Facilities for disabled visitors

Interesting facts about the The View from the Shard

The View from the Shard is the highest 360 degree public view point in London. The attraction is located at the tallest building in Western Europe, the Shard. The View offers two view galleries, the indoor three-level gallery located at Level 69 and the open air gallery located at Level 72.

The View from the Shard was open on 1st of February 2013 with a special opening ceremony and a huge number of 4 800 visitors purchased tickets to be the first to enjoy the amazing views of London’s skyline on that day.

The View from the Shard is staggering 244 meters (800feet) high and is almost twice the height of the iconic London Eye (135 meters). The giant wheel was the leader in highest attractions before the opening of The View. The views from the attraction are breathtaking; visitors visiting on clear days can see as far as 40 miles (60 km) across the skyline of London and admire popular landmarks like the London Eye, St. Paul’s Cathedral, The Gherkin, Tower Bridge and many more. If, on the day of your visit the weather is very cloudy and you cannot enjoy a clear view of the main attractions, your next visit will be arranged for free.

The experience The View from the Shard includes visiting both of the viewpoints; the triple level indoor observatory on Level 69 of the Shard, and the second one is the partially open view point at Level 72. The outside view is positioned right above the Level 69 and allows visitors to see the shard of glass that form the spire at the very top of the impressive building. The feeling of being out in the open at such a height is amazing, and visitors can also feel what is like to be in the clouds, but hopefully not too cloudy to spoil your views of the city.

Planning your day out

You met someone special after joining our disabled dating website. You gathered much needed courage to ask the person to go out on a date with you after been in touch for a while. Luckily, the person you like, likes you too and said ‘Yes’ to the first date. Congratulations on the exciting news!

The next thing you will need to find out is when it will be convenient for both of you to meet up. Don’t leave it for too long before you ask your date, if you haven’t done so yet, but don’t be too pushy either. Some disabled singles might haven’t been out on a date for a while, and will need a little longer to get used to the idea of meeting someone new in person. You should give them a few days time before popping the question about when they will want to meet you.

You can start planning ahead your special day after you and your date have agreed on a day for the date. The attraction The View from the Shard welcomes visitors with different types of disabilities. If you or your date have special health conditions, you might want to check with a members of saff before booking the tickets that is ok to visit the attraction. Booking your tickets in advance is usually cheaper and that way you don't have to wait at a boring ticket queue on the day of your visit. Cheaper tickets are always helpful; it will save you some cash that you can use later on the day out to treat your date and yourself to something nice.

To find out how you can pre book your tickets when you decide to visit the venue we have included useful links at the end of the article, which will help you to organise your day out with your date or friends.

Getting there

You arranged the day and the time of your first date, and you pre booked your tickets for the visit to The View from the Shard. Great! The next thing that you can start planning ahead is how to get to the venue.

The good news is that the attraction is located at the London Bridge area, which is an easy to get to place using the public transport. If you haven’t been around that area before we can help you to put your mind at ease and assure you that getting to the attraction wouldn’t be a problem. Most of the public transport vehicles and stations are suited to cater for the needs of people with different kinds of disabilities and planning your journey will be easy and trouble free.

Sometimes disruptions in public transport can accrue and checking that your route is not affected the day before travelling is essential. If anything happens that can affect your planned journey you can easily arrange an alternative route before you begin your travel.

The View from the Shard

You planed and organised your first date and now finally the moment of meeting the special person that you like has arrived.

Meeting someone who is special to you for first time is an unforgettable experience. Keep in mind that the purpose of the whole day is more about spending time together with your date and less about visiting the attraction. During the time you’re together keep the conversation flowing and interact with your date, you can surprise her with a small bouquet of flowers or a small gift to make her feel special.

Arriving at the Shard will be unforgettable moment itself; you’re going to be overwhelmed by the sheer size, height and elegance of the building. There will be plenty of interesting things to talk about with your date and you can embark together on the experience of visiting the View from the Shard.

On arrival if anyone of you is a wheelchair user or need to use a lift instead of stairs, there is a small lift to take you to the first level of the building to get to the ticket area. Before you make your way to the ticket area there is a security scan which is a part of the security process of entering the Shard and everyone has to go through it.

Before you know it you will be entering the high-speed ‘kaleidoscopic’ lifts which have been created especially for the use at The View from the Shard. You will be impressed to know that it takes only about a minute to get from Level 1 to Level 69 in this state-of-the-art lifts. On your way up to The View there are special screens and mirrors installed in the lift, and you will be shown famous ceilings and roofs in London to make the experience of the attraction even more unforgettable.

Before getting to the top – at Level 33 you are going to change to a different set of lifts to take you to Level 69. On your way to the second set of lifts you will be walking following an image of the River Thames along with details and information about London.

After a few more seconds of travelling in the second set of high-speed lifts you will be arriving at the Level 69 and you can begin admire the breathtaking views of the iconic skyline and landmarks of London. Keep in mind that you have your date with you and stay close to her or him, enjoy the views together and keep the conversation going. At the view point gallery you will find interactive touch screen telescopes that show the name of the buildings that you and your date will be looking at. You will be glad to know that they are adjustable, which is very useful for people who are wheelchair users.

The visit at The View from the Shard is not time restricted. You can enjoy both of the observatories and amazing views at your leisure for as long as you like. The attraction is created with disability people in mind and there are disabled toilets at Level 33 and Level 69, which is good news if you need to pay a visit. It’s also very handy that you don’t have to leave your date on their own for a long time.

If you fantasy visiting the open air observatory, it’s located above the inside view, at Level 72. There you can see the glass shards that are part of the iconic building’s top disappearing in the skies. You can feel for real what it is to be in the clouds.

Keep in mind the time can be passing quick when you are having fun and make sure your date is not getting bored. You can easily get carried away in the amazing views around and not realise that the person with you is not enjoying the experience as much as you are.

If you had a fantastic time and you wish the visit wasn’t over, there are souvenir shops located at Level 1 and Level 68 to take something with you back home to remind you of the fantastic time that you have had on your day out. In the shops they only sell limited collection souvenirs which mean that you’re going to have something special forever from your first date.

After the visit

Leaving the attraction doesn’t mean that that's the end of your date. You can ask your date to go somewhere to pick something up to eat or drink, and spend some more time together. Not far from the Shard is located the Tower Bridge where you and your date can have a stroll along the River Thames at the South Bank together.

Useful Links

If you would like to visit the attraction we have selected some useful links to help you plan your day out.

Plan your visit at The View from the Shard

Here you can find information about everything that you would need to know about visiting the attraction - opening time, how to get to the attraction from the stations around and more general information about The View.

TFL journey planner

Here you can plan your journey to The View from The Shard and find out what stations are accessable for people with disabilities.

Disabled visitors access information

Here you can find more information about visiting the attraction and having special requirements or a disability. For more information you can phone +44 (0) 844 499 7111 and speak to customer service, they will be happy to help you and answer your questions.