The lift doors open at Level 72 and London just appears, all at once, in every direction. Westminster lies far to the south-west, the Tower of London sits low and pale to the east, and on a clear morning you can pick out the white arch of Wembley Stadium on the north-west horizon. Step out onto the open-air Skydeck and the wind hits your face, the city noise drops away, and the Thames bends below you like a question mark drawn in pewter.
I’ve done The View from The Shard in heavy fog (worth a free re-entry, more on that below), at sunset with a glass of champagne, and once on a Tuesday afternoon in February with the place almost to myself. The ticket you book really does change the experience. Here’s how to choose.
In a hurry? My three picks
Standard entry, around $25: the flagship ticket. Pre-booked timed slot, all three viewing levels including the open-air Skydeck. Check availability.
Entry with a glass of champagne, around $48: same access, plus a glass of bubbly at the Skyline Bar. Best for sunset bookings or birthdays. Check availability.
London top sights walking tour with Shard entry, around $114: half-day guided walk past Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and Tower Bridge, then up the Shard at the end. Check availability.
- In a hurry? My three picks
- What you’re actually booking
- The three viewing levels, briefly
- The ticket types, ranked by who they’re for
- Standard timed entry
- Fast-track entry
- Entry with a glass of champagne
- Walking tour plus Shard entry
- The London Pass option
- The weather guarantee, and why it matters
- Shard or London Eye? Side by side
- Best time of day to book
- Getting there
- Tours and tickets I’d actually book
- 1. The View from The Shard standard entry:
- 2. The Shard entry with a glass of champagne:
- 3. London top 15 sights walking tour with Shard entry: 4
- Practical notes I wish I’d known
- What you’ll see, by direction
- How long to budget
- Some history, briefly
- Best place to photograph the Shard from outside
- Where to eat near the Shard
- Mistakes I’ve made so you don’t have to
- What to do nearby afterwards
- More London guides
What you’re actually booking
The Shard is a 310-metre glass-clad pyramid on the south side of London Bridge, designed by Renzo Piano and opened in 2012. It is currently the tallest building in the United Kingdom and the tallest in Western Europe. The viewing experience is called The View from The Shard and it covers floors 68, 69 and 72. Floors 70 and 71 are the lift transfer and bar level. Levels 31 to 52 are offices, hotel and restaurants. The very top of the spire (the shards that don’t quite meet) is unfinished, which is the point.
You’ll go through airport-style security at the entrance on Joiner Street, ride a high-speed lift to Level 33, walk across to a second lift, then ride that one up to Level 68. The full ascent takes a little over a minute. The lifts have ceiling screens that flash through London streets and rooftops as you rise, which sounds like it would be naff. It’s actually the part most people remember.
The three viewing levels, briefly
Level 68 is the first proper view. Big windows, multimedia panels, the highest gift shop in London. Level 69 is the main observation gallery with telescopes and a bar serving champagne, beer, hot chocolate and tea. Level 72 is the open-air Skydeck. You step up a short staircase, the roof opens above you, and the only thing between you and the wind is a glass parapet. Stay on Level 72 for at least fifteen minutes if the weather plays along; it’s a different experience from the enclosed levels below.
The ticket types, ranked by who they’re for
Five real options, plenty of marketing names. Here’s the version that matters.
Standard timed entry
The base ticket. You pick a 30-minute slot, turn up at the start of that window, and join the standard queue at security. On a wet Tuesday morning in January you’ll walk straight in. On a sunny Saturday in July you’ll wait 20 to 40 minutes even with a pre-booked slot, because the timed and walk-up queues feed into the same security check. Around $25 on resellers, slightly more if you book direct on the official site. Worth booking ahead either way; same-day tickets often sell out for sunset slots.
Fast-track entry
Same access, dedicated security lane. Roughly a tenner extra over standard. Worth it on weekends, school holidays, and any sunny weekend evening between April and September. Skip on weekday mornings out of season. If your slot is at 11am on a wet Wednesday, fast-track is money set on fire.
Entry with a glass of champagne
The champagne ticket is the same entry as standard, plus a single glass of Moët at the Skyline Bar on Level 69. Around $48. The maths: you can buy a glass of champagne up there for about £15 anyway, so the upgrade is genuinely close to fair. Where it falls down is bench seating; the Skyline Bar is small and on busy nights you’ll drink your glass standing near a window. Book sunset slots if you’re going for the upgrade, or skip it for an early-morning visit when nobody really wants champagne at 10am.
Walking tour plus Shard entry
The top 15 sights walking tour covers Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, Westminster, Big Ben and Tower Bridge before delivering you to the Shard entrance. About seven hours start to finish. Best for first-time London visitors who want context before they go up. The walk happens regardless of weather, so book a day with a forecast you can live with. If the prospect of seven hours on foot is too much, just buy the standard entry and walk a couple of bridges yourself.
The London Pass option
The Shard is included on the London Pass, the city-wide attraction pass. If you’re already planning to visit four or more major attractions in three days, the pass usually beats individual tickets. If you’re only doing the Shard plus the London Eye and a Thames cruise, the standard tickets work out cheaper. Run the maths on your specific itinerary, don’t trust the marketing copy.
The weather guarantee, and why it matters
The Shard runs a re-visit policy that most blogs gloss over. If, during your visit, you can’t see at least three of the following landmarks, you can come back free within three months: the London Eye, St Paul’s Cathedral, the Walkie-Talkie (20 Fenchurch Street), Tower Bridge, and One Canada Square in Canary Wharf. You ask staff before you leave and they print a re-entry voucher.
This matters because London weather is what it is. Cloud cover at 244 metres is genuinely common from October to February. I’ve gone up in fog so thick I could only see the building itself, used the voucher three weeks later, and ended up with a far better afternoon than the one I’d booked. Ask before you leave. Once you walk out, the offer is gone.
Shard or London Eye? Side by side
People ask this constantly. Both are paid-entry observation experiences a fifteen-minute Tube ride apart. They are not the same thing.
The Shard is taller. The viewing gallery sits at 244 metres against the Eye’s 135. You see further, you see in every direction, and Level 72 is the only outdoor open-air viewing platform in central London. The trade-off is that the Shard is very obviously a building; you walk in, you queue at security, you ride a lift, you stand in a glass-walled room.
The Eye is half the height but it moves. You’re in a sealed glass capsule that takes 30 minutes to rotate once, which is the experience itself. The Eye gives you a slow, near-eye-level view of Westminster across the river. The Shard gives you a city laid out at your feet. If you’re picking only one, do the Shard for the wider view, do the Eye if you’re travelling with someone who finds tall enclosed spaces stressful, and do both if you’ve got the time. I prefer the Shard. My partner prefers the Eye. There’s no right answer.
If you’re already booking Tower of London tickets for the same trip, the Shard pairs well. From Level 69 you look directly down on the Tower complex, which is moving in a way that’s hard to describe until you’ve done it. Tower Bridge sits in the same eye line. The two attractions together give you the medieval and the modern in one afternoon.
Best time of day to book
Sunset is the headline answer, with caveats. Sunset slots cost the same as everything else (the timed-slot system is even-priced) but they sell out fastest. In summer, sunset is anywhere from 8.30pm to 9.30pm. In winter it’s around 4pm. Aim to arrive 45 minutes before sunset, ride up immediately, and stay through the transition.
If you can’t get a sunset slot, the second-best window is the hour after opening. Light is soft, the gallery is quiet, the Skyline Bar is empty, and the security queue moves fast. Worst is mid-afternoon on a sunny weekend, when every coach tour in central London converges on Level 69 and the windows reflect more than they show.
Getting there
The entrance is on Joiner Street, an arcade tucked under London Bridge station. The actual signposted name is The View from The Shard. Don’t try to enter through the office reception at 32 London Bridge Street; it’s a separate building entrance and security will redirect you the long way round.
London Bridge tube and rail station is the obvious option. Northern and Jubilee lines, plus mainline trains from south-east England. The Joiner Street entrance is a 90-second walk from the platform. Borough station on the Northern line is a quieter alternative if London Bridge is heaving (a 7-minute walk along Tooley Street). If you’re coming from Westminster on a Thames cruise, get off at Tower Pier and walk across Tower Bridge; the approach with the Shard rising over the river is one of London’s best.
Tours and tickets I’d actually book
Three picks below, ranked. The first is what most people should book. The second is a small upgrade for the right occasion. The third is for first-timers who want a proper London day.
1. The View from The Shard standard entry: $25
This is the no-frills flagship and the most-booked Shard ticket on the market. Our full review covers the security flow, lift transfers and what to expect at the Skyline Bar. Pre-book a sunset slot in summer or any morning slot in winter, then add fast-track only if you’re going on a sunny weekend.
2. The Shard entry with a glass of champagne: $48
Pick this if you’re already going at sunset and want to mark the occasion. Our review notes that the Skyline Bar is small and seating is limited, so don’t expect a leisurely wine-bar evening. It’s a glass and a view, then back to the gallery.
3. London top 15 sights walking tour with Shard entry: $114
Best for first-time visitors who want context before going up. Our full write-up details the route, pace and where guides typically stop for breaks. Skip if you’ve already done a London walking tour or if you only have half a day.
Practical notes I wish I’d known
A short list of things the marketing material doesn’t mention.
- Bag rules. No large bags, no suitcases, no tripods. Small daypacks are fine. Big shopping bags get refused at security with no left-luggage option, so don’t combine the Shard with a Selfridges run.
- Children. Under-fives are free. Under-15s pay a discounted rate. The Skydeck has a glass parapet about waist-high on an adult; a small child won’t be able to see over it without being lifted.
- Wheelchair access. Full step-free access to all viewing levels via the lifts. The Level 72 Skydeck has a small step which staff will help with on request.
- Phones and cameras. Allowed everywhere. Tripods aren’t, monopods sometimes get refused depending on the security guard’s mood. A phone with a wide lens is ample for the views.
- Bathrooms. The bathrooms on Level 68 have full-height windows facing east. Auto-blinds drop when occupied. This is a quiet brag of the building and almost everyone misses it.
- Christmas lights. December evenings, the top twenty floors are externally illuminated as part of London’s festive lighting. Worth knowing if you’re choosing a date in mid-December.
What you’ll see, by direction
The view from Level 69 is genuinely 360-degree. Here’s what you’re looking at, broken down by compass point so you can orient yourself when you arrive.
North: the City of London, with the Walkie-Talkie (squat and bulbous), the Cheesegrater (slanted and pointy), the Gherkin (the obvious one), and St Paul’s dome low to the left of frame. Beyond, on a clear day, the green of Hampstead Heath and the radio mast at Crystal Palace.
East: the Tower of London directly below, then Tower Bridge, then the river bending towards Canary Wharf and the O2. On a really clear winter morning you can see all the way out to the Thames Estuary.
South: Borough Market and the rooftops of Bankside in the foreground, then the railway tracks fanning out from London Bridge, the Oval cricket ground in the middle distance, and Battersea Power Station’s four white chimneys to the south-west.
West: the heavyweight quadrant. Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, the London Eye, Buckingham Palace (mostly hidden by trees), Hyde Park, and on a clear day the Wembley arch on the far horizon.
How long to budget
Most visitors stay 60 to 90 minutes. The official entry slot is 30 minutes, but once you’re in there’s no time limit on how long you can stay. The lift down runs continuously. Plan for 90 minutes if you’re doing a champagne stop, two hours if you’ve got a re-visit voucher and want to see the city in a different light.
If you’re combining the Shard with another attraction the same day, do the Shard last. The lift wait at peak times can stretch the entry buffer, and you don’t want a Shard slot pressing on a Warner Bros Studio Tour or theatre booking.
Some history, briefly
The site was a 1970s office block called Southwark Towers. The original plan was to refurbish it. Renzo Piano, the Italian architect behind the Pompidou Centre and Kansai Airport, sketched the Shard on a napkin in 2000 (the napkin is on display in the lobby). Construction started in 2009; the cladding went on in 2012; the building opened to the public in February 2013, six months after the official ribbon-cutting by the Duke of York.
The financing came mostly from Qatar; the Qatari investment authority owns the majority of the building. The architect’s brief was a vertical city: offices on the lower floors, hotel in the middle (the Shangri-La occupies floors 34 to 52), restaurants and viewing on top. The actual Shangri-La is one of the highest hotels in Europe and worth a drink at the bar even if you can’t justify the room rate.
Best place to photograph the Shard from outside
The classic external angles, ranked by what actually works in a photo.
From the north bank near the Tower of London, the Shard appears behind Tower Bridge, which is the most-shared composition on Instagram. From the Millennium Bridge looking east, you get a clean line of river leading to the building. From Hay’s Galleria on the south bank, the building looms straight up out of the warehouse skyline. From the western end of London Bridge itself, you get the Shard with London Bridge station and Borough Market roofs in the foreground.
The shot most people miss is from the South Bank around Bermondsey, walking east from the More London office complex. The reflections in the office glass double the building. Best around 7am or 7pm when the sun is low.
Where to eat near the Shard
Don’t eat at the Shard restaurants unless you’ve got £200 a head to spend. Walk five minutes north and you’re in Borough Market territory. Padella on Southwark Street does the best fresh pasta in London for around £12; the queue moves fast. Brindisa on Borough High Street does Spanish small plates for about £40 a head. El Pastor tucked under the railway arches does Mexican tacos for £6 each.
For a drink before or after, the Rake on Winchester Walk is the smallest pub in central London and serves about 130 different beers. The George Inn on Borough High Street is a 17th-century galleried coaching inn now owned by the National Trust, half a mile from the Shard, and one of the few proper pubs left in central London.
Mistakes I’ve made so you don’t have to
Three things I’d do differently next time.
I once booked an early-morning slot in February, which on paper is the best off-peak window. I forgot that London winters are routinely overcast and that 10am light is flat. The view was fine but the photos looked grey and dead. Book the hour before sunset in winter, not first thing in the morning.
I once skipped the weather guarantee voucher because it felt cheeky. It isn’t cheeky. The staff offer it without prompting once they see you’ve been up in fog. Always ask.
I once tried to combine the Shard with a Westminster cruise on the same morning. The cruise ran 20 minutes late, the Shard slot was tight, security was slow, and I ended up running across Tower Bridge in the rain. Don’t book back-to-back tight slots. Give yourself 90 minutes between river-based and tower-based bookings.
What to do nearby afterwards
Once you’re back at street level, the Shard sits in the middle of one of London’s best clusters of attractions. Five minutes north over London Bridge gets you to the historic Square Mile, with the Monument and the Sky Garden. Five minutes east along the river puts you at Tower Bridge and the Tower of London. Five minutes west along the South Bank puts you at Borough Market and the Globe Theatre.
If you’re staying on the south side, walk the river path west to Westminster. It takes about 45 minutes and you pass Tate Modern, the Globe, the National Theatre and end up at the foot of the London Eye. It’s the single best free walk in central London.
More London guides
If you’re booking the Shard for a London trip, you’re probably also looking at the city’s other big-ticket icons. The Madame Tussauds guide covers the wax museum on Marylebone Road, and the Westminster Abbey guide walks through the gothic church across the river. For a slower river view, the Thames cruise guide pairs well with a sunset Shard slot.