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Discover Monument’s 9 best spots for your trip in London

From the classic Afternoon Tea Cruise on the River Thames and Sky Garden, to lesser-known spots worth adding to your trip.

Prices & booking information
Opening hours & visit duration
Best time to visit
Location & practical information
Local tips for every spot

🍽️FoodCruise + TastingFrom $54

Afternoon Tea Cruise on the River Thames

★ 4.4 · 3,797 reviews

Step aboard for a proper English afternoon tea with a view. Sip tea and enjoy scones, sandwiches, and pastries over two relaxed hours as Thames landmarks glide past from Tower Millennium Pier.

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Reasons to go

Departs from Tower Millennium Pier, right by the Tower of London.
The two-hour route passes landmarks along the Thames while serving scones, sandwiches, and pastries.

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Typical visit

🕰️

Best time

lunchtime or afternoon

🚶

Walking intensity

Easy pace

🏛️LandmarkTicketFrom $19

Sky Garden

★ 4.6 · 77,920 reviews

Head to the top of the Walkie-Talkie for one of London's best free views. Wander the glass-domed garden for 360-degree panoramas over the Thames, the Shard, and Tower Bridge, ideally timed for sunset.

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Reasons to go

Occupies the top three floors of 20 Fenchurch Street, the skyscraper nicknamed the Walkie-Talkie
Free to enter but requires an advance online booking, with new timeslots released weekly
Offers a glass-domed, planted observation deck with panoramic views of the Thames, the Shard and Tower Bridge

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Typical visit

45 min

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Walking intensity

Moderate walking

🌳NatureFree

St Dunstan in the East Church Garden

★ 4.7 · 8,759 reviews

Step inside the ruined shell of St Dunstan in the East, where Wren's tower still rises above ivy-covered walls. Wander through the gothic windows and flowerbeds of this hidden garden, a quiet, photogenic escape just steps from Monument and the Thames.

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Reasons to go

Originally built around 1100, the church was rebuilt by Christopher Wren after the Great Fire before being gutted in the Blitz
The City of London turned the bombed-out shell into a public garden in the 1970s rather than restoring it
Wren's steeple and gothic window tracery remain standing, now covered in climbing greenery

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Typical visit

20 min

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Best time

early morning, morning, lunchtime, afternoon or early evening

🚶

Walking intensity

Easy pace

🏛️LandmarkFree

Leadenhall Market

★ 4.4 · 23,548 reviews

Step into Leadenhall Market's ornate ironwork and painted glass ceilings, tucked into the heart of the City. Wander past the cobbled entrance famous for its Harry Potter cameo while browsing shops and restaurants near Monument and the Gherkin.

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Reasons to go

Designed by Horace Jones and completed in 1881 atop the site of Roman London's ancient forum.
Its blue-door entrance was used as a filming location for Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter movies.
Features ornate Victorian ironwork painted in a distinctive green-and-maroon color scheme under a glazed roof.

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Typical visit

35 min

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Best time

morning or lunchtime

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Walking intensity

Moderate walking

🏛️Landmark$ · Budget-friendly

Monument to the Great Fire of London

★ 4.5 · 13,786 reviews

Climb the Monument to the Great Fire of London, a 202-foot column marking exactly where the 1666 blaze began. Wind up the 311-step spiral staircase to a caged viewing platform for sweeping views across the City of London.

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Reasons to go

Designed by Christopher Wren and Robert Hooke and completed in 1677 as a memorial to the 1666 Great Fire.
It stands exactly 202 feet from the Pudding Lane site where the fire started, matching its own height.
Visitors climb a 311-step spiral staircase to a caged viewing platform overlooking the City of London.

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Typical visit

30 min

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Best time

morning, lunchtime, afternoon or early evening

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Walking intensity

Moderate walking

🏛️LandmarkCruise + TastingFrom $47

River Thames Evening Cruise with Bubbly and Canapés

★ 4.4 · 2,766 reviews

Set sail on an evening cruise along the Thames from Tower Millennium Pier. Sip prosecco and enjoy canapés on deck as Tower Bridge, the Shard, and the City's illuminated skyline glide past over a relaxed two-hour loop.

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Reasons to go

Departs from Tower Millennium Pier with views of Tower Bridge, the Shard and the City skyline lit up at night
Includes a glass of bubbly and canapés as part of the two-hour loop cruise
Runs four evening departures a night, with the 20:00 or 20:30 sailing timed for full darkness

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Typical visit

🕰️

Best time

evening

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Walking intensity

Easy pace

🏛️LandmarkFree

Lloyd's building

Discover the Lloyd's building, a landmark that turned architecture inside out. Look up from the street to trace its exposed pipes, staircases and lift shafts against the City's historic skyline.

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Reasons to go

Designed by Richard Rogers and completed in 1986, with all pipes, staircases and lift shafts placed on the exterior
It has housed the Lloyd's of London insurance market continuously since opening
The inside-out design was meant to keep interior floors open and flexible, a hallmark of high-tech architecture

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Typical visit

15 min

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Best time

morning, afternoon or evening

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Walking intensity

Easy pace

🏛️LandmarkLunch CruiseFrom $48

Lunch Cruise on the River Thames

★ 4.5 · 2,202 reviews

Set sail from Tower Pier on a midday cruise along the Thames. Enjoy a relaxed set lunch as you glide past Tower Bridge, the Shard and the City skyline in daylight, all wrapped up in 105 minutes.

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Reasons to go

Departs from Tower Millennium Pier, the same dock used for Tower of London river tours
Lasts about 105 minutes, shorter than the evening dinner cruise version
Two midday sailings offer daytime views of Tower Bridge and City architecture

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Typical visit

1h45

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Best time

lunchtime

🚶

Walking intensity

Easy pace

🏛️LandmarkTicketFrom $19

Sky Garden Early Access with Pastry and Hot Drink

★ 4.0 · 943 reviews

Get above London before anyone else at the Sky Garden. Wander the glass-domed terraces among tropical plants with a pastry and coffee in hand, taking in near-empty views of the Thames and St Paul's.

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Reasons to go

The venue is a glass-domed terrace with tropical planting known as London's highest public garden.
General admission is free but timed tickets typically sell out online, making this paid early slot a more reliable entry route.
The west-facing side of the gallery offers views toward St Paul's Cathedral and the City's older skyline.

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Typical visit

🕰️

Best time

early morning

🚶

Walking intensity

Easy pace