The 5 best viewpoints in London

This list of London's best vantage points is perfect for finding out where you can enjoy panoramic views of one of the world's most impressive cities.

A city that impresses from the air, thanks to its historic centre full of old low-rise buildings and green spaces, London is a real spectacle from a bird's eye view. And you don't have to go far to get a good view from the tallest buildings, as you only have to go as far as The City, the financial part of the city, located near St Paul's Cathedral.
It is in this neighbourhood and along the banks of the River Thames, between Westminster Bridge and Tower Bridge, that you'll find a number of free and paid viewpoints with great views from their terraces.

Based on the experience of all our trips to this essential city, the last one being 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 in London. Let's start!

1. The Shard

The Shard is the tallest building in the UK at 310 metres and the sixth tallest in Europe and it's from the 68th, 69th and 72nd floors of this modern building, which opened in 2012, that you can enjoy the best views of London.
Note that the best way to get to The Shard is by tube, on the Northern and Jubilee lines, getting off at London Bridge station.
Once in the building you can buy a standard ticket at the ticket office on the ground floor for £32, or book this ticket in advance, which will allow you to choose the time of day you want to enter, something highly recommended especially if you want to come on a weekend or in high season, as there are usually long queues.
In addition, tickets are time-guaranteed, which means that in the event of low visibility, something very common in London, you will be able to re-enter the viewing platform for free within the following three months.
The only downside is that although all floors of the viewing platform offer 360-degree views, they are through glass and that detracts a little from its "authenticity".
Despite this and despite the high price, we found it to be a spectacular viewpoint, which allows you to see the whole city from a unique position, something that puts it in the top 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 sightseeing card that includes more than 80 attractions, entry is free.
For more information about this card you can check 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 free things to do in London before sunset is to go up to the Sky Garden where you can enjoy the best sunset over the city.
This free observation deck offers 360-degree panoramic views from the various viewing platforms and from an open-air terrace, all located on the top floor. In addition to the fantastic views, the Sky Garden allows you to enjoy London's highest public garden, have a drink in one of the two bars with live music or dine in three different restaurants.

Please note that free access to the observation deck is available every 15 days and sells out quickly, so keep a close eye on this booking page from time to time to see if it is available. If you don't find a free place, you can get in by booking a table at one of the restaurants.

To get to Sky Garden, another of London's best viewpoints, you can take the yellow line (Circle) to the Monument stop or the red line (Central) to Bank.

Visiting hours: Monday to Friday from 10am to 6pm. Weekends and public holidays from 11am to 9pm.

Sky Garden

3. London Eye, one of the best viewpoints in London.

The Coca-Cola London Eye or Millennium Wheel is a huge 135-metre Ferris wheel, which was inaugurated in 2000 to celebrate the turn of the millennium and which has become over the years an emblem of the city as well as one of the must-see places in London.
The Ferris wheel's cabins, with a capacity for up to 25 passengers, offer impressive 360º views through its transparent windows and throughout the 30 minutes it takes to make a complete lap.
Among the places you can see from the cabin, and which offer the best views, are Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, one of London's most famous landmarks.

It should be noted that the London Eye is one of the most popular tourist attractions and there are long queues of several hours to get in, especially in high season and on weekends. After our experience the two times we have been up, we believe that the best option to avoid the queues and the wait 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 Westminster (Center and Circle lines) or Waterloo tube station.
You can find more information about the London Eye in this guide to visiting the London Eye: tickets and prices.

London Eye

Recommended travel cards

Remember that to avoid paying fees and to always have the current exchange rate we recommend you to use the Revolut card and the N26 card, they are the ones we use, they are free and they will save you a lot of money.
You can find more information in this article on the best cards for commission-free travel.

4. Tate Modern

The 10th floor terrace of the Tate Modern, or British National Museum of Modern Art, is another of London's best viewpoints.
Located in a former Power Station, the Tate Modern is one of the most visited museums in the world with works by Picasso, Dali, Andy Warhol and other artists and even if you are not a big fan of this type of abstract art, we recommend you to enter the building and take the lift up to the 360 degree viewpoint on the top floor and a smaller one located on the 4th floor. From these two viewpoints you will have magnificent views of St. Paul's Cathedral and Millennium Bridge.

To get to the Tate Modern you can take the Jubilee line (grey) and get off at the Southwark stop, a 10-minute walk from the museum.

Visiting hours: 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

St Paul's Anglican Cathedral is one of the tallest religious buildings in the world at 111 metres, giving you one of the best views of London from the top of its dome.
To make the most of your visit, we recommend you first visit its fantastic interior, full of mosaics and statues, then the crypt where great heroes of the country such as Nelson and the Duke of Wellington are buried, and then, above all, climb to the top of the dome.
On your way up the 528 steps to the Golden Gallery, which is 85 metres high and offers the best views, you will first pass through the Whispering Gallery and the Stone Gallery, which is 50 metres up and offers good panoramic views from its terrace.

Remember that with the ticket, which is also included in the London Pass, you get a free audio guide in Spanish so that you don't miss anything important during the tour inside the cathedral.
For more information you can consult this guide to visit St Paul's Cathedral in London.

The nearest tube stop to the Cathedral is St Paul's, which connects with the red line (central), the most touristic line in the city.
Visiting hours: Monday to Saturday from 8.30am to 4.30pm.

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 and Greenwich Park.