LDN Explores: Cycling from Canary Wharf to Greenwich with Santander Cycles

Last updated on June 17th, 2023 at 10:24 pm

Cycling from Canary Wharf to Greenwich is is a wonderful day out, whether you live in London or are just visiting. Canary Wharf and Greenwich are the perfect contrast, from the tall modern buildings of the financial heart of the city, to the historical architecture of Greenwich. Renting bikes and cycling between the areas means that you get to explore two iconic London neighbourhoods in a chilled out manner, and get a whole lot more exercise than just standing on the tube.

Be sure to save this route from Canary Wharf to Greenwich to use when you’re next visiting, or looking for something cheap to do in London.

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The impromptu route made for a great, bit of a different day out, which I couldn’t wait to share for others to enjoy. Canary Wharf and Greenwich are such beautiful areas without feeling tourist-y, and on the way back the views of the City skyline as you cycle along the Thames are unbeatable. Plus plenty of places to stop for a drink or food. No worries if you don’t have a bike; this route from Canary Wharf to Greenwich is based on renting Santander bikes!

Not hired Santander bikes before? Get all the deets here.

I would leave around three hours for this route, allowing for around an hours’ stop in Greenwich. The route isn’t too long itself, but by the time you’ve added in a couple of stops and walked through the Greenwich Foot Tunnel you can easily fill a whole afternoon.

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Canary Wharf to Greenwich: The Route

To begin, I’d recommend getting the DLR to Blackwall or Poplar, where there’s a bike docking point by each station. Once bikes are rented, follow the map through points two, three and four, down the main road through Cubbit Town. For those that don’t like cycling in the road (aka me) this route is really wide and was pretty quiet so was pleasant to cycle down. Follow the road all the way down to Island Gardens, which is just over 1.5 miles so won’t take that long on a bike.

Dock the bikes at either Saunders Ness Road or Stebondale Street (find Santander docking stations here) ready to head through the Greenwich Foot Tunnel. You could keep the bikes with you to cycle around Greenwich, however bare in mind that there are no docking points there, and there’s a lot of spiral stairs up and down to the tunnel.

For more days out in London, check out our walk along Regent’s Canal from King’s Cross to Little Venice

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Exploring Greenwich

You’ll pop out from the Greenwich foot tunnel at the Cutty Sark, the world’s only surviving clipper ship. With the market, park, shops and many pubs all within walking distance, you can easily spend a whole day in Greenwich, however we used our time to grab some street food in the market and sit down for a well deserved drink in the sun outside The Old Brewery. Greenwich pubs that I recommend a bev in are: The Gipsy Moth; The Sail Loft; Trafalgar Tavern; The Old Brewery and The Cutty Sark.

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Hydrated with Meantime Lager and bellies full of Cuban Sandwiches from the market, back we headed through the Foot Tunnel and re-hired bikes. From the Island Garden bike docks, head West along the river, towards stop eight on the map below. The path is right along the Thames so feels really serene, with beautiful views of the South side of the river. Be sure to have a nosey at some of the beautiful flats along the river too, house goals!

Follow the road marked on the map all the way up to Canary Wharf, and take a right into the heart of the Financial District. This is pretty much where our route ends, leaving you free to grab dinner or some drinks, or continue cycling all the way back to Blackwall if you fancy it. If you’re ending the route here, there are plenty of Santander bike docks in Canary Wharf. Head into One Canada Square for some shopping, from everything from Zara to Mulberry, or West India Quay to the North of Canary Wharf for some holiday-esque alfresco dining overlooking the dock.

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This Canary Wharf to Greenwich route doesn’t look too far on a map, but makes for a really wholesome, cheap day out. You can go as far as you like; you could take the bikes over the Greenwich, or just do the cycle from Blackwall down to Island Gardens and stop there. I like to think that the further you go, the more good food you deserve afterwards! Let me know if you try this route from Canary Wharf to Greenwich, and what you thought of it.

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