Best Free Views of the London Skyline
London is a city with an iconic skyline and there are many ways to view and photograph it.
Best of all, many of them are free.
View of Big Ben and the Parliament Building from Westminster Bridge. All photos by John O’Boyle / The Empty Nest Explorers
The Sky Garden
The Sky Garden is absolutely one of our favorite free spots in London. You can enjoy world-class views from inside the giant atrium or the outside glass-enclosed observation deck.
It is located on the 43rd floor of the famous “Walkie-Talkie” building at 20 Fenchurch Street, right in the heart of London. It is also London’s highest public garden.
View of The Sky Garden
While you can easily just sit and take in the wonderful view there are also 4 restaurants and bars located at the Sky Garden.
It’s absolutely best to book a timed entry ticket on the Sky Garden website.
If you visit before 10am, it’s less crowded, but you have to pay £9.
View of the Tower of London and Tower Bridge from Sky Garden
Horizon 22
The newest addition to London’s free viewing platforms is also the highest! Located at Level 58 of 22 Bishopsgate, which is second in height only to the Shard, Horizon 22 offers an almost 360-degree view of the Central London with all its iconic buildings, as well as the East End. A super fast elevator whisks you to the top in just 41 seconds!
Although it is considerably higher than Sky Garden, Horizon 22 is all enclosed and does not offer an outdoor viewing space, but the views are unobstructed.
Being the new kid on the block, Horizon 22 is extremely popular, so even though it’s free, it is best to reserve a timed ticket. You can do this on the Horizon 22 website.
We have yet to visit Horizon 22 as it is the newest free observation deck, so no photos yet, but stay tuned!!
Visitors enjoying the Garden at 120. The Shard and the “Walkie-Talkie” building can be see at close view
The Garden at 120
The Garden at 120 is located right down the street from the Sky Garden at 120 Fenchurch Street. While not as high (located on the 15th floor) as the Sky Garden it is London’s largest public rooftop space.
A lovely space that features a 200-foot-long moving water display, 85 Italian wisteria trees, 30 fruit trees, and a kiosk selling snacks, coffee, and tea.
An eye-level view of “the Gherkin” building through the greenery at the Garden at 120
We found the Garden at 120 very easy to visit. There was virtually no line at all when we got there around 10am, and an elevator takes you right up to the 15th floor. It is a peaceful setting, contemplative and not overcrowded.
And while Sky Garden’s impact comes from it’s high, sweeping perspective, the Garden at 120 gets its charm from its eye level closeness of some of London’s most iconic buildings.
No advance tickets are required.
Check the website for summer and winter hours.
One New Change Rooftop
The recently re-opened Rooftop Terrace at One New Change may not be very high up at its sixth floor perch, but it offers very close and somewhat unique views of nearby St. Paul’s Cathedral.
The rooftop sits atop a modern shopping mall located in London’s financial district. So its very easy to access and worth a stop if you are in the neighborhood. Getting to the rooftop in the glass-enclosed elevator is fun too!
The terrace also houses Madison's Restaurant and Bar, which boasts its panoramic views as a selling point. There are also a number of outdoor events hosted on the roof throughout the year.
We visited on a cloudy, drizzly day and it was empty and almost magical. Felt like we had it all to ourselves!
Fun fact - Many of the modern buildings in London have unusual shapes because of a series of protected sight-lines that preserve historic views of landmarks like St. Paul's Cathedral. So the uniquely shaped towers like the Shard, Walkie-Talkie and the Gherkin are creatively designed so not to obstruct these key viewpoints. The result is a delightful mix of the “old” and the “new”.
St. Paul’s Cathedral is reflected on the glass of the shopping center at One New Change
The Look Out at 8 Bishopsgate
The Look Out is on the 50th floor of 8 Bishopsgate
The Look Out is open every day but the hours are confusing:
Mondays and Fridays - 12pm-9pm,
Tuesdays to Thursdays - 10.30am-5.30pm
Saturdays - 11am-6pm
Sundays & Bank Holidays - 10am-5pm
While it’s free to visit advance tickets are recommended, you can book them here.
Greenwich Park, Royal Observatory
Greenwich Park is one of London's eight Royal Parks.
King Henry VIII used Greenwich as a Royal hunting ground in the 16th century. In the late 17th King Charles II transformed the area into a formal Baroque landscape, with formal gardens.
Today visitors can enjoy sweeping views of London from the elevated landscape. These views will literally last for lifetimes since there is a law that no building can be built that would obstruct the view.
A different view: the tall buildings of Canary Wharf as seen from the walk up to the Royal Observatory in Greenwich. In the foreground is the Queen’s House Gallery., on the grounds of the beautiful Maritime Museum.
While not free, the Greenwich Observatory, located in the park is worth a visit. It is the home of Greenwich Mean Time and you can stand on the famous Prime Meridian Line.
While you can take the Underground Jubilee line to North Greenwich Underground station, the most fun way to get to Greenwich Park is by ferry. Uber Boat by Thames Clippers operates ferries that you can board at various spots along the Thames in Central London and take it directly to the Greenwich Pier.
The boat is also great for river level views of the iconic London skyline.
It’s fun to see some of the iconic London structures, like the Tower Bridge from river level while taking the Uber boat to Greenwich.
The Thames River Walk
View of the London Skyline from Tower Bridge. At left if the “Walkie Talkie” building housing the Sky Garden.
The south bank of the Thames River offers many fantastic views of London’s iconic landmarks. If you are a photographer this is a great walk, especially near sunset.
I’d suggest starting at Tower Bridge and walking to Westminster Bridge. The walk takes about 45 minutes without stopping.
Walking across the world-famous Tower Bridge is totally free. For a fee you can go up the Tower Bridge towers, we did this recently and totally enjoyed it. (You can read about it in our blog post: Visiting London’s Tower Bridge)
The Tower Bridge spans the Thames.
While walking across the bridge and on the south bank you’ll be treated to wonderful views of London. Continue walking along the river past the Royal Navy’s HMS Belfast ship.
A glowing view from Tower Bridge at night
Continue walking on the waterfront path and you’ll pass the gigantic London Eye. Moments later you’ll cross under Westminster Bridge and see the famous view of the Parliament building.
You can then walk across Westminster Bridge into Central London.
Shortcut - If you don’t want to walk all the way to Westminster Bridge then I’d suggest walking across the vehicle-free Millennium Bridge. It’s about halfway to Westminster and will offer a great view walking directly towards St. Paul’s Cathedral.
If you are looking for other free things to do in London you can check out these posts:
View of Big Ben, Parliament Building, Westminster Bridge and the River Thames
Primrose Hill
Primrose Hill has always had a wonderful view of London but in recent years it has attracted rich and famous residents. Actors Daniel Craig, Jude Law, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, and model Kate Moss now call the area home.
It is just a short walk from the London Zoo and the funky Camden Market. We highly recommend visiting Camden Market so Primrose Hill could be a great place to relax after the crowds of the market. (Read our post: Camden Market: Exploring the Unique Charm)
While the walk to the top of Primrose Hill is a bit steep the view is worth it. We picked up some pork buns & a falafel salad and had ourselves a little picnic at the top of the hill, enjoying the view. Lots of people were sitting about in the grass, on blankets, eating snacks, even taking an art class! It seemed like a good amount of locals as well as tourists. A very happy, summery atmosphere.
Chalk Farm on the Northern Line and Swiss Cottage on the Jubilee Line are two close Underground stations.
Parliament Hill
The summit of Parliament Hill is one of the highest spots in London at over 300 feet. It sits atop Hampstead Heath, a nearly 800-acre park in the hills of North London
The park offers a coffee shop and free concerts in the summer. You can check the concert schedule on the City of London’s website.
Parliament Hill is very popular at sunset.
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Our last bit of advice for free views: Just look up! London’s mix of the old and the new makes for inspiration everywhere, even when just popping out of the tube station - as with this stunning view of the Tower of London and the Shard.
This post was researched and written by John of the Empty Nest Explorers. You can learn more about the Empty Nest Explorers here.
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