the best free view in london
The best free skyline view in London. No queue, no ticket, no café markup. Just the hill.
Free to visit · Primrose Hill · Chalk Farm · NW1 4NR
Opening: Always open
Everyone bangs on about the paid viewing platforms. The Shard. The Sky Garden slots that are never free when you actually want one. Meanwhile the best view in London is a grassy hill in Regent's Park that costs exactly nothing and never shuts.
Walk up the north side and the whole skyline lays itself out in front of you. The Shard, the Gherkin, the BT Tower, St Paul's, the lot. It is a protected view, so nobody can ever build anything to block it. The sweep you get today is the same one your grandkids will get.
Bring a tin of something cold and a jumper, because it gets breezy at the top. Weekends near the summit get rammed, so if you want it calm come on a weekday evening or first thing on a Sunday.
Getting there: Three minutes uphill from Chalk Farm on the Northern line. Camden Town and Regent's Park are a slightly longer walk.
Best time to go: Sunset on a clear evening. Go on a weekday or early Sunday for the quiet version.
Insider tip: Everyone fights for the benches on the summit path. Locals skip them and drop 30 metres west of the top. Same view, half the people, and you are out of the wind.
Official site: https://www.royalparks.org.uk/visit/parks/the-regents-park-primrose-hill
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