What’s your favorite city viewpoint? Have you ever found one to be disappointing?
If the Cologne Cathedral and the Main Tower are any indication, we love getting up on top of things to view the tiny world below. When we researched things to do in the city of London, the Sky Garden quickly rose to the top of the list.
With 360-degree views, it really is a great way to see the city. And it’s far cheaper than the more-touristed Shard across the river. In fact, it’s free! ..but be sure to book in advance. While it’s open to the public, limited numbers are admitted at a time. Online spots book up quickly.
We actually didn’t realize we needed to book ahead of time, and slots were already full the entire duration of our visit. However, they also permit some walk-ins during specific hours. We lucked out just showing up, but we were also there during the shoulder season. I wouldn’t expect the same results during the height of summer!
The interior is impressive, and we liked the somewhat jungle ambiance. However, it failed to live up to its true garden promises and has thus received a lot of criticism. We also found it difficult to photograph the city below from behind so much glass. We later visited another free (and lesser-known) terrace that did not have this impediment… but we’ll share more on that later.
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We loved Sky Garden. I surprised the husband with a dinner at the restaurant above it (booked well in advance also) with a walk around the garden after. Both our hearts and our wallets were lighter when we left. 😉
Haha! I bet! We’re ok having skipped the restaurant this time around (coffee sated that indulgence desire)… but we’d be curious to check it out on another visit. Was the food good?
The food was spectacular.
Shamefully I still haven’t been to the Sky Garden, did have it booked once but didn’t end up making it. Interesting to hear they accept walk ups though, I didn’t think that was possible.
Well then, now there’s no excuse to not check it out! …once it’s safe to be out and about once more 🙂