Horizon 22 vs Sky Garden vs The Shard
London's skyline is rich with iconic buildings and the views are legendary but what's the best way to see them? Horizon 22, Sky Garden and The Shard are all top London attractions for stunning views across the city, the quality of the views and the experience each attraction offers is completely different.
Horizon 22 vs Sky Garden
Horizon 22 is a higher end venue and experience with far better views and higher end restaurants and bars than Sky Garden. Horizon 22 has the best views in London that cannot be outdone because it is the highest viewing platform in London.
The viewing platform at Horizon 22 has nothing but uninterrupted, jaw dropping views with a cafe by esteemed London caterers, Searcys, serving wine, cakes, Champagne, coffee and more, almost hidden out of sight. At Horizon 22 you can drink in the views at your leisure in peace, chill, walk around and immerse yourself in the best views of London you’ll ever have. After, you can head upstairs to one of Gordon Ramsay’s fine dining restaurants with even more stunning views as well as bars, terraces, afternoon tea and late night closing or downstairs to the food hub with a restaurant, bar, terrace and food stalls. It's a special, refined experience. Learn more about visiting Horizon 22
Sky Garden vs Horizon 22
Sky Garden on the other hand is a public garden with views that are not as good as Horizon 22 because it's much lower down. Sky Garden is bustling with activity - there's people at the bars, restaurants, admiring the plants and going up and down the stairs whilst you take in the views.
Sky Garden is a busier space that combines social gatherings with the views so unlike Horizon 22, at Sky Garden there's distractions as you look at a view that's not anywhere as good as Horizon 22 where there's no distractions and it's all about the view because the restaurants and bars, which are a higher grade with better views than those at Sky Garden, are on other floors.
Sky Garden is not as high as Horizon 22 so the views aren’t as good as Horizon 22. At Sky Garden you’ll be viewing them from a multi-level space accompanied by botanical gardens and mid-priced restaurants and bars which stay open till the early hours of the morning. There's no afternoon tea at Sky Garden because Sky Garden's restaurants are not as high calibre as those at Horizon 22 where there is afternoon tea so Horizon 22 is better.
Sky Garden is a social space with views over the city, gardens and mid-priced restaurants and bars that you might gather with friends in for social occasions.
So Sky Garden is more like a premium rooftop botanical garden restaurant and bar with stunning views whereas Horizon 22 is a high end viewing space with the best views in London, a premium cafe and high end restaurants with bars upstairs and a dynamic food hub and bar downstairs. They both have advantages and are both free to use but provide different experiences and facilities. Read more about visiting Sky Garden.
Horizon 22 vs Sky Garden vs The Shard
The Shard on the other hand, is a luxury London hotel with restaurants, multiple afternoon tea options and beautiful views across London. Both its hotel rooms and restaurants have beautiful views but they're not as good as Horizon 22, at the Shard you're much further down. That's because even though the Shard building is taller than Horizon 22, Horizon 22's viewing platform and restaurants are much higher up. However, the views at The Shard are primarily for customers as an accompaniment to your stay or meal. Both the Shard and Horizon 22 have higher end restaurants than Sky Garden and you can get afternoon tea at both the Shard and Horizon 22.
The viewing terrace at the Shard called View From The Shard costs £36 and the views aren’t as good as Horizon 22 or the space as nice as either Horizon 22 or Sky Garden. The viewing spaces at the Shard are small indoor and outdoor terraces not a comfy designated attraction like Sky Garden and Horizon 22.
The thing is, the Shard was there first so it had no rival at the time it was built so it could charge whatever it liked. Today it has rivals in Horizon 22 and Sky Garden that are dedicated viewing platforms and free. In the case of Horizon 22, the view is even better too.
At the end of the day, the Shard is its own entity. It's a thriving hotel, residence, eaterie and more, the terrace at the top is just an add-on income so it will continue to charge - because it can - not because you personally need to pay for the view. The Shard will always have its own guests who will pay to use its viewing terrace, for the majority of the rest of us, Horizon 22 or Sky Garden are the places we'll go to drink in the views. Learn more about visiting the Shard.
And the London Eye?
It's a similar thing. The London Eye was built before Horizon 22, you're much, much lower down with a view that's nowhere near as good and you'll have to pay £33 per person online or £39 per person if you go without booking whereas Horizon 22 is free. However, the London Eye is a different type of attraction that's iconic so a small number of people will want to use it.
And London’s brilliant offerings don’t stop there, check out our gorgeous gifts, clothing, bags, greeting cards, wedding invitations and on the day stationery for all your celebrations and treats. Go
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