I love quality father daughter time with my dad and the older I’ve become the harder it has been to pin down days we’re both free to do something nice. Over the bank holiday weekend we decided to do something nice and with the help of Avios we decided to venture into London and to visit The View from The Shard, something we had been meaning to do for a while. It was the perfect day out, as we managed to also tie in a visit to the London Ice Bar and a review of that, it was a perfect day out in London and we were quite lucky with the weather too.
As London’s highest viewing platform at the top of Western Europe’s tallest building, the View From The Shard is an amazing experience. I think The View at The Shard is the perfect all round London destination; as it is perfect for couples, friends, familys, tourists, or anyone just wanting to have a look at the amazing view of London, as well as the Sussex Downs and other very far away places. I also can’t fault the View at The Shard, it was SO well organised and it never felt too crowded or busy, which made the whole experience even more enjoyable. In particular I loved the feature of an electronic touch screen tour guide which was really useful and simple to use. The whole experience is super high tech and smooth and the high-speed ‘kaleidoscopic’ lifts that you use to ascend to the first triple-height viewing platform on Level 69 is so speedy. I also really enjoyed using the state-of-the-art interactive touchscreen telescopes which enable guests to explore the views in greater detail, with information about 200 landmarks in 10 languages and alternative day, night, sunrise and sunset views, something that was very popular! However the experience wasn’t over yet on Level 69 as there is a further lift that takes you up to Level 72, the open-air viewing gallery, where guests can gaze up to the very top of the building as the shards of glass that form the spire disappear into the sky. Exposed to the elements, you can take in the atmosphere and sounds of the city and enjoy the buzzing atmosphere.
The View from The Shard also features two boutiques; including The Sky Boutique on Level 68 – the highest shop in London. Both stores offer a wide range of bespoke designs and limited edition souvenirs, from guidebooks to champagne, and even a cuddly Romeo the fox toy in honour of the fox found roaming the upper levels of The Shard during its construction, so cute!
We had a great time at The View from The Shard, and loved the top floor the most; I was definitely envious of the posh Fortnum and Mason Afternoon Tea that a few people were tucking into around us. Our little London adventure is all thanks to Avios – If you sign up to the Avios reward points scheme with which you can collect points in many ways, including your grocery shops, petrol and credit card use! You can spend these points on hundreds of adventures and the domorewithavios campaign shows exactly this! The idea of the campaign is that is that on signing up for their reward scheme, you can collect points in a number of ways, such as doing your food shopping, topping up with petrol, or using your credit card. Once you have accumulated enough points you can pick an outing, invite a friend or loved one and send them a cheeky invite to help you spend your Avios points! So in other words this is pretty much free outings after you’ve collected your points!
Have you visited The View from The Shard? What is your favourite touristy thing to do in London?
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*I was sent tickets to The View from The Shard in exchange for a post.