My husband and I will be visiting London in September.
The Shard looks like it has some spectacular views of the city. Are there restaurants at the Shard that you would recommend?
Are there other places that you might suggest for a great dinner/bar view?
We will definitely do the London Eye!
Thank you!
I was reading the RS London book today and he recommends Sky Garden
Hi Laurie, we just got back from our trip and went up to the Sky Garden for views. We lucked out; it was a lovely clear day and we could get a great view all all around the platforms. If you go to their website, three weeks before you want to go, you can reserve tickets. They are free of charge, so I imagine they go quickly. If you have a reservation at one of their restaurants, you don’t need separate tickets.
Hope this helps!
The Shard is quite expensive for just viewing - they have a number of restaurants that all carry a premium for the location.
The Sky Garden is free for viewing. They have a couple of upper level restaurants, and again the food is a little overpriced due to location.
If it's just views you want then I would go Sky Garden and eat somewhere else. An alternative lower level view can also be found for free at 120 Fenchurch Street.
If you want high level dining, the best I have found is Alto by San Carlo at Selfridges
I love the Sky Garden, I love the views from the Sky Garden, I love the fact that it is free, and that it is in The City. And "Garden" is correct, lots of nice plants.
I refuse to do anything at the Shard because of how they reneged on their commitments to the local folks in order to get permission to build there. I'm not keen on people who don't keep their word. And, man, it is so expensive - and not in the best place for views.
No dinner/bar and many steps to climb, but the view over London from the Golden Gallery of St Paul’s Cathedral is just magnificent.
A favourite place of mine is the bar on one of the high floors of Tate Modern. You sit on a stool at the window looking straight across the Thames to St Paul’s.
Views:
Alexandra Palace, Parliament Hill.
I also enjoyed the view the from the little park adjacent to The Angel pub near the Brunel Museum. The pieces of art there also intrigue.
https://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/london-restaurants-with-the-best-views
We have a wedding anniversary dinner planned at Sky Garden and looking forward to great food and views!
We had drinks at GONG which is on the 52nd floor of The Shard (it's part of the Shangri-La Hotel) which had incredible views. Were the drinks expensive? Yes. Were they amazing? No (they were good but not great). Was the view amazing? YES.
