The Shard

The Shard: What It Costs, What You Get, and Whether It’s Worth It

The Shard is 310 metres tall, making it the tallest building in the UK. Renzo Piano designed it. It opened in 2012 and has a roughly triangular cross-section that reflects light differently at different hours. Whether it works in the London skyline is still argued. From the inside looking out, it definitely works.

The View from the Top

The observation deck occupies floors 68 and 72. Floor 72 is open-air on three sides and gives you the widest views: central London in every direction, on a clear day stretching 40 miles toward the North Downs and Essex. The Thames snakes below you. Tower Bridge looks like a toy.

Tickets cost £33 for adults booked in advance online, rising to £37 on the day. This is on the expensive side for a city view, but the sightlines are genuinely better than most alternatives. Book a time slot rather than an open-ended ticket to avoid queuing.

The experience takes 45-90 minutes depending on how long you linger. Weekday mornings are quietest. Sunset slots sell out fastest and for obvious reasons.

The Restaurants

The Shard contains several restaurants at different price points.

Aqua Shard on floor 31 does modern British food with a menu that changes seasonally. Two courses at lunch run around £45; dinner is considerably more. The real reason to book a table here is that you get the floor-to-ceiling glass views as part of a meal rather than paying separately for the observation deck.

Hutong on floor 33 serves Northern Chinese cooking including a Peking duck that requires advance notice to order. The lamb dishes are the more interesting choice. Dinner typically £60-80 per head.

Oblix on floor 32 is a grill restaurant with a more casual feel. The bar side doesn’t require a dining reservation and is a reasonable option for drinks with the view without committing to a full meal.

The Hotel

Shangri-La occupies floors 34-52. Rooms start at around £500/night during the week, rising sharply on weekends. The SKYPOOL on floor 52 is for hotel guests only and is 35°C heated glass-sided infinity pool with city views. If you’re going to splurge on a London hotel room, this is a defensible option.

The Neighbourhood

London Bridge station is 300 metres from the building (Northern and Jubilee lines, plus mainline rail). The area rewards exploring.

Borough Market on Stoney Street is one of London’s oldest food markets, operating Thursday-Saturday from around 10am. Good cheese, bread, olives, and street food. More expensive than a supermarket, better than most alternatives. The raclette stand is reliably good in winter.

Tower Bridge is a 10-minute walk east along the river. The glass walkway exhibition (on the upper level between the towers) gives you a genuinely unusual perspective and costs around £12.

The Tate Modern is 15 minutes west along the Millennium Walkway. Free for the permanent collection.

Shakespeare’s Globe is on the riverbank halfway between the Shard and Tate Modern. Standing groundling tickets are £5 in season (April-October). The cheapest theatre experience in London and arguably the most atmospheric.