Okay, so the view is epic. But The Shard isn’t just a viewing platform. It’s a whole little city stacked vertically. There are actual offices in there where people do real work (yes, someone is probably stressing about a spreadsheet right now at 800 feet in the air). There are fancy restaurants where you can eat a burger while floating above the streets.
32 London Bridge St, London, SE1 9SG - The Shard | LoopNet
And then there’s the Shangri-La Hotel. It’s the kind of place you don’t just wander into unless you’ve won the lottery or are treating yourself to a once-in-a-lifetime birthday. But even just knowing it’s up there, with its cloud-like rooms, feels like a little secret you share with the sky.
But What About the Ground Floor?
Here’s the bit most people miss. The area around The Shard is actually a really nice place to just hang out. Forget the ticket price for a second. The station at London Bridge has been spruced up, and there are little streets nearby with great coffee shops. You can grab a flat white, lean against a railing, and just watch the building’s glass panels reflect the late afternoon sunshine.
I once sat on a bench right outside the main entrance. I was eating a sad sandwich from a supermarket, and a group of tourists asked me to take their photo. As I snapped the picture, I saw their faces light up. It reminded me that even if you don’t go up, being near something so ambitious makes you feel a little more alive. It’s a good spot for people-watching, too.
