Free Skyline Views in London: Sky Garden, Horizon 22, Hills and Roof Terraces

Booked towers or open hills: how to choose

A high viewpoint is a good date when you want something to look at and talk about without paying for a table. The choice comes down to two kinds of place. The towers in the City are free but booked, timed and screened like an airport. The hills are open ground with no ticket, but they depend on the weather and on park gate times.

If you are planning a first meeting, a hill is easier to arrange at short notice and easier to leave. A tower slot needs planning weeks ahead, and both of you need to arrive on time with the right ID. The sections below give each place's rules as its operator states them, read on 14 October 2026. Where a page did not answer a question, we say so rather than guess.

Opening details for Primrose Hill's gates and Hampstead Heath's facilities are already in our parks guide, so this one concentrates on the viewpoints themselves and on the booked buildings.

Sky Garden: free tickets, three weeks ahead

Sky Garden sits at the top of 20 Fenchurch Street, the City tower Wikipedia says is nicknamed the Walkie-Talkie. Wikipedia gives the building's height as 160 metres, names Rafael Viñoly as architect and says the Sky Garden opened in January 2015. Sky Garden's own address is 1 Sky Garden Walk, London EC3M 8AF.

The booking rules are strict. According to Sky Garden's help centre, free tickets are released every Monday morning, excluding bank holidays, three weeks in advance for the whole week. A ticket is valid only for the date and time shown, visitors get one hour inside from entry, and anyone arriving more than 15 minutes after their slot is unlikely to get in. Date changes cannot be made on the day. Groups under 10 can book online; larger groups are only taken on community days, which the site says fall on the second Wednesday of each month.

Its getting-here page lists ticketed visiting hours of 10am to 6pm Monday to Friday and 11am to 9pm at weekends and on bank holidays. The help centre says free walk-ins are accepted during public hours subject to availability and management discretion, and lists paid door tickets of £11.50 in the early morning and from £15.50 in the evening. Outside the free hours, Wikipedia says entry is for customers of the bars and restaurants.

Two practical points. Sky Garden runs a Challenge 25 policy: anyone over 18 who looks under 25 should carry a PASS-hologram card, photocard driving licence or passport. Everyone goes through airport-style screening, large bags and suitcases are refused, and there is no luggage storage. On 14 October 2026 its pages also carried a notice that a visitor lift was out of service, reducing capacity, so some ticket holders might not be admitted at their booked time.

• Sky GardenFree booked garden and viewpoint

  City of London · Nearest: Monument

  Free tickets released Mondays, three weeks ahead. Ticketed hours 10am to 6pm weekdays, 11am to 9pm weekends and bank holidays, per its site.

Horizon 22: the highest free platform

Horizon 22 is on level 58 of 22 Bishopsgate. Wikipedia gives the building's roof height as 278 metres and puts the gallery at about 254 metres; Horizon 22's own site does not give a height. The operator says plainly that visiting is free: you choose a Standard Ticket, pick a date and time, and receive QR codes for entry. Paid extras include an audio-visual Guide to the View and a glass of bubbles.

The site lists opening hours of 10:00 to 18:00 on weekdays, 10:00 to 17:00 on Saturday and 10:00 to 16:00 on Sunday. Groups of 15 or more use a separate booking form. Its FAQ page lists questions on age rules, ID, how far ahead you can book, bags, length of stay and accessibility, but on the day we read it the answers did not load, so check those directly before you go rather than relying on this guide.

Horizon 22 and Sky Garden each need a timed slot, so it is simpler to book one per outing.

• Horizon 22Free booked viewing gallery

  City of London

  Level 58 of 22 Bishopsgate. Free Standard Ticket booked for a date and time. Weekdays 10:00-18:00, Saturday 10:00-17:00, Sunday 10:00-16:00, per its site.

One New Change roof and Tate Modern Level 10

The roof terrace at One New Change, the shopping centre beside St Paul's, needs no booking. Its own page says it is open to all and free to enter, and describes views of St Paul's Cathedral and the skyline. It also lists a long set of rules: no alcohol, even unopened, no glass bottles, no selfie sticks or tripods, no bikes, scooters or skateboards except mobility aids, no smoking or vaping, and only assistance dogs. It may close in bad weather or for safety or security reasons. The terrace page does not give its own hours, and the centre's opening-hours page did not show times when we read it, so phone 0207 002 8910 or check on the day.

Tate Modern's Level 10 is at the top of the Blavatnik Building. Tate describes it as a place for hot and cold drinks and snacks, accessed by lift only from Levels 0 to 4, open 10.00 to 17.00 Sunday to Thursday and 10.00 to 21.00 on Friday and Saturday, with last orders before closing. Tate's main visit page says the collection is free for everyone; the Level 10 page does not say whether entry to that floor is charged, and does not describe which directions its views face.

Level 10 has a legal history. The Supreme Court heard Fearn and others v Board of Trustees of the Tate Gallery, a private nuisance claim by neighbouring residents about views into their flats from the viewing platform, and gave judgment on 1 February 2023.

Tate Modern's nearest stations, per Tate, are Southwark on the Jubilee line, about 600 metres away, and Blackfriars, about 300 metres from its south exit by rail.

• One New Change roof terraceFree open roof terrace

  City of London

  Free and open to all, per the centre. No alcohol, tripods or selfie sticks. May close in bad weather.

• Tate Modern Level 10Top floor drinks venue

  Bankside · Nearest: Southwark

  Lift from Levels 0-4 only. 10.00-17.00 Sunday to Thursday, 10.00-21.00 Friday and Saturday, per Tate.

The protected panoramas: why the hills keep their views

The hills on this list are not just high ground; their views are written into planning policy. The Greater London Authority's London View Management Framework is guidance on protecting the strategic views designated in the London Plan, which the GLA says are taken from popular, accessible places. The current supplementary planning guidance dates from March 2012, and the GLA says a revised draft is out for consultation from 11 September to 4 December 2026.

Policy 7.11 of the 2011 London Plan listed 27 designated views in four groups. The six London Panoramas, all towards central London, are from Alexandra Palace, Parliament Hill, Kenwood, Primrose Hill, Greenwich Park and Blackheath Point. Three Linear Views include King Henry VIII's Mound in Richmond to St Paul's Cathedral. Thirteen River Prospects run from Tower Bridge to Albert Embankment, among them the Millennium Bridge and Thameside at Tate Modern. Five Townscape Views include the bridge over the Serpentine in Hyde Park to Westminster.

The same policy says St Paul's Cathedral, the Palace of Westminster and the Tower of London are protected through landmark viewing corridors, and that development in a view's foreground, middle ground or background is assessed for its effect. In practice that is why these hills still see St Paul's. The numbering may change once the revised framework is adopted.

Primrose Hill and Parliament Hill in north London

Primrose Hill is 64 metres high by Ordnance Survey measurement, according to Wikipedia, which says the summit has a clear view of central London and carries an engraved quotation from William Blake. It opened to the public in 1842 and is a Grade II listed park. The nearest tube stations are Chalk Farm and Swiss Cottage. It is managed by The Royal Parks; its gate times, including late-evening weekend closures in summer, are covered in our first-date guide.

Parliament Hill, on the southern edge of Hampstead Heath, is known for views of the skyline. Wikipedia notes that the Houses of Parliament, about 10 kilometres south, can be seen from the top, though building in between has partly obscured them, and that the area was once known as Traitors' Hill. The heath's toilets, scooters and paths are in our parks guide.

Both hills are open ground with benches but no shelter at the summit, so they work best on a dry day and are easy to pair with a walk down to a cafe.

• Primrose HillProtected panorama, Royal Park

  Camden · Nearest: Chalk Farm

  64 m summit with a view of central London, per Wikipedia. Designated London Panorama.

• Parliament HillProtected panorama, Hampstead Heath

  Hampstead Heath

  Skyline view south over the city. Designated London Panorama.

Greenwich Park and Alexandra Palace

The Royal Parks lists Greenwich Park's pedestrian gates as open 6am to 7pm and describes its most popular spot, at the top of its highest hill, as having sweeping views over the skyline. For something quieter it suggests the summit of One Tree Hill. Wikipedia says a statue of James Wolfe outside the Royal Observatory overlooks the Old Royal Naval College, the river, Canary Wharf, the City and the O2. The park is part of the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site. Wikipedia lists Greenwich (rail and DLR), Maze Hill (rail) and Cutty Sark (DLR) as the nearest stations.

Alexandra Palace stands on a ridge more than 91 metres high, according to Wikipedia, which says the Palace opened on 24 May 1873, burned down 16 days later and reopened in 1875. In 1936 it hosted the first public high-definition television broadcasts by the BBC. The Palace's own site lists the Summit among its park attractions and says the park has held Green Flag status for 19 years.

For getting there, Alexandra Palace's site says Alexandra Palace station, at the Wood Green entrance to the park, has Great Northern trains from Moorgate and a service to King's Cross. Wood Green on the Piccadilly line is the nearest tube, and the W3 bus runs from Finsbury Park. On 14 October 2026 the same page warned of planned works affecting Wood Green and strike action stopping the W3 on dates in September and October, so check TfL before travelling.

• Greenwich ParkProtected panorama, Royal Park

  Greenwich · Nearest: Greenwich

  Pedestrian gates 6am to 7pm, per The Royal Parks. View from the hill by the Royal Observatory; One Tree Hill is the quieter option.

• Alexandra PalaceProtected panorama, park and venue

  Wood Green · Nearest: Alexandra Palace

  Ridge-top park with a panorama towards central London. Trains from Moorgate; Wood Green tube and the W3 bus also serve it.

Before you go

• For Sky Garden, book on a Monday morning three weeks out and arrive early: more than 15 minutes late usually means no entry.
• Carry photo ID for Sky Garden if either of you could look under 25, and leave large bags at home; there is no storage.
• Check Sky Garden's notice about its out-of-service lift, and Horizon 22's FAQ for age, ID and bag rules, on the day before.
• One New Change bans alcohol, tripods and selfie sticks on its roof, and can close it in bad weather.
• The hills have no shelter at the top. Check the forecast and park gate times, and plan your route home from the nearest station.

Questions people ask

Is Sky Garden really free?

Yes during ticketed public hours, if you book. Sky Garden releases free tickets every Monday morning, excluding bank holidays, three weeks ahead. It also accepts free walk-ins during public hours when there is space, and sells paid door tickets in the early morning and evening, according to its help centre.

Which is higher, Sky Garden or Horizon 22?

Horizon 22. It is on level 58 of 22 Bishopsgate, which Wikipedia puts at about 254 metres. Sky Garden is at the top of 20 Fenchurch Street, a building Wikipedia gives as 160 metres to the roof.

Can I just turn up at the One New Change roof?

Yes. The centre says the roof terrace is open to all and free to enter with no booking mentioned. It may be closed for weather, safety or security, and its page does not list hours, so check before you travel.

Which hills have protected views of central London?

The 2011 London Plan designated six London Panoramas towards central London: Alexandra Palace, Parliament Hill, Kenwood, Primrose Hill, Greenwich Park and Blackheath Point. The GLA is consulting on a revised view management framework until 4 December 2026, so the list could change.