Top deck: fly high with London’s best bird’s-eye views

Hit us with the headlines!

• Only the tallest building in the UK, The Shard stands at a whopping 1,016 feet top to toe. 
• It was designed by celebrated architect Renzo Piano, who was also responsible for the iconic Centre Pompidou in Paris and NYC’s Whitney Museum of American Art.
• English Heritage inadvertently provided a name for this titan of the London skyline when, on reviewing the design plans, they opined that its construction would be like "a shard of glass through the heart of historic London."
• During construction, an urban (and urbane) fox was discovered living his best life up on the 72nd floor. ‘Romeo’ remains the official Shard mascot to this day, and you can take home a plushie of his likeness from the official Shard shop.

Ok, but what can we actually see from up there?

You’ll find The View from The Shard between the 68th and 72nd floors. It comprises two indoor decks and a champagne bar that couldn’t be better placed for calming wobbly nerves. But the real magic happens on the open-air 72nd floor. On clear days, you can see for up to 40 miles, with 360 panoramas that take in the South Downs, the Thames Estuary and even the distant turrets of Windsor Castle. Ok, you might have to squint a little for that last one.

You can tick off an absolute embarrassment of London’s best-known attractions from up here. The Tower of London is right down below, and you can easily spot the iconic dome of St Paul’s (of which more later) just a little way upriver. Cast your eyes over the cityscape and you’ll be able to pick out Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Battersea Power Station and the soaring arch of Wembley Stadium. But the devil’s in the details, too: peer straight down The Shard’s sheer glass sides for kaleidoscope views of Borough Market’s patchwork canopy, and just try not to become transfixed by the tiny toy trains that to and fro along London Bridge station’s vast web of tracks.

What’s the verdict?

You can’t really argue with the views here, and the champagne bar is a distinct bonus. Heck, even the public conveniences – loos with views, if you will – come with mind-blowing panoramas. A skyscraping 9/10.

Hit us with the headlines!

• One of the planet’s most recognisable buildings, St Paul’s was designed by London architect-in-chief Sir Christopher Wren and completed in 1710.
• Now considered a relative shrimp at 364 feet, it’s hard to believe St Paul’s held the title of London’s tallest building for more than 250 years (it was finally superseded by the rather more workaday Millbank Tower in 1963, fact fans).
• The list of permanent residents in the cathedral crypt reads like a who’s who of historic Britain, and includes Admiral Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington and ol' Chrissie Wren himself.
• The cathedral and its distinctive dome have starred in many a Hollywood blockbuster, perhaps most memorably ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ and the ‘Paddington’ movies.

Ok, but what can we actually see from up there?

You can climb up to the Golden Gallery at St Paul’s for panoramic London views par excellence. But remember: just because Tom Cruise made it look easy, doesn’t mean it is. In fact, it’s anything but. There are 528 steps between the cathedral floor and those coveted vistas, many of them via a narrow one-way spiral staircase. But it’s not all knee-troubling news. Conveniently, there’s a fun place to stop for a breather halfway up. The Whispering Gallery is just one of many architectural flourishes in the cathedral: an acoustic marvel that allows you to whisper sweet nothings into the wall on one side and be heard by your better half (or perhaps a complete stranger if you time it poorly) way over on the other.

Onwards, then, to the Stone Gallery, a mere 376 steps up, where foot-weary travellers may well decide that the superlative skyline views are reward enough. But the real gold lies right up top above the dome, where a small balcony supported by eight pillars of Portland stone affords sweeping panoramas of the city. You can’t miss the Shard right across the river, and you’ll also be able to take in many more Thames-side treasures, including the Tate Modern, Tower of London and London Eye.

What’s the verdict?

This one’s a little less single-minded than the Shard, in that there’s much more to St Paul’s (Whispering Gallery, crypt, nave) than just the views from up top. Indeed, as sightseeing experiences go, it’s something of an all-rounder. But those superb Thames views can only really be unlocked if you’re able-bodied and reasonably fit. For that reason, we award (whisper it) just 6/10. That whirring noise you can hear? The sound of Sir Christopher Wren spinning in his tomb.

Hit us with the headlines!

• Once the tallest observation wheel on the planet (but now rather dwarfed by the likes of the Ain Dubai and Las Vegas High Roller), the London Eye stands 443 feet high on the South Bank of the Thames. 
• A full 360-degree rotation of the wheel takes precisely 30 minutes, giving you plenty of time to secure those all-important sky-high London selfies.
• The 32 air-conditioned capsules are numbered 1-33. What gives, we hear you cry? Simple: there’s no number 13 capsule, allowing triskaidekaphobics to ride without fear of impending doom and disaster.

Ok, but what can we actually see from up there?

Part of the beauty of the London Eye is that the view is constantly (r)evolving as your capsule ascends, crests, then returns you gently back to terra firma. The location is also second-to-none, putting you in pole position for eye-balling Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, and our old pal the Shard. As the wheel turns and your capsule rises, you’ll see more and more of London reveal itself. Nelson’s Column, Buckingham Palace and Hyde Park rapidly hove into view and, before long, you’ll find yourself excitedly squeaking out the names of landmark after bucket-list London landmark. St Paul’s! The Monument! BT Tower! Wem-ber-ley! Eyes peeled also for lesser-spotted Thames-side details like Cleopatra’s Needle and the old-school carousel in Jubilee Gardens. Book a slot for golden hour to bag some of the best sunset shots in town.

What’s the verdict?

The novelty factor of riding the landmark formerly known as the Millennium Wheel coupled with those ever-changing views of central London and the Thames earn the London Eye an impressive 8/10.

Hit us with the headlines!

• Set on a hill in Greenwich Park (hence the views), the Royal Observatory is arguably the world’s best-known centre of astronomy, navigation and time-keeping.
• The famous Octagon Room at the heart of the complex has been wowing stargazers since the 17th Century. This celestial architectural masterpiece was designed by – yep, you guessed it – Sir Christopher Wren. That man really did get everywhere.
• The Royal Observatory is also home to the Prime Meridian line. It’s marked by a long stainless steel strip out in the courtyard, meaning you can stand at 0˚ longitude, with a leg in each hemisphere, should the mood take you (as it almost certainly will).
• You can also find one of the UK’s largest telescopes, several navigational timepieces of yore and London’s only planetarium around the observatory complex.

Ok, but what can we actually see from up there?

Let’s be honest: most people visit the Royal Observatory for the science, not the scenery. But to ignore those magnificent Greenwich vistas is to miss half the fun. Make time (see what we did there?) to check out the camera obscura in the courtyard. This super-cool slice of old-school tech (or, if you want to be super-pedantic about it, one of its many Royal Observatory predecessors) was used here as early as the 17th Century by boffins who wanted to goggle at solar eclipses without the unfortunate fried-retina side effects. Take a peep through for sweet miniature panoramas of the Maritime Museum, Old Royal Naval College and River Thames.

Mosey over to the viewpoint by the statue of General Wolfe in Observatory Park. Here’s where the whole of Greenwich and the Thames opens up to you. The views are quite different down here than in central London, but certainly no less beautiful. Sure, you can still spot the Shard, St Paul’s and the Gherkin, but the real stars of the show here are the Old Royal Naval College, Canary Wharf, the sails of the Cutty Sark, and old father Thames himself.. 

What’s the verdict?

Surely the most romantic of all the vistas on our list-ah (Joseph Turner liked it so much that immortalised it in his 1809 painting ‘London from Greenwich Park'), this swoonsome scene is easily one of our London faves. You can make a whole day of this one, too, combining a trip to the Royal Observatory with a long, languid picnic on the hill and a sunset cruise back along the Thames to Westminster. For those reasons, we award a celestial 10/10, making the Royal Observatory our winner! Thanks for reading!

Consider our horses well and truly held. First and foremost, take a gander at The London Pass® and London Pass Plus for savings on our big four favourites – St Paul’s Cathedral, the London Eye, the Royal Observatory and The View from The Shard – plus many more major London tour and attractions. Next, feast your peepers on these fine freebies…

• The Sky Garden. You’ll find London’s highest public garden up top of the Fenchurch Building (aka the Walkie-Talkie), coupling a veritable jungle of foliage with equally eye-catching views of London – spot St Paul's, The Shard and Tower Bridge with your sundowner. 
• The Garden at 120. A neighbour of the Sky Garden, this slightly lesser-known (and rather less lofty) oasis atop the Fen Court building comes with water features, wisteria, fruit trees and deck chairs. The views, though largely similar to the Sky Garden, promise one thing that its nearby rival never could: close-ups of the Walkie-Talkie itself.
• Richmond Park. There are plenty of reasons to visit this vast expanse of deer-crammed parkland in south-west London, not least the view from atop King Henry’s Mound. You can see St Paul’s Cathedral from up here, without the need for binoculars, even though it's a full 10 miles away. Stunning.
• Parliament Hill. Hampstead’s 800 acres of grassland occupy one of the highest points in London. From up here in this bucolic paradise, you can spy countless stars of the London skyline. Hike up Parliament Hill for views that are the envy of every skyscraper in town, then reward yourself with an ice cream from the Parliament Hill Cafe.
• Primrose Hill. “I have conversed with the spiritual sun. I saw him on Primrose Hill.” So reads the inscription – a quote from William Blake – at the summit of Primrose Hill. And, hey, if it’s good enough for a visionary poet, painter and mystic of Blake’s stature, it’s good enough for us, too. The hill promises one of just six protected views of St Paul’s in London, though what Blake might have thought of the addition of the Shard, the Gherkin and – heaven forfend – the Millbank Tower to London's skyline is anyone’s guess.

If you enjoyed our rundown of London’s top skyline views, you’ll probably also get a kick out of the following:

Our complete guide to the Royal Observatory

Blockbuster movie moments at St Paul’s Cathedral

Landmarks to look out for from the London Eye

Five records you’ll break at the View from The Shard