It’s Not Just About The View From The Shard

The Shard and the view from the top (called The View From The Shard) or at least the view from the furtherest you can get to, is something that I’ve always wanted to do since the building was complete back in 2012. Like most things when you live somewhere you just don’t find yourself making the effort to go out and see them, but it was time to change that.

I’d been invited to preview the View From The Shard way back in 2012 during World Travel Market along with a whole host of bloggers but couldn’t attend as I was working. Since traveling across the world I’ve always been a bit of a fan of stunningly modern architecture and skyscrapers. Observing the city from way up high always gave you a unique perspective on things and a break from visiting the standard temples/churches and museums back down on street level.

We arrived quite unprepared having not booked in advance for a ticket to The View From The Shard. Outside we were confronted by a screen that was thankfully showing plenty of free green time slots but what stopped us in our tracks was the ticket price of £30… each.

“what stopped us in our tracks was the ticket price of £30… each”

After about five minutes of strolling around in circles outside in disbelief at the price tag and wondering whether we could think of anything else nearby to go and see, we decided to head inside. Our rational being that we’d only really be doing this once, it’s not something you’d be doing every weekend.

So what did we get for our £60? A glass of Champagne… or even Cava at the top perhaps? An impressive museum or interactive feature? Maybe a headset so we’d have a running commentary once at the summit? Well… no, none of that, but a shop selling everything from Shard fridge magnets, mugs to branded pencils and keyrings. All this shoe-horned into a strange space next to the empty ticket queue, followed by a forced Disney-esque photo opportunity. Amazingly you get your photo superimposed over a view from the top of the Shard rather than an actual photo from the top, genius! Once you’ve finished the ride… I mean… experience at the top of the Shard you get to view and purchase your photo that you never wanted in the first place, lovely.

“Amazingly you get your picture super imposed over a view from the top of the Shard rather than an actual photo from the top, genius!”

Once we’d finished awkwardly posing for the photo we wandered to the first of two lifts and made our way to the top. As the doors opened we wandered out onto the lower viewing deck, the view across South London was stunning but also a little blinding as the sun beamed through the London haze onto the Shard’s glass panels.

“the view across London from the Shard is quite spectacular on a day with good weather”

There’s no questioning the view across London from the Shard is quite spectacular on a day with good weather. To the North you can see the Walkie Talkie building (20 Fenchurch Street), The Gherkin and the financial district. To the East and below is the Tower of London, Tower Bridge and out towards Canary Wharf. To the West, you can spot the Tate Modern, St Paul’s Cathedral and even the Arch of Wembley in the distance.

Leaving the warmth of the enclosed lower platform to the upper higher level you can really feel the open air chill. The upper section is technically open as there’s no ceiling although the glass panels are huge in height so there’s no way of seeing over them.

The Shard is smaller in height than the Eiffel Tower, without the charm, history or character

There is plenty of space at the top of the Shard but we still found ourselves waiting or jostling for space at the glass windows at times. After spending about 30 minutes at the top we took the lift back down to ground level, dodged our way past the photography sales people and out via the shop.

Whilst there’s no doubt the View From The Shard is quite a stunning 360 view across London there’s just something missing, something that’s hard to put your finger on. The Shard is smaller in height than the Eiffel Tower, without the charm, history or character but yet is three times the price? The Eiffel Tower costs 15 Euros (~£10) for an adult yet the View From the Shard is £30.

Exiting via the gift shop (without a T-shirt with the Shard on it) it’s difficult not to think of the View From the Shard as an unimaginative and underwhelming experience that should offer a little more for the high-end price tag.

Try the Sky Garden at the Walkie Talkie instead, it’s free.