Take a trip to the highest viewing platform in the UK, Horizon 22. At 254m you have an incredible view over the city of London. The tower is in the centre of the City and so has amazing views looking down on all the other high towers in the area. See as far as Canary Wharf and beyond. Take a bird's eye view on the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Tate Modern and St Pauls. Enjoy coffee and cake at the viewing gallery café. Horizon 22 is an experience not to be missed. And it's free too.
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Website: Horizon 22
Car Park: Who would drive in London? Use public transport or walk. Nearest Tube stations are Bank, Monument , Liverpool Street or Moorgate. They are all 5-10 minutes walk away.
Fee: Free (2026). Your have to book a free ticket online that indicates a date and time slot.
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Entrance To Horizon 22
I was second in line in the queue at the entrance to Horizon 22. The guy who was in front of me was talking to himself. I didn’t recognise the language, but his ethnicity looked to be Middle Eastern. He was smartly dressed and was wearing a rucksack. Just before 10:00 an Horizon 22 attendant opened the main entrance and the queue moved to the vestibule. The chap was still talking to himself and then he bent over and laid his head on a metal post that was part of the barrier for the queue. This was not normal behaviour and I have to admit I was getting a bit nervous at this point. An Horizon 22 staff member came over and asked him if he was okay. He straightened up from the post and told him in faltering English that he was okay, but was very tired. ‘I’ve not been sleeping’ he said. I wanted to ask him why he’d not been sleeping, but the staff member seemed to be okay with his answer and we were told to make our way to a security section. I was relieved to see that it was airport level security and his rucksack got through without any problems. He was still talking to himself and I could see that one of the security team was taking an interest in him as I collected my own rucksack from the security tray. They didn’t say anything to him though and he was the first person to the lift. He stood in a corner and faced the wall. This was very weird, but I hoped that all areas were covered by CCTV and the security person who’d clocked him would keep an eye on him. He was muttering throughout the lift's ascent and I was relieved when we got to level 58. The lift exit was on a mezzanine floor. Instead of taking the escalators down to the viewing level he quickly walked over to a corner of the floor that overlooked the lower gallery, A couple of Horizon 22 staff members were patrolling the floor below and I thought about having a word with them. When I reached the bottom of the escalators, I looked back and the guy had gone. I kept a canny eye out, but I didn’t see him again. I can only think that he went back down in the elevator. Maybe he simply didn’t like heights.
Looking Down To The Viewing Gallery
The Walkie Talkie And The Shard
Horizon 22 is the viewing level in the tower at 22 Bishopgate. Amazingly, it is free entry, although you do have to book an online ticket and entry time. It is the highest viewing platform in the UK. I’d been to the viewing level in The Shard a couple of days previously and that was 10m lower (254m for Horizon 22 and 244m for The Shard). The Shard building is actually higher than Horizon 22 (278m for Horizon 22 and 310m for The Shard). To be honest those extra 10m for Horizon 22 isn’t noticeable at all; they both feel bloody high! They do give you different experiences though. The Shard is a standalone tower on the south bank of the Thames. It also has a level that is open to the air and so there’s a feeling of exposure to the environment. It also has a 360° view. Horizon 22 is amongst the other towers in the City giving you quite an unusual perspective, because you are looking down on them. It has a 300° view, missing out on some views to the north. It is also totally enclosed and so you miss out on that feeling of exposure. The Shard included an informative and useful talk by one of its staff whereas you were just left to do your own thing at Horizon 22. They both had cafes. The Shard cost £19 (2026) and Horizon 22 was free. The toilets in The Shard were definitely more impressive! Which one would I recommend? I’d recommend going up both of them. They both give you different experiences and they are both brilliant.
Incredible Views
Looking Down On The Natwest Tower
When I worked in London in the 1980s I’d commute into nearby Liverpool Street Station and walk through the city to my place of work in Southwark. Every working day I’d plod past the Natwest Tower (now Tower 42) and look up at its enormous structure and think that I’d never see any building higher than that in my lifetime. Scoot ahead and here I was standing in what was thin air 40 years ago. Incredibly, I was now able to look down and see the top of the Natwest Tower. I never, ever thought that would happen in my wildest dreams. In fact from the Horizon 22 perspective, all the other famous towers like the Gherkin and Walkie Talkie looked small in comparison. Admittedly, the Shard still looked high plonked on the other side of the river at London Bridge. Curiously, I didn’t get the feeling of the building moving as I did with the Shard. Maybe I was getting used to the vertigo.
Looking Towards Canary Wharf
The Gherkin
It was very grey and a bit cloudy. Occasionally raindrops would splatter the windows. Over to the east I could see the collection of towers at Canary Wharf. The River Thames snaked its way towards the City. There was a great view of the Tower of London, the Tower Bridge and also HMS Belfast moored in the river. I could see the golden top of The Monument below me; I’d climb that in an hours time. It looked tiny from here. Over to the west, I could see Blackfriars, my base while I was down in London. Nearby, the Millennium Bridge crossed the river to the Tate Modern with its ‘power station chimney.’ There was a good view down to the Bank of England and I followed Queen Victoria Street westwards to St Pauls. I intended climbing to the top of its dome later in the day. I hoped the weather cleared up before then. As with The Shard, all I could see were buildings stretching to the horizon. London is an enormous city.
I'd Climb To The Top Of St Pauls' Dome Later In The Day
Tate Modern Gallery And Millennium Bridge
One day, will I be looking down onto Horizon 22? I thought it would be impossible with the Natwest Tower and look at me now. Never say never. Under current CAA rules, a building can’t be higher than 309.6m which happens to be the exact height of The Shard. So, they can’t build a higher building. There’s still some mileage in making the viewing level higher though. I did wonder about building a 309.6m tower on a hill to gain some height, but that wouldn’t work in London. There are specific rules for London that the height restriction is based on Mean Sea Level to protect the flights into Heathrow and London City. These various options went through my head as I sipped a coffee in the café area. I glanced over to the windows and rain was splattering the windows. I decided it was time to move on.
Back down at street level, I walked through a small arcade area that went underneath the building. I reached a small precinct on the other side. I looked skywards and most of the periphery of my vision were buildings stretching to the sky. It was like looking up a vertical tunnel. London is amazing.
A Tunnel Of Vertical Towers