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Luke Macgregor / Reuters
The shadow of Western Europe's tallest building is cast across London's financial district as seen from The View from The Shard on Tuesday. Adult tickets to the gallery range from $40 to $160.
LONDON —Towering 800 feet above the U.K. capital, The View from The Shard provides a unique panoramic perspective of the city and — when the weather is clear – up to 40 miles beyond.
But getting a chance to witness the vista from The Shard, which last year became the tallest building in Western Europe, won't come cheap. When the public viewing gallery atop the London's newest landmark opens on Feb. 1, adult tickets will range from $40 to $160.
So will anyone be prepared to pay that much for the privilege of looking down on Londoners?
Andy Nyberg, The View's no-nonsense CEO, thinks so. He says visitors are in for an impressive sight — a "tapestry of history" far below. Its first two days have already sold out.
"This is the only place you can see the whole of London at once and, as such, is a natural starting point for exploring the U.K.'s capital," he said. "If we've got the room and if you've got more money than sense – or time – for £100 ($160) you can turn up at the box office and go up immediately. But that's just a pressure valve for people who bang on the desk."
When it is fully fitted-out, the building will include a luxury hotel, restaurants, offices and private apartments totaling more than 31 acres. The architect, Renzo Piano, has described it as a "vertical city."
The Shard, Western Europe's tallest building will be officially dedicated. The glass paneling and tapered design have already made it one of London's most iconic landmarks. ITV's Lewis Vaughan Jones reports.
A pre-booked, timed-entry adult ticket costs £24.95 ($40), a price the operators believe compares favorably with other "fast-track" entrance fees around London.
In comparison, entry to the main observation deck of the Empire State Building, 1,050 feet up on the 86th floor, costs $25. Going to the top of the Eiffel Tower feels like a bargain at less than $18.50 — and its third level observation desk sits 905 feet above Paris.
But unlike the New York or Paris icons, The View from The Shard's operators say the "visitor experience" is more about the city than the building.
'Quirky'
In the entrance hall there was a humorous and irreverent montage of famous faces placed in London landmarks, as well as some of the city's less well-known neighborhoods. The lobby for the high-speed elevators, which whisk visitors skywards at nearly 20 feet per second, was awash with maps and quotations about the city.
"We've been allowed to be quirky by mixing fact and entertainment, but kept plenty of open space for people to enjoy, " Kevin Murphy, development director at Event Communications — the company responsible for bringing the concept to life — said as he looked around the vast viewing gallery on Level 69.
The Shard towers 1,016 feet over London's South Bank and will be officially opened in February. The top floor will provide stunning 45-mile views and will be the tallest building in western Europe. NBC's Michelle Kosinksi checks out the tower inspired by old church spires.
Apart from high-tech interactive telescopes dotted around its edge, the gallery is sparsely decorated, enabling the view to speak for itself.
"We could have three million people a year through here," Murphy added. "But we're not about treating visitors like animals and herding them through."
But although there was space to roam, the novelty of the viewpoint soon wore thin — at least on a cloudy January morning, with visibility limited to around four miles.
The London landmarks nearby, such as St Paul's Cathedral and Tower Bridge, were distinctive enough, and following the course of the River Thames as it weaved its way eastwards to the sea was intriguing. But after playing "Can I see your house from here?" and counting buses, there was little to hold the attention.
Even climbing up to Level 72, the partially open-air gallery at 800 feet, the narrowness of the city's streets kept many landmarks out of view. And when standing so close to the jagged pinnacle at the top of The Shard, the impression gained at a distance of broken glass simply disappeared.
There were two novelties that caught the eye at the summit: The highest — and probably smallest — gift shop in London; and the view from the restroom.
After all, who needs bathroom curtains 800 feet up?
Peter Jeary / NBC News
A restroom at The View from the Shard.
Related stories:
Europe's new tallest building: An 'iceberg' in heart of London or titanic $2.35B folly
PhotoBlog: Check out images from The Shard's official opening
Leave a Comment:
OK, My answer is no. Next question.
A fool and his money are soon parted.
Soon enough we will be able to see it all via GOOGLE.
As PT Barnum said, "There's a sucker born every minute."
So the first two DAYS are already sold out. Wow. That's so impressive. Just sell out 363 more and you'll have one year sold out!
Would you pay $100 per month to have a cell phone just so that you can have the most idiotic, nonsensical conversations that are completely a waste of time & money.
I say "no", but millions of middle class Americans do it every day....and then whine about why they're broke.
Cell phones are smart phones nowadays and do a lot more than transmit a conversation.
Rkb, for those of us NOT connected to our cell phones what they do isn't impressive. I feel no need to be connected to the world 24/7.
I agree with Paws93. I saw a commercial for cell phones the other day where a family paid over 400/mo for phone charges. That'd ridiculous.
Back to topic. NO..I wouldn't spend that kind of money. I'm sure if I wanted to see a view like that, that there are other observation points less expensive.
Look this is for RICH people that have nothing but free time to do useless stuff and no concept of how hard one has to work to make a dollar (or in this case, a pound).
If you're some hedge fun jerk trying to impress that super model date and both of you have the attention span of squirrels - this is the kind of thing you do - for 5 minutes, then you go eat at the restaurant, which we KNOW will be ridiculous over-priced too...
Paws93:
Perhaps you should foster friendships that are a bit more worthwhile.
In Vegas you can see that far up and have dinner while you are doing it for that price
Why do people think that looking at a city is a view? It's concrete, metal and glass. No thanks. I'll keep my "view" of the Sierras.
Yep. I'd much rather see The Strip from the top of the Stratosphere while munching on a good steak than see downtown London.
rkb5555 - Yes, I'm aware of their capabilities.....but how many people truly need them? Very few. It's a luxury item.
If you can afford it, then fine. But, the middle class whiners about they can't afford groceries, gas, and have difficulty paying their mortgage etc who have these things (and I know several personally), shows that people are unable to control their finances.
$160 to a rich person to see this view is nothing. If the normal person paid it, then I'd say they were as dumb as many of these people paying for "smart"..cough cough...phones.
I like the idea that you can "Pee as you Peer !" Obviously, from the number of folks who are coughing up good money,THEY DO see the value here......London is a GREAT city.......American yokels bemoaned the loss of their Twinkies, and they obviously have no comprehension of the World outside, ha,ha,ha...Las Vegas....
In Vegas, what's to see ? Desert.....who would pay to see desert ?
How about $100 a month for a phone, computer, GPS navigation, internet, news, weather, camera, video camera, calculator, stud finder, compass, flashlight, radio, mp3 player, game console, weather radar....and it all fits in your shirt pocket?
You must be old.
The next time your car breaks down, think about all that while you're walking to the nearest pay phone.....oh wait, there's no such thing as pay phones anymore.
Exactly Denver Bill2, that was the location I was referring to. I've had many gourmet dinners there and enjoyed the view for the full 80 minutes while the restaurant slowly rotates the entire city view. The staff there knows everyone is there for the view so they let you eat your meal without being rushed so that you can see it all
NO
Wow, I'm almost impressed, almost.
thanks for the pics... now I don't have to pay to look at concrete and glass.
LOL, that's what I was about to say!
or thousand year old churches and castles, its London we're talking about not New York which only has concrete and glass.
I'll save a hundred pounds and look at the fog from street instead, thanks!
I fail to see beauty in all that concrete and steel. Give me trees and mountains any day.
Thats what dull minded Egyptians say about their Pyramids......just so much stone...
just looked at it for free ..thx saved me a bunch
Would rather take a nice ride on the "London Eye" Ferris Wheel. That at least would be allot more fun and I bet you could hang out on it for at least a few more minutes. Plus you get to sit down and have dinner.
Exactly, it's probably cheaper and more fun to ride up to than all the other high rise observation places listed. I wonder if that observation tower built for the Olympics is still there too? What about that tower hotel in Vegas with the roller coaster on top, that's probably just as high and you can probably see just as far on a clear day.
Uhmmmm- London doesn't look like Las Vegas??
800 feet up and still no curtain to cover while shaken the dew off yer lilly. That's nassssty!
SO.....Afraid that a passing bird will see your shrivelled old member ???
Does the cost include the fine for peeing while distracted?
This has to be a joke.
London IS the joke.
Since when is "looking down on Londoners" a privilege? I've been looking down on them, nay all Brits, for decades now, and it hasn't cost me a dime!
Boy, does THAT comment reek of "inferiority complex"
I just checked it out for free and I didn't even have leave my house so why would I want to pay $160 to check it out? Plus I would have to fly all the way to London to look at a bunch of dirty buildings from a window. I rather have a nice Hawaiian vacation or cruise.
The only view in the world worth $160 involves Mila Kunis and/or Megan Fox.
WOW
I can see it for free on Google Earth and in my underwear !!
I think this is why they print maps, so we can see where we are going, and where we want to be. Google does it for free.
Hell yes, and I'd spend a lot more too, if I was one of those who have a lot of money. Man, what an ego boost; "Hey, you wouldn't believe what I spent $160 on, man, it was so cool." As for those with their comments about being a sucker, well, lol, it's nobody's business what someone spends his money on, they can just kiss my ass! And, I'm upper poor class living on Social Security.
congratulations, u just bought an all day sucker.
Cool, thankeee sooo much! And wowie, it's a lemon one too.
Yes, these architectural monuments are worth it. The St. Louis Arch is really worth it. The problem is that most are now over-priced. All of the tourist attractions are becoming way over-priced for the middle-class traveler. Well, for one thing the Golden Gate Bridge is still free
Funny. I thought it was the people of the UK that created all that history. Now some developer wants to give the historical credit to the buildings.
They should have put the urinals on the window you could could pretend to pee on London.
the view at night would be quite interesting.
"...... if you've got more money than sense – or time"
That quote says it all and would be the only reason i pay.
What is $500 to a family of 4 making 150K?
Economic growth?
For less than $10 in fuel I can get to a view from over 10,000' that is uncluttered by buildings and never blurred by man made smog.
That's ironic....by burning YOUR fuel, you create smog,so YOU can get above the other man made smog...!
Well,you can look at a load of trees and rocks for $10 gas money, but that sounds a bit dull in comparison
I get a much better view from the Empire State Building for a lot less money. Stupid idea.
Whoever came up with this created a few jobs so the poor schmucks without them can get one.
How can that be a stupid idea?
And if you are a liberal, they created more tax Revenue :)
It's in London, England, you moron. Read the feckin article.
You can see London from the Empire State Building !! Wowee,,,what great eyes you have...
Yeah the Empire State Building famously overlooks thousand year old churches (Southwark) and castles (The Tower Of London), you see unlike the worlds number 2 city, the Capital Of The World and the worlds most visited city, London, has it all...
Hell no. How stupid do they think people are?
You couldn't pay me enough to even go to London (...you get a tan from standing in the English rain...), much less get me up in a tall building to look at the 'black city' from above. What a wasted endeavor.
Sorry you feel that way. London is wonderful and we have yet to see it rain there. We spent three months in the UK and I would go back in a heartbeat.
Are they Nuts? Do I need to say more?
There are lots of men who pay big money to sit in dark Gentlemeans clubs, sipping over priced juice....maybe that's your die of adventure.....
First of all, the US $ is worth much less than it used to, so the price for Europeans is not nearly the nick in the wallet to them as it would be to Americans. And if they charged less, it would be so full of people, you wouldn't be able to get a good view! From a business standpoint, better to charge a lot and make the same amount of money dealing with fewer people!
If the goal was to have fewer people, I then hope it was completely privately financed. No tax funds should have gone to the building.