68
Arrival deck
The high-speed lift drops you here in about 60 seconds. Floor-to-ceiling glass on all four sides, telescopes with a digital overlay that names what you're looking at, and the first proper gasp: the Thames laid out like a diagram.
The View from The Shard
244 metres up, London stops being a map and starts being a view
An independent, plain-English guide to Western Europe's highest public viewing gallery: what you'll see from Levels 68, 69 and 72, when to go, what tickets cost and how to walk straight in.
- 72
- 69
- 68 The ascent
- Viewing height
- 244m
- Summer hours
- 10am–10pm
- Winter hours
- 11am–7pm
- Tickets from
- £28.50
- Nearest station
- London Bridge
Three levels, one climb
The visit is a sequence, not a single room. Here's what each floor actually gives you.
69
Main gallery
One floor up by escalator and the crowd thins. This is the level people settle on — benches, the bar, and the best angle on Tower Bridge to the east and St Paul's to the north-west.
72
Open-air Skydeck
The top of the visitor route at 244 metres. Partly open to the sky, with the shards of glass rising unfinished above you. No glass between you and the lens, so this is where the photographs happen — and where you feel the wind.
Why book ahead
Entry is by timed slot. Walk-up tickets are sold on the day only if space remains, and they cost more than the advance price of £28.50. Sunset slots in summer and weekend afternoons in December routinely sell out days in advance.
- • Advance online prices are the lowest available.
- • A booked slot means you queue for security, not for tickets.
- • Flexible tickets let you change or cancel if the forecast turns.
Best time to visit
Book a slot around 45 minutes before sunset. You get the city in daylight, the golden hour, and then the lights coming on — three completely different views for one ticket. The sharpest photographs come about 20 minutes after sunset, when the sky still holds blue and the buildings are already lit.
Prefer it quiet? Weekday mornings just after opening are the calmest hour of the day.
Read the full timing guide →What visitors say
“We went up 40 minutes before sunset and stayed for the lights. Level 72 in the open air was the bit the kids talked about all week.”
“Foggy day, and honestly it was still worth it — you're standing inside the cloud. We rebooked the flexible ticket for the Sunday anyway.”
“Straight off the Jubilee line, through Joiner Street, security, lift. We were on Level 68 within fifteen minutes of arriving.”
Ready to go up?
Check live dates, times and prices for The View from The Shard.