right. If you are hungry, stop at Nando’s and try their famous flame-grilled peri-peri chicken. Just after the pier, turn left to walk around the Cutty Sark. The Cutty Sark is much more interesting than you would expect. It is worth a visit as it is the only surviving tea clipper in the world. This nineteenth-century ship was the fastest of its time.

After walking around the Cutty Sark, take the Greenwich Foot Tunnel to cross under the Thames. Once you exit the Greenwich Foot Tunnel, turn left at Saunders Ness Road. You will now be walking up the Isle of Dogs. This was formerly one of the poorest parts of London. However, it is now being transformed by the Dockland’s, a new business district in London.

Continue onto Ferry Street for 656ft then take a right to stay on Ferry Street. Follow Ferry Street as it changes to East Ferry Road for 1312ft.

If you get lost in this section just remember to keep aiming at the big office towers ahead of you.

When you reach Spindrift Avenue on your left, walk straight to the path between Spindrift and East Ferry. Follow the path for 525ft towards Mudchute Station and then left to Spindrift Avenue. Turn right onto Spindrift Avenue for 49ft before turning right onto Nauticus Walk.

Continue on Nauticus Walk for 164ft then turn left onto Undine Road. Follow Undine Road for 66ft and turn right. Walk straight along Clippers Quay.

Follow the path along the water for 1969ft as it comes onto Millwall Outer Dock, a much larger body of water. Just before Pepper Street, you will pass the Manjal Indian Restaurant, a great Indian restaurant serving cuisine from both Northern and Southern India.

Eventually you come to Pepper Street and go left. Walk down Pepper Street for about 312ft, crossing over Millwall Inner Dock. Turn right and continue to follow the path along the water for 1476ft before turning right onto Marsh Wall.

Follow Marsh Wall for about 180ft then turn left at South Quay Walk. Continue on South Quay Walk for 1312ft before turning right to cross South Dock using the South Quay Footbridge. After crossing the footbridge, turn right and follow the Bellmouth Promenade West for 1804ft, walking along the water.

Turn left at South Colonnade and continue along it as it goes through the heart of Canary Wharf. If you need a coffee or snack to give you some energy, stop at Taylor St. Baristas or Café Brera at Canary Wharf. You also pass by the Canary Wharf tube station, where if you’re tired you can stop the walk and take the tube back. Otherwise, the walk will continue along the Thames via the Thames Path. The Thames Path offers the chance to see parts of London that are not often frequented by tourists.

To continue the walk, turn left onto West India Avenue and walk towards Westferry Circus and a big roundabout. Go through the roundabout until you reach the Thames, where you turn right and follow the Thames Path. The path is marked by the Thames Path National Trail symbol.

For 1476ft you will follow along the river then you will turn left to walk along Narrow Street for 2461ft. Along Narrow Street you will pass by The Grapes, a historic pub and one of the oldest in London. From Narrow Street you will return to the river on the Thames Path for about 0.7mi, passing the King Edward VII Memorial Park along the way.

Follow the Thames path as it strays from the Thames and then comes back to walk along the Thames. It soon goes right to Wapping Wall and crosses a bridge before coming back to the Thames for a short time, and then going back onto Wapping Wall. Right near the corner where you turn onto Wapping Wall you can find the Prospect of Whitby, a great traditional British pub with views over the Thames.

Go left when you get to Garnet Street and it soon changes into Wapping High Street. Follow Wapping High Street, it’s one of the more boring parts of the walk until you see Knighten Street on your right, and take the path to the left.

Follow the path down to the Thames and then go along the Thames to the Hermitage Riverside Memorial Garden. Take a walk through the garden before turning left onto Wapping High Street again.

Walk down Wapping High Street for 115ft before turning right at St Katharine’s Way. Continue on St Katharine’s Way for 49ft then head back towards the river. Follow the path along the river until it joins back up with St Katharine’s Way and then turn left.

Continue on St Katharine’s Way for 427ft before turning right onto Mews Street. Walk down Mews Street for 49ft and then turn left. Follow the path for 66ft and take a right at the split before the water. Along the way, you will pass through the St Katharine Docks, a fun little place with many pubs and restaurants. It is a good place to get a meal or take a break. The Dickens Inn is a good place for a break.

Make your way through St Katharine Docks and aim to come out at the NW exit, where you should see the Tower of London in front of you and Tower Bridge if you look left. The Tower of London is a must-see place in London. Be sure to walk around the entire tower as it is filled with many interesting exhibits and other things, including The Crown Jewels. Online and other discounts can be found on the Tower of London’s website.

Continue through Tower of London Park. to reach the Tower Hill tube station.