From tomorrow you can, should acrophobia not be one of your more pressing fears, book a ticket to the top of western Europe's tallest building. Level 68 of the Shard offers what is by all accounts a fairly mind-blowing 360-degree view of London from 800ft up, plus a vista stretching – assuming the weather ever improves – 40 miles.
There's a hitch, though: tickets cost £24.95 for an adult, and £18.95 for a child, meaning a trip to the top for a family of four will set you back roughly 90 quid. That's a lot more than the €14 (about £11) price of an adult ticket up the Eiffel Tower, even if, as the PR company promoting the Shard helpfully points out, the "visitor experience" includes a 30-second ride in something called a "kaleidoscopic lift".
Thankfully, there are less ruinous ways of getting an eyeful of Britain's capital. An actual glass of champagne at Tower 42's Vertigo 42 bar, for example, 600ft above Broat Street, is only £14. The Golden Gallery of St Paul's cathedral offers great views of the Thames from 280ft for just £1 more, plus the undeniably virtuous feeling that will come with knowing you've climbed 528 steps to get there. The new 295ft Emirates cable car is a mere £3.20 with an Oyster card.
And Parliament Hill (322ft), Primrose Hill (256ft) and Greenwich Hill are all completely free. Shard? Schmard.
