Greenwich is brilliant on its own, but one of the best things about studying here is how quickly you can be somewhere completely different. Central London, South London, East London... It's all right there. A short train ride, a bus, or even a walk, and you're in a totally different part of the city.
Here are 11 spots worth knowing about, starting with the one right under your nose.
Deptford Market Yard and Deptford High Street
Deptford is literally one stop away on the DLR, and it's one of the most underrated parts of South East London. The market on the high street has been running for centuries, and it's still properly buzzing, especially on Saturdays. You'll find cheap fruit and veg, street food, fabric stalls, and a general energy that feels nothing like a chain-store high street.
Deptford Market Yard is the newer addition. Independent food spots, coffee, vintage pop-ups. It's got that creative, slightly scrappy feel that a lot of London neighbourhoods have lost. Basically, Deptford is Greenwich's cooler, slightly chaotic neighbour, and you'll probably end up there more than you expect.
Peckham
Peckham is about 25 minutes by bus, and it punches well above its weight. Peckham Levels is the headline, a multi-storey car park turned into a creative hub with food vendors, bars, a cinema space, and art studios.
Beyond that, Rye Lane is one of the most vibrant high streets in London. West African food, Caribbean groceries, vintage shops, tiny cafés. It feels alive in a way that a lot of more polished areas don't. If you want to explore a side of London that isn't in the guidebooks, start here.
South Bank and Bankside
Jump on the Jubilee Line from North Greenwich, and you're at Waterloo in about 15 minutes. From there, the South Bank stretch is one of the best walks in London. Tate Modern, the National Theatre, the BFI, Shakespeare's Globe, Borough Market, street performers, skateboarders, bookstalls under Waterloo Bridge... it just keeps going.
Borough Market deserves its own mention. The food is incredible, and if you go during the week, it's a lot less rammed than on Saturdays. It's one of those places where you can spend very little or completely blow your budget. Your call.
Shoreditch and Brick Lane
It takes about 30 to 40 minutes from Greenwich, depending on how you go, but Shoreditch is worth the trip. Brick Lane on a Sunday is a full experience. Street food, vintage markets, record shops, curry houses, and more street art than you can photograph in an afternoon.
Beyond the markets, the area around Shoreditch High Street has a load of bars, coffee shops, and independent stores. It can feel a bit try-hard in places, but there's a reason it's been one of London's most popular spots for years. It still delivers.
Bermondsey and Maltby Street Market
Bermondsey is a short bus ride or a couple of stops on the Jubilee Line, and it has quietly become one of the best food neighbourhoods in London. Maltby Street Market runs on weekends under the railway arches, and it's smaller and less touristy than Borough Market but arguably just as good. Think sourdough, tacos, freshly shucked oysters, and coffee that people genuinely queue for.
The area around it is full of independent galleries, breweries, and converted warehouse spaces. It's got a proper weekend-in-London feel to it without the crowds you get further west.
Brixton
Brixton is easy to get to by bus or by connecting through central, and it's one of those places that just has a feeling to it. Brixton Village and Pop Brixton are the main draws for food, with dozens of small restaurants and street food spots packed into indoor markets. The range is wild. Jamaican, Colombian, Vietnamese, Ethiopian, Italian... all within about 50 metres of each other.
It's also a brilliant area for live music. The O2 Academy Brixton is one of the most iconic music venues in the country, and there are smaller spots like Hootananny and The Windmill that regularly host up-and-coming artists. If music is your thing, you'll end up in Brixton a lot.
Canary Wharf and the Isle of Dogs
Technically, this is right next door, but a lot of people don't realise how much there is to do in Canary Wharf beyond the office blocks. There's a massive Everyman cinema, a bowling alley, waterfront restaurants, and a genuinely impressive winter lights festival every year.
The bit most people miss is the Crossrail Place Roof Garden. It's a free tropical garden hidden inside one of the buildings, and it's the kind of thing you'd never know existed unless someone told you. There are also free outdoor film screenings and live music events through the summer months.
You can walk there through the Greenwich Foot Tunnel in about 15 minutes. Underground, under the Thames. It's been there since 1902, and it's still one of the more unusual ways to get anywhere in London.
Camden Town
Camden is a bit further out, but it's doable in about 40 minutes, and it's one of those places every London student should visit at least once. Camden Market is massive. Street food from everywhere, vintage clothing, handmade jewellery, and a general atmosphere that's somewhere between a festival and a flea market.
The area along Regent's Canal is also worth a walk. You can follow it from Camden Lock all the way to King's Cross. Good for a change of scenery when Greenwich Park isn't cutting it.
Soho and the West End
The DLR and Jubilee Line can get you into the West End in around 30 minutes, and Soho is one of those areas where you can just wander. Restaurants, theatres, record shops, cocktail bars, comedy clubs. It's loud, it's packed, and it's unapologetically central London.
If you're into theatre, the TKTS booth in Leicester Square does same-day discounted tickets. It's the cheapest way to see a West End show without booking months in advance. Chinatown is also right there, and the food options go way beyond the obvious.
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace is about 30 minutes by bus, and it feels like a completely different pace. Crystal Palace Park has full-sized Victorian dinosaur sculptures, which sounds bizarre but is genuinely brilliant. They were built in the 1850s before anyone really knew what dinosaurs looked like, so they're hilariously inaccurate, but they've become iconic.
The triangle area around the park has great independent restaurants, pubs, and a proper weekend market. It's the kind of place that feels more like a small town than part of London, and it's a nice change when you want to slow things down a bit.
The University of Greenwich campus itself
Before you go anywhere else, it's worth saying this: the campus is genuinely one of the most impressive in the country. The buildings were designed by Christopher Wren, the same architect behind St Paul's Cathedral, and they were originally built as the Old Royal Naval College. Henry VIII was born on this site. So was Elizabeth I. You'll be studying in a place with serious history.
Inside, there's the Painted Hall, which took artist James Thornhill 19 years to complete. The ceiling is extraordinary, and it's free for Greenwich students. The grounds themselves are worth a wander too, especially on a sunny evening when the light hits the colonnades, and the Thames is right there beside you.
The Students' Union runs events, socials and nights out throughout the year, and Greenwich Market is a two-minute walk from campus, so you're never short of food options between lectures. You'll also probably recognise the buildings from The Crown, Pirates of the Caribbean, and a long list of other film and TV shoots. It's that kind of place.
Once you start exploring beyond the main tourist spots, Greenwich has a lot more going on than people expect. Greenwich Theatre puts on a solid programme of plays and musicals throughout the year, and Up the Creek is one of the best-known comedy clubs on the London circuit. Big names do sets there regularly, and the open mic nights can be brilliantly chaotic. Both are walkable from campus, and neither will cost you a fortune.
When you're done, the riverside pubs are hard to beat. The Trafalgar Tavern has been going since 1837 and sits practically next door to campus. The Cutty Sark Pub and The Gipsy Moth are popular too. Decent drinks, tables outside, views of the Thames. After a long week, sitting by the river with a pint is about as good as it gets.
Getting around
One of the biggest advantages of studying at the University of Greenwich is how well-connected it is. The DLR, Jubilee Line, buses, boats, and even the foot tunnel mean you can get to most of these spots without much planning. An Oyster card or contactless payment is all you need.
London is a city that rewards exploring, and the more you get out there, the more it opens up. These eleven are just a starting point.
So - beyond study - there should be more than just a few things to explore in your spare time! Come and discover the Greenwich Business School and our vibrant campus at one of our University Open Days and see if Greenwich is the place for you.
