Visiting the Sky Garden with children: everything you need to know
London’s first free public space high above the city, the Sky Garden, has become one of London’s most popular tourist attractions. This guide will tell you everything you need to know about visiting the Sky Garden with children, making sure that you are prepared to enjoy your visit with minimal fuss.
The Sky Garden: the essentials
What is the Sky Garden?
The Sky Garden is one of London’s several viewing platforms that are located at or near the top of tall commercial buildings. The Sky Garden is a triple-height space with open air balcony on the side of the building that overlooks the River Thames.
Unlike the other viewing platforms in the City, in addition to being a viewing platform, the Sky Garden is also home to a number of restaurants and bars.
Where is The Sky Garden?
The Sky Garden is located at the top of the distinctively-shaped 20 Fenchurch Street building (nicknamed the ‘Walkie Talkie’ due to its unique expanding shape at the top of the building), in the City of London.
How high up is the Sky Garden?
The Sky Garden is located across three floors at the top of the Walkie Talkie, the lowest ‘ground’ floor level is the 35th floor from which you can walk up the staircases on either side (or take a lift) to the 37th floor at the back of the building.
The restaurants within the Sky Garden are located on mezzanine levels within the triple-height space.
How old is the Sky Garden?
20 Fenchurch Street, the building in which the Sky Garden is located, was completed in 2014.
Fun fact: the building suffered early teething problems when it was found that the angle of the building reflected the sun in such a way that it caused parts of a car on Fenchurch Street to melt.
The Sky Garden, which was a planning requirement for the building, opened to the public in January 2015.
How much does it cost to go to the Sky Garden?
Entrance to the Sky Garden is free.
Do you need tickets for the Sky Garden?
Tickets are not necessarily required in order to visit the Sky Garden. There are three ways to access the Sky Garden:
- With a pre-booked ticket;
- With a reservation at one of the restaurants; or
- As a walk-in.
Pre-booked tickets
Tickets for the Sky Garden are only available to be booked online in advance. Tickets are released at 10am every Monday morning (excluding bank holidays) three weeks in advance for the whole week. Book tickets here.
Tickets are available for specific time slots throughout the day. Tickets are required for children over the age of five.
With a restaurant reservation
If you can’t get tickets to visit the Sky Garden and want to guarantee entry, an alternative to buying tickets is to make a booking at one of the Sky Garden’s two restaurants; Darwin Brasserie and Fenchurch Restaurant.
A restaurant booking will get you access to the Sky Garden without the need for a separate ticket. However, do note that whilst this will work at most times, children are not able to visit the gardens after 6pm on weekdays and 9pm on the weekends. The Sky Garden website notes that “If you are dining in Darwin Brasserie or Fenchurch Restaurant, parties with guests under 16 can only arrive 15 minutes ahead of their reservation time and will have to make their way directly to the restaurant” (although how strictly this is enforced will depend on staff on the day).
Walk-in
Walk-in visits to the Sky Garden without a ticket are sometimes possible during public hours. In order to obtain entry without a ticket, you will need to enter the queue for those without tickets. Entrance for non-ticket holders is not guaranteed and will depend upon capacity. Queues can build up and move slowly, particularly at busy times and on weekends. Therefore if this is something you wish to attempt, it may be best to try your luck by arriving and joining the queue before the first entrance time for ticket holders. This is when the Sky Garden is usually at its quietest.
What is the capacity of the Sky Garden?
The Sky Garden has a maximum capacity of around 450 visitors at any one time. This includes both public visitors and guests at the venue’s restaurants and bars.
During peak times like weekends and sunset hours, the venue often reaches this capacity, which is why booking ahead is strongly advised.
When is the Sky Garden open?
The Sky Garden is open seven days a week, from early until late.
Ticket holders can visit from 10am – 6pm weekdays, 11am – 9pm weekends and Bank Holidays.
Different opening hours apply for the restaurants.
As noted above, children are not allowed to visit the gardens after 6pm on weekdays and 9pm on the weekends.
Getting to the Sky Garden
What is the nearest tube to the Sky Garden?
The nearest Tube station to the Sky Garden is Monument (District Line and Circle Line). Only slightly further away, but still an easy walk are Aldgate (Metropolitan Line and Circle Line), Tower Hill (Circle Line and District Line), Bank (Central Line, Northern Line, Waterloo and City Line, and the DLR) and Liverpool Street (Central Line, Metropolitan Line, Hammersmith and City Line.
How do you get into the Sky Garden?
The entrance to the Sky Garden is accessed via a queue that starts at the junction of Philpot Lane and Fenchurch Street and which runs alongside the Walkie Talkie. There are actually two queues here, one to the left for walk-ins and one to the right for ticket holders.
Note: If you are dining in one of the Sky Garden restaurants go straight through to the desk on the right hand side of the reception. Do not join the queue with the public ticket holders.
Once you are inside the building, your tickets (if you have them) will be checked, potentially along with photo ID for adults (this is a stated requirement) and you will need to go through airport-style security. After clearing security you will take the lift up to the 35th floor.
How long is the queue for the Sky Garden?
Queuing time for the Sky Garden is likely to vary significantly depending on whether or not you have a ticket and, if you don’t, the time and day on which you visit. If you attempt to walk-in at a peak time, the queue could easily exceed an hour and there’s no guarantee of entry. Therefore it is strongly advised that you make a booking.
Note that even with a ticket or a restaurant booking, you may find that you need to queue in order to pass through security, although this should be a much shorter queue than the queue for walk-ins.
Is there baggage storage at the Sky Garden?
Bags and luggage larger than 615mm (W) x 410mm (H) or 24.2” (W) x 16.1” (H) per item are not permitted inside and there are no locker facilities. Therefore, if you have larger luggage with you, you should find somewhere to store this before you visit.
At the Sky Garden
What can you see from the Sky Garden?
The Sky Garden offers a 360 degree view over London. Here’s what you and your family can expect to see in terms of iconic London landmarks:
- Wembley;
- The Barbican;
- St Pancras;
- St Paul’s Cathedral;
- The Gherkin;
- The Walkie Talkie;
- The Shard;
- HMS Belfast;
- Tower Bridge;
- Monument;
- The London Eye;
- The Houses of Parliament;
- The Olympic Stadium;
- The Tower of London; and
- Canary Wharf.
Helpfully there are stickers on all of the windows that try and highlight what you can see in each direction.
What facilities are there for children at the Sky Garden?
The main attraction at the Sky Garden is the view, so the facilities for children are relatively limited.
Toilets, a disabled toilet and a baby change facility are provided for all visitors
on level 35. There are seating areas for Sky Garden visitors.
There is no buggy park, so you will need to keep plans and strollers with you. At busy times, you may be asked to fold up your buggy. Personal-use recreational wheeled devices (that are not mobility aids recognised for use by a mobility impaired person), such as rollerblades, bicycles, scooters, and skateboards are not permitted.
To make the most of a visit with children, consider booking a morning slot when it’s typically quieter and children are fresher.
How long can you spend at the Sky Garden?
Tickets for the Sky Garden are valid for one hour. Although for the most part, you won’t be restricted to just an hour, at busy times visitors may be asked to leave at the end of their time slot in order to ensure that fire capacity restrictions are not exceeded and to allow other visitors access.
In reality, unless you are enjoying refreshments from one of the bars there, you are unlikely to need more than an hour at the top of the Sky Garden to take in the views.
Even if you have tickets, you should allow time within your plans to get inside the building and through security. To make the most of your time inside make sure to arrive promptly for your slot, as late arrivals may result in reduced time inside or even refused entry.
Can you eat at the Sky Garden?
Only food and beverages purchased in the Sky Garden may be consumed except during specific approved events. Food and liquid in open containers cannot be taken onto the open terrace on level 35. Such restrictions will not apply where such food or drink is required for medical reasons or for infants. Free tap water is available from the Sky Pod Bar.
The Sky Pod Bar on level 35 offers a range of hot and cold drinks and food.
How does the Sky Garden compare to other viewing platforms like Horizon 22 or the Shard?
The Sky Garden is perhaps London’s most well-known free viewing platform as it was the first to open. Its name also conjures up the sense of it being a ‘park’ environment, although potential visitors should be aware that the ‘garden’ element is more decorative landscaping than actual garden.
In recent years, more viewing platforms have opened across London and more are forthcoming. With that in mind, the question is, how does the Sky Garden compare to the other viewing platforms in London?
Like the Shard, the Sky Garden offers a 360 degree view across London and it also has an open-air element and places where refreshments can be bought. However, unlike the Shard, the Sky Garden is free. The disadvantage versus the Shard is a lower vantage point. The Sky Garden and the Shard offer quite different view points, the Shard offers a view north of the river towards the city from the south, whereas Horizon 22 offers a view from the north side of the river.
In comparison with the other free viewing platforms, Horizon 22 and the Lookout, the Sky Garden is lower, but in contrast, those other platforms do not offer a 360 degree view.
All of the viewing platforms offer great views, so you will need to decide which is best for you. Check out our post that will help you decide which viewing platform in London to visit.
Is there a question you have about visiting the Sky Garden that we haven’t answered here? Let us know in the comments and we’ll do our best to address it.