look down for nothing
Free Viewpoints in London: Horizon 22, Sky Garden & 8 More (How to Book Each One)
Ten free viewpoints across London, and exactly how to get into each one: which need a free ticket booked ahead, which you can just walk up to, and when the booked ones release their slots. No queue, no markup, just the skyline.
FREE
Free Viewpoints in London: Horizon 22, Sky Garden & 8 More (How to Book Each One)
LONDON FREE GUIDEThe list
1
Horizon 22
City of London · Liverpool Street
London's highest free viewing platform, on the 58th floor of 22 Bishopsgate in the City. Entry is free with a timed ticket from horizon22.co.uk, and walk-ins get in when there is space.
Mon to Fri 10am–6pm · Sat 10am–5pm · Sun 10am–4pm · free timed ticketFull details →
2
Sky Garden
The City · Monument
A jungle in the sky on top of the Walkie Talkie, the highest free public viewpoint in London. Book a slot and go up for nothing.
Daily, timed entry · book a free slot onlineFull details →
3
The Garden at 120
City of London · Fenchurch Street
A free open-air roof garden high over the City, no booking and no ticket, with a fountain, a wisteria walk and the Walkie Talkie and Gherkin close enough to touch.
Daily · roughly 10am to 6pm, later in summer · no bookingFull details →
4
One New Change Terrace
City of London · St Paul's
A free public roof terrace on top of a City shopping centre, with the closest elevated view of St Paul's dome you will get for nothing. Take the glass lift straight up.
Daily during centre hours · roughly 6am to midnightFull details →
5
Tate Modern Viewing Level
Bankside · Blackfriars
A free panoramic view from the tenth floor of Tate Modern's Blavatnik Building, looking straight across the river to St Paul's and over the whole City skyline.
Daily · within gallery hoursFull details →
6
The Lookout at 8 Bishopsgate
City of London · Liverpool Street
A free 50th-floor viewing gallery in the City. Book a free ticket online, with new dates released on Mondays, or try a walk-in when there is space.
Mon & Fri 12pm–9pm · Tue to Thu 10:30am–5:30pm · Sat 11am–6pm · Sun & bank holidays 10am–5pm · free ticketFull details →
7
Primrose Hill
Primrose Hill · Chalk Farm
The best free skyline view in London. No queue, no ticket, no café markup. Just the hill.
Always openFull details →
8
Parliament Hill
Hampstead Heath · Gospel Oak
The best free view in north London, a grassy summit on Hampstead Heath where the whole skyline lays itself out, protected by law so no building can ever block it.
Always openFull details →
9
Greenwich Park
Greenwich · Cutty Sark (DLR)
A royal park on a hill with a free view straight down the Thames to Canary Wharf, the meridian line and maritime Greenwich below.
Daily · dawn to duskFull details →
10
Richmond Park
Richmond · Richmond
London's wildest Royal Park, free, where six hundred red and fallow deer roam free across two and a half thousand acres, with a protected telescope view of St Paul's.
Pedestrian gates open 24hrs (brief nightly closures during the Feb & Nov deer culls) · vehicle gates 7am/7:30am–dusk · parking freeFull details →
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The stories hiding above Clerkenwell's pubs
A free ~45-minute walk from Angel to Farringdon past six Clerkenwell pub signs, each hiding a story you'd never guess from the street: a prince replaced by a Tamil king, a freed slave in chains, a mystery mural, the man who funded England's first atlas, and a 400-year-old typo. Every stop is free to look at, this is about the signs, not drinking.
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Go East Vintage Flea: a free vintage market in Bermondsey
Go East Vintage runs a free vintage flea market most weekends at Maltby Street in Bermondsey, plus an indoor edition inside the railway arches on selected weekends. Free entry, no ticket, dog-friendly, just turn up. Expect 40 plus vintage sellers with furniture, vinyl, cameras, fashion, jewellery and odd little treasures, right by Maltby Street Market's food stalls. Dates move around a little, so check Go East Vintage's Instagram for the exact weekend before you go.
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