Even with hundreds of years of history under its belt, Greenwich isn’t content to rest on its laurels. Instead, this Thameside town thrives on the thrill of the new while remaining immensely proud of its heritage.

Greenwich was originally a fishing village, which grew after Henry V’s brother enclosed a large tract of land in 1433 to create the park.

He also built a riverside palace where Henry VIII, Mary Tudor and Elizabeth I were born. The palace was later replaced by the twin-domed Old Royal Naval College, designed by Sir Christopher Wren.

Across the road is the Queen’s House, commissioned in 1616 by James I’s wife, Anne of Denmark, and now part of the National Maritime Museum. It was Britain’s first Palladian building and its elegant proportions and classic lines were regarded as revolutionary by those accustomed to timber-beamed Tudor architecture.

The Old Royal Observatory in Greenwich Park is another Wren building and home to the Prime Meridian of the world. Time in every place on Earth is measured from here, and you can straddle the Meridian line and stand with a foot in each hemisphere. From the Observatory there are sweeping views of the river, City and Docklands.

Greenwich’s historic and architectural importance was officially recognised in 1997, when Maritime Greenwich was awarded World Heritage Site status.

The borough of Greenwich also received another rare accolade early in 2012, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee year. In honour of its longstanding links with the monarchy, it became a Royal Borough, one of only four in the country.

There was further cause for celebration that summer when Greenwich Park hosted the Olympic and Paralympic equestrian events and parts of the modern pentathlon.

Two years on, the feel-good factor shows no sign of subsiding. Greenwich has a real buzz, bags of charm and plenty to attract homebuyers as well as day trippers.

It’s big on the cute period cottages that young professionals and creative types adore, and offers ready-made entertainment day and night.

‘Greenwich has everything: the park, the river, the Maritime Museum, the Cutty Sark, the Observatory, the market, pubs, coffee shops and restaurants. There’s always loads going on and it’s great for young kids,’ says Graham Lawes of estate agency Jones Lang LaSalle.

‘Many attractions are free – from the entry to some of the museums and to festivals and music recitals. The commute is a dream – you can leave your desk in Canary Wharf and be home in half an hour, or even walk to work.’

Greenwich station has the DLR and trains to London Bridge, Waterloo East and Charing Cross. It’s in Zone 2 and an annual Travelcard into Zone 1 costs £1,256. You can also catch the DLR at Cutty Sark station, the Jubilee Line from North Greenwich or take a Thames Clipper along the river to Embankment.

‘The Olympics put Greenwich firmly on the map. This year there’s a resurgence of people looking to buy,’ continues Lawes. ‘Some who’d been trapped in rented accommodation are now getting on to the property ladder, and there’s a migration of buyers from north and west London, as well as the local market.

‘One-bed flats start at about £300,000, and two-bed cottages which sold for £400,000 last year are now £500,000 to £550,000. Three-storey Victorian houses in the Ashburnham Triangle – popular with career-driven couples in their early thirties – are £900,000 to £1.2million, and larger period houses in Hyde Vale and Gloucester Circus sell for £1.5 to £3million.’

The lettings market is busy too, boosted by University of Greenwich students. Rents start at around £750 a month for a studio.

Greenwich Hospital Estate – which owns riverside land and the central commercial area – is upgrading old buildings and transforming space above shops into rental apartments for locals.

It’s providing further rental homes in an eco-friendly new-build scheme of four two-bed townhouses and three two-bed apartments by Trehearne Architects on Old Woolwich Road. Rents are from £1,325 per month, through Jones Lang LaSalle.

New homes in several high-spec developments are currently for sale across Greenwich. Galliard Homes’ New Capital Quay is surrounded by water on three sides and features 636 apartments kitted with Miele appliances, TVs in en-suite bathrooms and 24-hour on-site security. Prices start at £458,000.

At Prime Place, by Willmott Dixon, the final phase of one, two and three-bed apartments has been launched. All come with balconies, some have access to a terrace, and two-beds are priced from £475,000.

Greenwich Square, by Hadley Mace, is being created around a public piazza, with leisure facilities, shops, cafés and amenities, plus a mix of apartments, maisonettes and townhouses. Two-beds are from £499,950 and four-bed townhouses, from £750,000, will be launched next month through Savills.

Homes at The Peltons in east Greenwich range from one-bed flats to four-bed houses, from £305,000. And at United House Developments’ Paynes & Borthwick, 90 per cent of apartments are now sold. Prices for those remaining range from £595,000 to £1million.