The Shard

London

 

The Shard

Take in the amazing views of the whole of London from the top of The Shard; Britain's largest and most impressive looking building.


What you need to know about the Shard

City: London, United Kingdom

Transport links: London Bridge tube station (Northern and Jubilee lines).

Nearby attractions: Tower Bridge, Tower of London

Access: Entry to the viewing platform of the Shard costs £32 for adults, with cheaper concession tickets on offer for families (when bought as a group) and children.

Fact: Despite being the tallest building in Britain by a considerable margin, the Shard is over 2.5 times smaller than the insanely large Burj Khalifa in Dubai, which is 828 metres in height

The view from the top of the Shard is incredible

Admittedly the price of admittance to the viewing platform is not cheap. Once you get up there however you will be treated to a view of London like no other. Similar to being atop New York's Empire State Building, the view from the top allows you to see for miles. You will easily be able to pick out the famous landmarks both near and far into the distance.

Handy view finders also help you to orient your view and identify points of interest.

One thing that is totally sure is that you will not be disappointed by the view.

Sample the view at night for a different experience all together

The view from the top is impressive no matter when you visit the Shard. That much is a fact. For those who enjoy seeing views of a city lit up against a backdrop of night, buy a ticket for an evening time slot and see London lit up from hundreds of feet in the air. It is pretty sweet seeing the city landmarks lit up below you and, although totally down to personal preference, the Globedge preference is to see the view at night. Each to their own though!

Take time to savour the highest meal of your life

Ok so there are a few buildings in the world that are taller than the Shard. Regardless, there are not many times you get to dine with a view to die for from that high up in the sky.

There are six bars and restaurants available on site - Aqua Shard, Oblix, Hutong, Bar 31, Ting and Gong - each with their own distinct menu of food and drink. If you are in the mood for a cocktail then check out Gong on the 52nd floor where the only thing better than the drinks on offer is the view.

The Shard is a modern marvel

The building is more than just an architectural wonder. It is also a building fit for the 21st century. Over 95% of the building materials used in the construction of the Shard are recycled, and the windows are all built to be energy efficient with triple glazed designs used to provide a layer of sun-shielding glass between the two conventional inner and outer panes.

globedge-travel-london-shard-skyline

The Shard stands tall in London dwarfing all other buildings around it.

The scale of the building is staggering

Even parking the height of the building for a moment, other stats about the Shard make for mind-boggling reading.

The wiring used in the building could stretch out over 200 miles which, if unfurled, would stretch from London all the way to Paris. Sacré bleu!

11,000 glass panels make up the exterior facade of the building. That is enough to cover the pitch at Wembley Stadium around 8 times.

The Shangri-la hotel is based on floors 34-52 and offers its top suite at an eye watering £14,000 per night.

It takes a team of six dedicated window cleaners to keep the building in its picturesque shiny state. They tackle one side of the building per week and as soon as they complete the fourth side they need to get started back on the first side again. The team basically never stop cleaning it and are also clearly not scared of heights because they carry out the window cleaning work by abseiling down the building!

It is safe to say that the Shard is impressive. Go and see it!