I've been researching and writing the London guide for Frommer's for 20 years now, and let me tell you, a lot has changed in that city over that time.
I've been tracking those changes and rewriting the regular editions of our guidebook to make sure our readers always have the best, up-to-date recommendations, but when the newest and greatest edition of our London guidebook hits bookstores Sept. 15 (order it here as a paperback or e-book), eagle-eyed readers may notice one major change for 2026.
The world-famous London Eye, the observation wheel that spawned a generation's worth of copycat wheels all over the world, has received a downgrade in our endorsements.
Our review of this longtime tourist magnet has been moved out of the standard list of recommended attractions and has been labeled instead an "Overrated Attraction," a designation the Frommer's London guidebook only assigns to the most skippable tourist traps.
Why? Two decades ago, when the London Eye was about 6 years old, it cost just £13 to enter one of the enclosed capsules for a 30-minute slow rotation across the River Thames from the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. Kids cost just £6.50!
But today, boarding the London Eye will wallop you for as much as £39 (US$53) for a standard adult ticket. That's three times as much as the ride cost 20 years ago.
That price increase, which wildly outpaces inflation, is even more ludicrous when you realize that only a short portion of a ride in the London Eye happens at peak elevation. Most of the time you're either ascending or descending.
Meanwhile, a bunch of newer observation decks have opened across London in recent years—and most of those sites are free!
The London Eye still attracts loads of tourists because of its past reputation and conspicuous location, but you don't have to pony up that kind of dosh for a stellar view of London. In fact, you shouldn't.
Check out these other, newer observation platforms, along with a photo from each that will give you a sense of what the view is like.
The Monument
London's observation decks started with The Monument (Tube: Monument). From 1677 until about 30 years ago, this was the tallest viewpoint (61m/200 ft.) in the City, and for several centuries of that period, the structure was considered a wonder of the world and an icon of London. If you visited London before the 1990s, chances are your tour bus stopped here.
When you climb the 313 steps (£6) to the pinnacle of this gold-topped column, you're literally walking in the footsteps of all the famous visitors to London who traveled there before you.
Rapid development erased The Monument's centuries of fame. Today, it's hemmed in by glass towers and so the perspective you'll get will be mostly of nostalgia. London outgrew The Monument. It may be tall, but no one recommends its panorama anymore. Visiting is for completists only.
The View from the Shard
The Shard (Tube: London Bridge) is the United Kingdom's tallest skyscraper. When it opened in 2013, it was poised to become the London Eye killer.
The View from the Shard is 244m (800 feet) up—so high that, after the initial impression, if you don’t know London well you’re not likely to figure out most of what you see.
The Shard's location near the food of Borough Market brings in some tourists, but you won't get the overhead view of the Houses of Parliament that the Eye allows. The Shard's best asset is its way-above-bird's-eye view of the skyscrapers of the City of London, the Tower of London, and the Tower Bridge.
The price is equally stratospheric (£22–£32 ages 4 and over), and there's no place to sit—two more reasons The Shard's observation floors failed to become as popular as the Eye.
Level 10 at Tate Modern
In 2016, the beloved Tate Modern gallery opened a 10-story addition that included a partially covered, 360-degree observation deck, Level 10, which, commendably, the museum made free to the public.
But soon after, the trouble started. The saga of Level 10's access was long, vicious, and acrimonious (we touched on it here). The upshot is that if you go to Level 10 today, your views will mostly be of the northern riverside frontage of Tate Modern. You're not allowed to look to the south because that upset the rich people who bought condos nearby.
The curtailed setup is nice for seeing St. Paul's Cathedral across the water, and it's a pleasant detour when you're visiting the art downstairs, but Level 10 will never be a replacement for the other observation decks on this list.
Sky Garden
Here you get an expansive view over the Thames from the 36th through 38th stories of the 2014 building locals call “the Walkie-Talkie.” You can dine here, too, at a few quality restaurants that have obstructed views.
Sky Garden (Tube: Monument) is more of a cocktails-and-food hot spot than an observation deck that you visit expressly for views.
It has the opposite problem, directionally speaking, from Level 10's, in that one side of Sky Garden's views are far superior to the other. The building's arcing canopy architecture delivers great southern views over the Thames but partially obscures the east (pictured above), west (pictured below), and north.
Golden Gallery, St. Paul's Cathedral
Another vantage point that has endured over the ages is the highest observation balcony close to the tippy-top of the dome of the venerable St. Paul's Cathedral (Tube: St. Paul's, £27 adults).
There are 530 steps to mount, give or take a coronary or two, but the journey is fascinating, as you'll travel through the lead skin of the cupola and pass centuries worth of graffiti engraved into the stonework.
Ben Franklin himself climbed up here to conduct scientific experiments, but you're not encouraged to do the same. It's too cramped with tourists.
For centuries, it was illegal to build anything higher than this dome, so the views over London's rooftops are still pretty good—and you're near enough to the ground to make out details.
Roof Terrace at One New Change
If you'd rather have a view of St. Paul's than from it, then just across the street to the east you'll find a roof terrace at the modern One New Change building (Tube: St. Paul's). The view begins and ends there, but what a view!
There's a bar and a restaurant up there, plus you'll be carried up by an elevator instead of your own tired feet. Best of all, it's free.
The Garden at 120
The Garden at 120 (120 Fenchurch St., Tube: Monument or Aldgate) is more of a pleasant 15th-floor terrace than a long-distance panorama spot. But it takes up an entire city block, you can see Tower Bridge from here, and the vibe is a lot more chill than at some of the other tourist staples on this list.
You'll find the terrace of the Garden at 120 is landscaped with pleasant plantings, and the panorama provides a good mix of modern skyscrapers and peeks of historic London between them.
Best part: Visiting is free and requires no reservations, although outside of summer the terrace closes by dinnertime.
Horizon 22
London’s second-tallest tower, Horizon 22 at 22 Bishopsgate (Tube: Liverpool Street), opened the city’s highest observation platform in 2023—yes, its 58th-floor perch is even higher than The View at the Shard (below, seen from Horizon 22), which charges money.
Horizon 22's chief views are of the west, south, and east, which are where most of the good stuff is, anyway.
This deck dwarfs the other buildings in the City, and the double-height indoor viewing area makes you feel like you’re soaring, although it could use some seating. There's a casual cafe, though, where you can sit if you order refreshments.
And Horizon 22 is entirely free to visit, although you're asked to make a reservation ahead of time.
Why would any visitor to London want to pay £39 a pop for the London Eye anymore when these alternatives exist?
Jason Cochran is the author of the award-winning Frommer's London guidebook (paperback and e-book). The latest edition will be released Sept. 15, making it the newest London guidebook on the market.
Frommer's London
This is London advice the way a friend would give it to you: fiercely opinionated, funny, and brimming not only with suggestions about what to see and do, but also what’s not worth your time. Whether you want to see Big Ben or the Harry Potter studios, Trafalgar Square or the V&A, London is a ci...
Get the bookFrommer's London
This is London advice the way a friend would give it to you: fiercely opinionated, funny, and brimming not only with suggestions about what to see and do, but also what’s not worth your time. Whether you want to see Big Ben or the Harry Potter studios, Trafalgar Square or the V&A, London is a ci...