This list of best viewpoints in London It is perfect to know from where you can enjoy the panoramic views of one of the most impressive cities in the world.
City that impresses from the air, thanks to its historic center full of old buildings with few floors and green areas, London is a real spectacle from a bird's eye view. In addition, you will not have to go far to get good views from the tallest buildings, since you only have to move to The City, the financial part of the city, located near the Cathedral of Saint Paul.
It is in this neighborhood and along the bank of the River Thames, between the Westminster Bridge and the Tower Bridge, where several paid and free viewpoints are concentrated, with great views from its terraces.
Based on the experience of all our trips to this essential city, being the last of a month staying in Notting Hill, during which we wrote this travel guide to London, we have made this list of what we think, are the 5 best viewpoints of London. We start!
1. The Shard
The Shard is the tallest building in the entire United Kingdom with a height of 310 meters and the sixth tallest in Europe and is from the 68, 69 and 72 floors of this modern building, opened in 2012, from where you can enjoy the best views of London.
Keep in mind that the best option to get to The Shard is the subway, with the Northern and Jubilee lines, getting off at London Bridge station.
Once in the building you can buy the standard ticket at the box office on the ground floor for 32 pounds or book this ticket in advance, which will allow you to choose the access time of the day you have chosen, something highly recommended especially if you want to come a Weekend or high season, as there are usually many queues.
In addition, the tickets have a time guarantee, which means that, in case of poor visibility, something very common in London, you can re-enter the viewpoint for free within the next three months.
The only drawback is that although all the viewpoint floors offer 360 degree views, they are through a glass and that takes a bit of "authenticity".
Despite that and despite the high price, it seemed to us a spectacular viewpoint, which allows you to see the entire city from a unique position, something that puts you in the first position of the best viewpoints in London.
You can find more information about this viewpoint in this guide to visit The Shard in London.
Remember that if you have the London Pass, the London tourist card that includes more than 80 attractions, admission is free.
For more information about this card you can consult this post about the London Pass.
Visiting hours: every day from April to October from 10am to 10pm. The rest of the year from Sunday to Wednesday closes at 7pm.
The shard
2. Sky Garden
One of the best things to do in London for free before sunset is to go up to the Sky Garden from where you can enjoy the best sunset over the city.
This free viewpoint offers 360 degree panoramic views from the different observation platforms and from an outdoor terrace, all located on the top floor. In addition to the fantastic views, the Sky Garden allows you to enjoy the highest public garden in London, have a drink in one of the two bars with live music or dine in three different restaurants.
Keep in mind that the free access spaces to the viewpoint leave every 15 days and sell out quickly, so you have to be very attentive and access this reservation page every so often to see if they are available. If you cannot find a free place, you can enter by booking a table at one of the restaurants.
To get to the Sky Garden, another one of the best viewpoints in London, you can take the yellow metro line (Circle) to the Monument or the red stop (Central) to Bank.
Visiting hours: Monday to Friday from 10am to 6pm. Weekends and holidays from 11am to 9pm
Sky garden
3. London Eye, one of the best viewpoints in London
The Coca-Cola London Eye or Rueda del Milenio is a huge ferris wheel of 135 meters, which opened in the year 2000, to celebrate the turn of the millennium and that has become over the years an entire emblem of the city In addition to one of the essential places to visit in London.
The cabins of the ferris wheel, with a capacity of up to 25 passengers, offer stunning 360º views through its transparent glass and throughout the 30 minutes it takes to take a full turn.
Among the places you can see from the cabin, and which offers better perspectives, are Big Ben and the Parliament, where the most famous places in London.
Keep in mind that the London Eye is one of the attractions most requested by tourists and long queues of several hours are formed to enter, especially in high season and on weekends. After our experience both times we have uploaded, we believe that the best option to avoid queues and waiting is to book this ticket in advance.
To get to the London Eye, located on the banks of the Thames, you have to get off at the Westminster underground station (Center and Circle lines) or Waterloo.
You can find more information about this viewpoint in this guide to visit the London Eye: tickets and prices
London Eye
Recommended travel cardsRemember that in order not to pay commissions and always have the current change we recommend you use the N26 card to pay and the Bnext and Revolut cards to get money at the ATMs. They are the ones we use, They are free and will save you a lot.
You can find more information in this article about the best cards to travel without commissions.
4. Tate Modern
The 10th floor terrace of the Tate Modern or British National Museum of Modern Art, is another of the best viewpoints in London.
Located in an old Power Station, the Tate Modern is one of the most visited museums in the world with works by Picasso, Dalí, Andy Warhol as well as other artists and although you are not a big fan of this type of more abstract art, we recommend you enter in the building and go up to the 360 degree viewpoint on the top floor and another smaller one located on the 4th floor. And from these two viewpoints you will have magnificent views of the Cathedral of St. Paul and Millennium Bridge.
To get to the Tate Modern you can take the Jubilee metro line (gray color) and get off at the Southwark stop, located 10 minutes walk from the museum.
Visiting hours: from Sunday to Thursday from 10am to 6pm. Friday and Saturday from 10am to 10pm.
Tate Modern, one of the best viewpoints in London
5. St. Paul's Cathedral
The Anglican Cathedral of St. Paul is one of the tallest religious buildings in the world with 111 meters, which allows you to get from the top of its dome, one of the best views of London.
To squeeze the visit to the fullest, we recommend you visit its fantastic interior, full of mosaics and statues, then the crypt in which great heroes of the country such as Nelson and the Duke of Wellington are buried, and then and above all, climb up to the high part of the dome.
During the climb of the 528 steps that will take you to the Golden Gallery, located 85 meters high and from where you get the best views, you will first pass through the Whispers Gallery and the Stone Gallery, located 50 meters away and with good panoramic views from its terrace.
The entrance to the cathedral costs 22 euros if you buy at the box office and 19 euros if you book here in advance.
Remember that with the ticket, which is also included in the London Pass, you have a free audio guide in Spanish so you do not miss anything important during the tour inside.
For more information, you can consult this guide to visit the St Paul's Cathedral in London.
The closest metro stop to the Cathedral is St Paul's which connects with the red (central) line, the most tourist in the city.
Visiting hours: Monday to Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Views from St. Paul's Cathedral
Other of the best viewpoints in London are: The Monument, the roof of the O2 Arena, the Thames cable car, Tower Bridge, Primrose Hill, Greenwich Park and this helicopter ride.
If you feel like helping us complete the list of the 5 best viewpoints in London, add yours in the comments.
