London Drum

The Shard – View from the top of London's tallest skyscraper

Where? The Shard, 32 London Bridge Street, Southwark · Web: theviewfromtheshard.com Opening times? 12 noon to 8 PM (Wed-Fri & Sun during Mar); 1 PM to 9 PM (Mon-Fri & Sun during 1st half Apr, Wed-Fri & Sun during Sep-Dec); 2 PM to 10 PM (Mon-Fri & Sun during 2nd half Apr); 2 PM to 10 PM (Wed-Fri & Sun during May and 1st half Jul, Wed-Sun during Jun); 10 AM to 10 PM (Sat during Mar-May, first half Jul & Sep-Dec, Wed-Sun during 2nd half Jul, Mon-Sun during Aug) Visiting hours may change Price? Adults £32.00; Family ticket £100.00 Entry charges may change Time required? A typical visit is 1-1½ hours Parking: Nearby car parks Buses: 43, 48, 141, 149, 521 Bus fares Trains: The closest station is London Bridge Jubilee Northern Train fares

Tickets from £32 Book tickets

Purchase with confidence from Get Your Guide 24/7 multi-lingual customer support Free cancellation if made at least 24 hours in advance

Craig’s review… I hate heights but I’ve paid my money now so I suppose I’ll have to do it. My problem is that I always think I’ve picked the exact day when the building is going to fall down around me, but surely if it was going to collapse then it would have done that years ago, when it first opened, right? Because we build things to last in Britain. Look at St. Paul’s Cathedral as an example… the Germans dropped some bombs on that but Christopher Wren built it to be bomb proof – and they hadn’t even invented bombs back then. That is how totally amazing British builders are. So the odds of this falling down today are probably less than 1%.

The Shard behind HMS BelfastPhoto: londondrum.com
The Shard behind the battle cruiser HMS Belfast

Okay… now that I have totally and utterly convinced myself that it is 100% safe (or 99% safe) I am heading into the very posh reception area. It’s all polished glass, polished metal, polished shoes and polished teeth in here and it almost looks like a nightclub. It’s all neon lights, spotlights and movie music on the speakers. It’s how I imagine a space station of the future to be. Soon they’ll be sending space shuttles to the moon and this is where we’ll be boarding them. It certainly does get you in the mood for an adventure. Then they point you to the lift and that’s when the terror begins…

The Shard and London BridgePhoto: londondrum.com
The Shard behind City HallPhoto: londondrum.com
The Shard behind the old City Hall building

If I told you that this lift travelled faster than the speed of sound then I wouldn’t be very far off the mark. I swear to God that if the brakes weren’t working then this lift could probably launch you into orbit. If a suicidal bloke jumped off the top of the building then I reckon you could ride the lift all the way down to the ground and catch him – that is how fast it goes. Before the lift attendant had even had time to shut the door we were already at level 32. If it wasn’t for the fact that my ears had popped then I would have sworn we hadn’t moved at all. Your ears will definitely pop. Your eyes might pop as well. If something is poppable then it will probably pop. At level 32 you have to get out and enter a second lift to level 68. Then you have to walk up a short flight of stairs to level 69 and step out into the sky.

The public observation level at The ShardPhoto: londondrum.com

View of London’s skyline from the top of The Shard

The view is just… insane. It’s not unlike flying over London in a plane, but because I’m such a wuss with heights it takes me five minutes to steady myself before I can even approach the window. I have to stand at the wall like an idiot until I work up the guts to get close to the glass.

Luckily the building doesn’t sway about like the pods on the London Eye. It feels pretty solid and well built, but there are definitely moments when I think the floor is moving but I suppose it’s possible that’s just my jelly legs wobbling underneath me. I think the odds of it falling over are pretty slim, but you never know.

The telescopes inside the public observation levelPhoto: londondrum.com

Once I finally make it to the window the buildings that I already know are high, like the tall chimney of the Tate Modern, just look like building blocks beneath me. I remember when I went to St. Paul’s Cathedral the other day I chickened out of climbing to the very top because the level below was already too high for my bladder. But up here it just looks like a tiny toy building miles below me!

There is absolutely nothing that comes close to your height. Usually when you climb up a tall building there are lots of neighbouring buildings that are partly obscured by office blocks, but up here you can literally see the whole of London. The horizon is so far away that it blurs into the sky like a smudge. Distant hills are drained of colour and fade away to nothing.

View of St Paul’s from The ShardPhoto: londondrum.com
View of St. Paul’s Cathedral from the top of The Shard

You can see miles and miles of train tracks snaking their way from Waterloo all the way up to Greenwich, and you can stand here watch the carriages meandering up their muddy brown train-trails to a distant station outside the city. Cars are just dust. People are practically invisible – they are all too small to see.

If you know your geography then you can pick out the suburbs and the bend of the river past the Isle of Dogs. You can follow the Thames all the way past Docklands, the Thames Barrier, and a fair distance towards the sea.

The open-air level on the 72nd floor

The open air level at The ShardPhoto: londondrum.com

If you’re feeling brave then you walk up another few flights of stairs to the open-air level at 72. I had visions of me being blown over the edge by a force ten gale up here, like a crisp packet in the wind, but it’s actually quite pleasant. The glass walls are all taller than you so it’s not possible to stick your head over the edge and look down, but I wouldn’t recommend doing that anyway because the first things to go would be your teeth, quickly followed by your eyeballs as the hurricane-strength wind spaghettified your face. The scariest thing is when a plane flies nearby and you can hear the roar of the engines.

So is it worth a visit? Definitely. It’s easily the best viewing platform in London. If you’re scared of heights then bear in mind that I’m not a big fan either, and I handled it perfectly okay.

Worth a visit? Value for money? Good for kids? Easy to get to?

I also recommend… If you enjoy this then try ArcelorMittal Orbit (take a tube journey from London Bridge to Stratford); Cable Car (travel from London Bridge to North Greenwich via tube); London Eye (walk it in 30 mins or travel from London Bridge to Waterloo by tube) and Sky Garden (you can walk it 10 mins). You might like to read my review of my stay at the 5-star Shangri-La Hotel at The Shard as well

How to get to The Shard

Bus and train fares to The Shard
Fare zone Cash Oyster & Contactless Travelcard
Single fare Single fare Daily cap One day
Peak Off-peak Peak Off-peak Any­time Off-peak
Bus (all zones) n/a £1.75 £5.25 £6
Train (zone 1) £7 £2.90 £2.80 £8.90 £8.90 £16.60(zone 1-4) £16.60(zone 1-6)
Train (zone 1-2) £7 £3.50 £2.90 £8.90 £8.90
Train (zone 1-3) £7 £3.80 £3.10 £10.50 £10.50
Train (zone 1-4) £7 £4.60 £3.40 £12.80 £12.80
Train (zone 1-5) £7 £5.20 £3.60 £15.30 £15.30 £23.60(zone 1-6)
Train (zone 1-6) £7 £5.80* £3.80* £16.30 £16.30
* Journeys between zone 1 and Heathrow are always charged at the peak rate. Prices are correct as of
Bus No.43, 48, 141, 149 and 521 all stop near The Shard. The closest train station is London Bridge Jubilee Northern. Plan your journey from Bank, Charing Cross, Earl’s Court, Euston, King’s Cross St. Pancras, Liverpool Street, Marylebone, Paddington, Victoria, Waterloo or another station:

Related articles and events

Search for kid’s events in London, kid’s events today, tomorrow, this weekend and during April and May, or see what’s on near London Bridge

Today From £170 Dinner For Two at The Shard’s Shangri-La TING Restaurant

Dinner For Two at The Shard’s Shangri-La TING Restaurant