London Drum

London’s best views - Highest viewing platforms

★ArcelorMittal OrbitArcelorMittal Orbit

Under £15The ArcelorMittal Orbit is a viewing tower that overlooks the old Olympic Stadium, but it also has a twisting tube slide around the outside

★★★Big BenBig Ben’s belfry

From £55A guided tour that takes you up to the top of the belfry where you can stand behind the clock faces and next to Big Ben’s bell as it strikes the hour

★★★IFS Cloud cable carCable Car

Only £7The cable car between The O2 and ExCel Centre gives you a great view of London as it carries you across the Thames

★★Greenwich ParkGreenwich Hill

FreeThe view from the top of Greenwich Hill takes in the entire span of London from the City skyscrapers in the west all the way round to the O2 Arena

★★★London EyeLondon Eye

From £37The London Eye is one of the most popular family days out. The queues can be long but it’s worth the wait for the fantastic views at the top

★★The MonumentThe Monument

Only £7The Monument to the Great Fire of London in 1666 has a balcony at the top which gives you some decent views of the offices in the Square Mile

Climbing up the O2’s roofThe O2’s roof walkway

-Climb to the top of the O2 Arena’s big tent roof and enjoy a spectacular 360-degree view of the London skyline from the viewing platform

★★★St Paul’s CathedralOne New Change

FreeOne New Change is a shopping centre close to St. Paul’s Cathedral which offers some great views from their open-air rooftop terrace

★★Parliament HillParliament Hill

FreeSee London’s skyline from the summit of Parliament Hill taking in the City, St Paul’s, London Eye and Canary Wharf’s skyscrapers

★★Primrose HillPrimrose Hill

FreePrimrose Hill is a lot higher than it looks from the ground and has one of the finest views of the London skyline from anywhere in the city

★★★St Paul’s CathedralSt Paul’s Whispering Gallery

From £24St Paul’s has three levels you can climb: the Whispering Gallery, Stone Gallery and Golden Gallery on top of the dome

★★★The ShardThe Shard

From £32If your children are okay with heights then take them to the top of The Shard where they can see the whole of London laid out before them

★★★Sky GardenSky Garden

FreeTheir viewing deck is lower than The Shard’s, but the Sky Garden’s also has a tropical rainforest in it – thirty-five floors above London

★★Tower BridgeTower Bridge

From £18Every tourist takes a photo of Tower Bridge. It looks gothic but it was built by the Victorians. The drawbridge opens up a couple of times a day

★★Wellington ArchWellington Arch

Under £10The balcony at the top of Wellington Arch has a view of Constitution Hill, Apsley House and part of the gardens at Buckingham Palace

★★Westminster CathedralWestminster Cathedral bell tower

The most important Roman Catholic church in England has a bell tower with an observation platform at the top

Some more ideas to help you plan your holiday

Top 10 London landmarks

Big Ben and the London Eye are both in my top ten list of London’s most famous landmarks. Now find out which are the other eight

The Ultimate London Bucket List

I’ve visited all of the attractions on this page myself, and many of them made my London bucket list of places every tourist should visit

Top 10 places to take a photo in London

Taking a photo on the London Eye and at the top of The Shard both made my list of ten best places to take a photo in London