London is an iconic city, full of iconic views. Tower Bridge. Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. St. Paul’s Cathedral.
I’ve visited (or tried to visit…) all of the best views in London to give you this thorough review. This covers free viewpoints, popular spots, bird’s eye views, and the absolute best London photo spots for those iconic sites.
Years visited: 2022 & 2026
Time of Year: May & April
What’s in this Article:
London Eye
In my opinion, the absolute best views in London come from the London Eye. Is it expensive? Yes. But personally I think it is absolutely worth it for the views over the Big Ben clock tower and Houses of Parliament.
- See my video of the views from the London Eye (and other viewpoints).
How to Visit the London Eye
The London Eye is located right in the heart of Westminster. It is just across the river from Big Ben.
To get there, take the London Underground to Westminster Station. Follow the signs to exit at Westminster Pier and walk across Westminster Bridge. The Eye is about a ten minute walk across the bridge and to the left.
Tickets are available to walk up, or to book ahead of time. I just walked up and bought my tickets for the current time slot when I arrived (in mid-April).
- Good to Know: You can buy tickets at the official ticket office building directly across from the Eye, or at one of the kiosks as you walk along the river.
- Pro Tip: London Eye tickets are expensive, but you can save money by booking a time slot online ahead of time.
Best Views from the London Eye
The Eye has 360 views all around, but the best views are going to be of Big Ben and Westminster, because it is just across the river.
- Looking for where to stay in London?
- I stayed at the Comfort Inn Victoria, which is affordable, comfortable, and easy walking distance from Victoria Station. It was the perfect location!
- I’ve had several friends stay at the Tower Hotel, which they loved for the location, and especially the views!
The Shard
The Shard is one of the most popular viewpoints in London. You get 360 bird’s eye views over the whole city.
My personal opinion is that The Shard is a bit too tall. Everything is so far away. It was also very foggy when I visited, which didn’t help, but what are you gonna do?
- Pro Tip: Try to book in the evening for stunning sunsets, and less fog. It was very foggy in the morning when I visited.
How to Visit The Shard
Take the Underground to London Bridge Station, and follow the signs up the (many!) escalators to The Shard.
You can book tickets online ahead of time, or see if there are walk up slots available. When I visited around 6 pm (18:00), the next available slots were not until 8 (20:00). So I decided to wait and book a time for the next day, which had plenty of open spots available.
About the Experience
You take several elevators up to the viewing decks on levels 68, 69 & 72. When I visited, some of the viewing decks were closed, so we could only visit one. I did not get to see level 72, which is an open air skydeck.
There is a small wine bar/cafe in the viewing area.
There are glass windows all around, so you can see all across the city, from every angle.
- Good to Know: You could also visit the Aqua Shard dining room on level 31, for a different experience.
- Or, my personal favorite, a Peter Pan afternoon tea above the clouds! I wanted to book this, but I couldn’t book it for just one person, unfortunately (I did get to do a Bridgerton afternoon tea instead, though!).
Best Views from The Shard
It is pretty far away from Westminster, so you will not get a good view of Big Ben here. Personally, I didn’t think the views were that great, just because there were not a lot of famous landmarks I could recognize from that distance.
The best view here, I think, is of Tower Bridge.
St. Paul’s Cathedral
There are two viewing platforms you can climb to in the dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral: The Stone Gallery and the Golden Gallery.
There is no elevator, so you will have to climb many winding steps to get to these platforms. It is 376 steps to reach the Stone Gallery, and 528 to get to the Golden Gallery.
Personally, I decided the Stone Gallery was good enough for me! My sister reached the Golden Gallery when she lived in London, but, to be fair, she was a young college student at the time!
How to Visit St. Paul’s Cathedral
St. Paul’s is easy to reach by public transportation. Take the Underground to St. Paul’s Station, and then it’s a two minute walk to the church.
You can visit the church for free during their services, but if you want to climb to the viewing galleries (or the Whispering Gallery, which unfortunately was closed when I visited!), you will need a ticket. You can book a guided tour or a self-guided tour.
To reach the viewing galleries, follow the signs up the winding staircase. Like I said, I only made it up the 376 steps to the first platform, and decided that was good enough for me!
Best Views from St. Paul’s
I honestly don’t think much of the views from St. Paul’s are super worth the climb. The best view here is of Shakespeare’s Globe Theater and the Millenium Bridge.
Sky Garden
The best part about Sky Garden is that it is absolutely free!
The worst part is that it is super popular (understandably), and if you don’t book it ahead of time, you probably won’t get in.
They do technically accept walk-ins, if there is availability, but I attempted several times (even right when they opened on a Monday morning!) and they said they were booked up for weeks.
So… the moral of the story is, Sky Garden is a really cool place to visit and get views over the city, and it’s free! But be sure to book your tickets ahead of time.
How to Visit Sky Garden
Sky Garden is a few minutes walk from Monument Station.
You can book free tickets to the garden, with bird’s eye views over the city, or you can book a table at one of their restaurants.
The venue looks so amazing, and I’m disappointed I wasn’t able to see it. Next time I visit London, I guess!
- Pro Tip: Be sure to book your free tickets well in advance, as they go fast!
Tate Modern
Another free viewpoint comes from the level 10 cafe at the top of the Tate Modern museum in London.
I’ll be honest, I was kind of disappointed with this view when I visited. First of all, the outdoor terrace was closed off, so I could only see the view from the windows of the cafe. Secondly, it is only 10 floors up, so it is not as high a view as the previous London views I’ve mentioned.
Really, it’s just a nice view of St. Paul’s Cathedral. Personally, I would only visit if you’re already visiting Tate Modern (which is a free museum, so worth a visit!).
- Pro Tip: There are multiple entrances to Tate Modern. When I visited, everyone formed a giant line (see above photo) at the entrance on the riverwalk, and a guard had to come direct people to other entrances (where there were no lines).
How to Visit Level 10 at Tate Modern
The nearest Underground station is Blackfriars, about a ten minute walk across Blackriars Bridge to the museum. Or, if you are already at St. Paul’s Cathedral, you can walk directly across Millenium Bridge to Tate Modern (with good views of St. Paul’s!).
The cafe is located in the Blavatnik Building (on level 10!). From where I entered on the riverwalk, I had to cross the bridge to the other building to find an elevator up to Level 10.
Best Views from Tate Modern
Basically, the only view you’re going to get is of St. Paul’s Cathedral. Not really worth it in my opinion, unless you’re already there (though maybe you can see more when the terrace is actually open).
Across Westminster Bridge
Now that I’ve covered all of the best bird’s eye views of London, there are a couple other spots I want to mention. First is the best place to get a photo of the Big Ben clock tower and the Houses of Parliament.
The famous view can be found just across the river from Westminster. It is the best place to get a classic London photo (and also to get to the London Eye).
How to Get to the Viewpoint
Take the Tube to Westminster Station. Follow the signs for Parliament and the London Eye. You will want to walk across Westminster Bridge on the right hand side (coming from Westminster Station), so you can turn right, onto the riverwalk after you cross.
Then, pick a spot and take all the photos!
- Bonus: You can also get good views from the bridge itself.
River Thames
The final spot I want to point out for where to get views in London is from the River Thames. There are many ways to traverse the river, whether via tour or simply taking transportation, but it goes past ALL the sites and is a great viewing location!
In fact, other than the London Eye, I think via boat is my favorite way to see London.
How to See London by Boat
There are many ways to tour London by boat. On my most recent visit, I took an Uber boat from Westminster Pier to Greenwich, which is basically just like riding the Underground (except… by boat). I booked a day use ticket ahead of time, but you can also just tap in and out with a credit card or Oyster card.
Or, for something more fun and interesting, you can book a guided boat tour along the river.
Best Sites to See
Literally all of them! You can see all the famous London landmarks by boat from the river. It’s the best place to view Tower Bridge, plus you can see everything, from Big Ben, to the Globe, to St. Paul’s.
Any more suggestions?
These are all the main viewpoints in London, but of course, in a city as big as London, there are plenty more! If you have any other suggestions of places to see, or tips for visiting, please feel free to email me or comment below!
Planning to visit London?
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- The Beginner’s Guide to London
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- How to Get to the Harry Potter Studio Tour
Julia is a travel blogger with a Bachelor’s Degree in photography from Indiana Wesleyan University. She worked as a professional photo-retoucher for seven and a half years, before leaving the company to work in the travel industry. She now works at a historic 1800’s hotel. When she’s not working, she’s reading fantasy novels or classic literature, and planning trips to magical destinations.
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