See FREE Views of London at The Garden at 120

Picture this scenario. It’s a sunny afternoon, and you’ve come to Fenchurch to visit Sky Gardens and see some views of London. You walk up to the Walkie Talkie, amazed at how tall it is and then walk up to the entrance, only to find a massive queue. Finally, when it’s your turn to go in, you get asked to present your ticket. What ticket, I thought I could just come here? The person at the entrance says you must book it a week in advance or come back at 9pm. You could be anywhere, but Fenchurch in London at that time. Disappointed, you thank the person at the entrance, then start walking back to the nearest Tube station…

Where to go if you can’t get into Sky Gardens?

But as you’re walking back down Fenchurch Street, you notice this sign saying ‘Garden At 120’ next to NatWest. Fascinated as to what it could be, you walk past the sign towards the entrance, and see these leaves projected onto the ceiling. You then approach the security guard there, asking what this place is. Congratulations, you have just found Garden At 120, another place where you can get free views of London. Plus, you don’t need to book it either! The scenario I have just described happened to me, except it was a cloudy and windy afternoon.

After passing through the security checks, you then queue up for the elevator which takes you to the 15^th floor. Waiting times aren’t usually long, although security only let small groups in the Garden at a time. The Garden itself was very modern, with a corporate feel to it because of the use of glass and steel. There were also lots of plants, with a small water fountain, which creates a more tranquil atmosphere.

Opening times at The Garden at 120

I first went there on a Saturday in March 2019, when this roof garden was a fairly new attraction as it had only opened up a month earlier, so they were still trialling opening times at the weekend- 10am-5pm. On weekdays, its open 10am-6pm, which was extended to 9pm from April 2019 during the summer months. As I came 15 minutes before closing time, I didn’t get to spend long there. But it was enough time to get 10 minutes of relaxation and enjoy all the views of London’s financial district…

The views from the top floor

The Garden at 120 offers fabulous views and is the optimal place to see The Walkie Talkie, The Gherkin, and The Cheesegrater up close. It is here you see how beautiful and intricate these skyscrapers are. You can also see Tower Bridge, and The Shard among the many buildings in the City, with complimentary views of The Thames. Eagle eyed sightseers can even see Canary Wharf in the distance too.

This makes the Garden a great spot where you can relax and witness the sunset over the London skyline (and get a new LinkedIn picture too). Unfortunately, I still haven’t had the chance to see the sunset yet at the Garden. To anyone who has, please share your experiences in the comments below.

Verdict

To sum up, if you find yourself in the same situation I described in the first paragraph, or you don’t want to wait in the long queues for Sky Gardens, then hope is not lost! Drop by to the Garden at 120, and you can still see the views of London for free. Only this time, you don’t have to book it.

The Garden at 120 is one of the many free activities you can do in the City of London. For some more ideas, read my post on what other free activities you can do in London.

Directions to the Garden at 120:

Build your own Tower Bridge Model: