Royal Greenwich Area Guide
Eltham: things to do, parks, families & local guide
Art Deco glamour, royal history, green parks and a proper South East London High Street. There’s more to Eltham than you might expect.
Worth exploring
Pick your Eltham adventure
Palaces, parks and places to pop into. Swipe to explore.
Royal history, Art Deco interiors and gardens.
Playground, café, picnic spots and Green Chain walks.
Green space and room for a longer wander.
Eltham LibraryEltham · Library access freeBooks, local resources and family activities.
Eltham Palace may be the best-known landmark, but there are parks, woodland and local discoveries beyond its gates.
Eltham Palace & Gardens
An unusual combination of medieval royal site and Art Deco mansion, now cared for by English Heritage. The gardens make it a fuller day out than simply touring the interiors.
Eltham High Street
The town centre has shops, cafés, places to eat and useful local services.
Avery Hill
Explore the park and its open spaces, with seasonal events listed separately below.
Free things to do
Combine Eltham Park South, a library visit and a High Street wander for a low-cost day out.
Planning Eltham Palace? From 25 October 2026, opening hours change; from 2 November it moves to weekends only. The lift is currently out of service, so the upper floor is stairs-only. Check opening and access before visiting.
Green Eltham
Parks & nature
Parks, playgrounds and woodland walks — plenty of free outdoor options.
Eltham Park South
A substantial local park with a playground, café and toilets, sports facilities, outdoor gym and Green Chain Walk route. It also hosts seasonal activity such as Spook in the Park.
Eltham Park North
The northern side adds another local green-space option and connects into the broader landscape around this part of Eltham.
Avery Hill Park
A large open-space anchor on the eastern side of Eltham. The council lists a playground, outdoor gym, café and toilets, a Green Chain Walk section and wheelchair-accessible facilities. Check specific paths and facilities for your needs.
Woodland & walks
Eltham’s park network connects into wooded areas and longer local walking possibilities. Check the route, gradients and path surfaces before setting out, especially if travelling with a wheelchair or buggy.
With children
Kids & families
Mix a free park day with library activities or a visit to Eltham Palace.
Eltham Palace
Family trails and seasonal programmes regularly add another layer to a standard visit; Halloween 2026 includes the Great Pumpkin Party during half term.
Park days
Eltham Park South and other local green spaces are the obvious lower-cost option when the aim is play, fresh air and not overplanning the day.
High Street & community activity
Check Eltham Library and local community venues for current family sessions and school-holiday activities.
Seasonal Eltham
Halloween, Christmas and school-holiday events will feed the What’s On layer so the evergreen family information stays useful all year.
Planning an autumn visit? Our Halloween guide brings together spooky events and family activities, while our Greenwich and Eltham half-term ideas offer more inspiration for October.
Plan the actual visit
Accessibility
Accessibility varies between the station, Palace and parks. Check the details for your destination.
Eltham Palace
There are designated disabled parking bays, ramped wheelchair access, accessible toilets and resting points. Assistance dogs are welcome.
Important Palace access note
English Heritage currently reports the Palace lift out of service, so upper floors can only be reached by stairs. A virtual tour is available through its multimedia guide. Check for updates before visiting.
Palace grounds
The route from the visitor centre includes lightly gravelled path, while a bridge section is cobbled; gradients and uneven areas also occur in the grounds.
Parks & High Street
Accessible toilets, Blue Badge parking, surfaces and rest points vary by destination. Check the individual venue or park before travelling.
Rail, bus & local connections
Getting around Eltham
Eltham station, the High Street and Avery Hill are separate stops. Check your route before travelling.
Eltham station
Southeastern’s National Rail station on Well Hall Road is the main rail connection for Eltham, with central-London and wider South East London links.
132 & 161
Route 132 is useful between Eltham, Kidbrooke and North Greenwich. The 161 connects Eltham with Queen Elizabeth Hospital and the Woolwich/North Greenwich corridor.
162, 286 & 314
These open up useful cross-borough connections: Bromley/Beckenham on the 162, Greenwich/Blackheath and Sidcup direction on the 286, and Bromley/New Addington on the 314.
321 & route network
The 321 links Eltham High Street with Sidcup and New Cross Gate. Clarissa’s Corner also has route-level coverage for the 386 through the Eltham/Kidbrooke side towards Blackheath, Greenwich and Woolwich.
See the full Getting to Eltham guide for detailed routes, access, fares and getting-home pointers.
Changing throughout the year
What’s on in Eltham
Look out for local family activities, Halloween attractions and seasonal events.
Halloween at Eltham Palace
The Great Pumpkin Party runs during October half term 2026, layering family Halloween activity onto a normal Palace visit. Read the current guide.
The Nightmare Realm at Avery Hill
A very different side of local Halloween: a large-scale immersive horror attraction running on selected nights in October and early November 2026. See the Nightmare Realm guide.
Spook in the Park
Eltham Park South hosts Spook in the Park on 24–25 October 2026, 11am–5pm, with a children’s funfair, small-business market, music, food and drink. The poster does not confirm event admission prices; individual activities or refreshments may cost extra.
Christmas & beyond
See our Christmas guide for festive days out and events.
Keep exploring
Nearby
Eltham connects naturally with Kidbrooke, Mottingham, New Eltham and Sidcup. Explore the Royal Greenwich guide, the Kidbrooke guide, or the Charlton guide.
A very short local history
Royal Eltham to suburban London
Eltham Palace began as a medieval royal residence before becoming an extraordinary Art Deco home in the 1930s. Its story is one of Eltham’s biggest surprises.
For more detail on the Palace’s medieval and Art Deco history, visit the official English Heritage visitor information.