London has many places for you to see great views of the city. Two of the most well known are Sky Garden located in the top of The Fenchurch Building (The Walkie-Talkie). The other in The Shard, known as ‘The View from The Shard’.
First of all let’s get down to the numbers (as of September 2023)
| Sky Garden | The Shard | |
| Height of attraction | 160 metres (525 ft) | 244 metres (800 ft) |
| Admission price | FREE (until 18:00 weekdays/ 21:00 weekends) | from £28 ($36) for adults |
| Time needed to visit | 1 hour | 1 hour |
Right away you can see that The Shard is far taller than the Sky Garden. Which means you will be able to see more and further on a clear day. But the cost of admission is very different with free tickets for Sky Garden compared to a starter price of £28 for ‘The Shard’. Both take around an hour to look round but you can take longer especially at the Sky Garden but will touch on that below.
Sky Garden
Opening in Jan 2015 the Sky Garden was basically a way for the building to get approved by local authorities. The plans submitted had a ‘free viewing deck’ included to make sure they got the green light for the building, in which they did.
Located on floors 34-37 this design was from world-renowned Uruguayan architect Rafael Viñoly. There has been much criticism about only allowing free access to 18:00 and also the quality of the garden itself.
The highlights and best bits – What you get to see at Sky Garden
I don’t know if this counts as a highlight but I am going to say it anyway, the price of ‘free’. The reason I say this is because most of these decks have a price tag attached in most major cities. So to be able to enjoy the views and experience for free, is a huge win in my book especially if you are trying to entertain a few people or family.
The views are also great and there are places to sit down – yes if busy it’s harder to get those pictures you want or seats, so maybe aim for a weekday and normal working hours, try to avoid kids holidays too.
There is a bar so you can sit down and enjoy a drink – obviously there is a cost to this. I purchased 5 alcoholic drinks (not all for myself) at a cost of about £36 ($45). So for 5 people roughly spending 90 mins there I see that as good value for money.
The not so good bits
I think crowds have to be one, we actually went on a Saturday at 18:15 so it was very busy. We did however manage to get seating for 5 people. But it wasn’t easy to get the pics we wanted.
I also have to question the garden itself. As it is in the name you would think this would be a huge part of it. Having gone to Kew Gardens a few days before I guess I was even more disappointed. Certainly not something I would consider as a low light and not even worth talking about.
The other thing is booking tickets. They are normally released on a Monday and you need to get them in advance. Again choosing a weekday during work hours is probably going to be best to avoid crowds and have the most enjoyable time and best photo opportunities.
The View from The Shard
Offering unobstructed 360 degree views of the city of London. Claiming that on a clear day you can see up to 40 miles into the distance. Opening in February 2013 The Shard is the tallest building in the UK but surprisingly only just making it into the top 100 tallest buildings currently (3rd Sep 2023).
The building has office space on many floors and also restaurants and bars. You can’t miss the building as it sticks out like a sore thumb in the London skyline.
The highlights and best bits – What you get to see at The View from The Shard
Hands down the views in my opinion, you are not going to have a better birds eye view of London anywhere else apart from being on a plane. You are 72 floors up and can see so many of London’s iconic landmarks such as Tower Bridge, Big Ben, Canary Wharf, even the O2.
There is a chance to have drinks at the two bars and see the view from two floors, one being an open top roof.
You can also say you’ve been in the tallest building in the UK and Western Europe. The Shard is known around the world so a good feather to have in your cap if you get the expression.
The not so good bits
It’s not cheap but a standard price for a viewing platform (Sky Garden being an exception). If you have a family of 4 you are looking at a cost £112 ($141). Also there is a lot of interest in this attractions so picking key times can be very busy and certainly hinder your experience. Drinks can also be pricey.
I personally would recommend going to one of the bars, Gong on the 52nd floor is the highest one, drinks are not the cheapest but still a good experience. You could also have food and really sit back and enjoy the experience while chatting to a friend or partner.
Which is the best, Sky Garden or The View from The Shard?
This is a hard one. But for the reason of cost I am going to give it to Sky Garden. The views are still great from here and suits every budget, you literally don’t need to spend a penny there if you don’t want to. This is no way to discredit The Shard as it’s the best view but I was as happy with the view from Sky Garden. If you really only want the best view then The Shard is a must.
Sky Garden is best for:
As I keep saying price. It also has a nice vibe up there when it isn’t overly crowded
My rating: 4 / 5
The View from The Shard is best for:
Highest sky-deck in London, you can literally see everything from here.
My rating: 3.6 / 5