Tickets for the viewing gallery at The Shard go on sale tomorrow (6 July) at 9am, for the princely sum of £24.95 (£18.95 concession) – even more expensive than the 20 quid rumoured back in January. Back then we put together a list of where you can get views of London for less, though nowhere else on that list will get you as high as the observatory on floors 68-72, in a lift moving at six metres per second.
The View from the Shard opens 1 February next year. We had a sneak preview of what the night view is like from the Place Hackers and the BBC were parked in the gallery this morning: the vista is truly spectacular. But, we've all seen the top of the building shrouded in cloud when the weather's bad. Will you gamble on it being a clear day to be one of the first up there? Or wait until the bars on floors 31-33 open? (Might actually work out cheaper, if lower.)
The booking line for tickets is 0844 499 7111. And don't forget the laser light show to mark the official opening is tonight.
Photo by Norfolklad2011 from the Londonist Flickr pool
