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One Canada Square, incorrectly referred to as Canary Wharf is one of the tallest buildings in London, but it's proving difficult to find out for sure whether it has any public viewing platform or bar or restaurant accessible to the public, or any open days or such when an exception might be made to allow public viewing at certain special times.

One Canada Square at Canary Wharf

Is there any way for a normal member of the public to view London from this building?

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  • I think that the tallest building that the public can access the top of in London is the "Walkie Talkie" - 20 Fenchurch Street. Though you do have to book in advance. – Richard Gadsden May 14 '16 at 16:58
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    I have looked out of the 1 Canada Square roof which is semi-open with slats IIRC. It was the space where the A/C was running and we were in an office in the building early during its occupancy. I remember one of the lease conditions was that we had to leave the lights on 24/7 to make it look occupied ;) – Berwyn May 20 '16 at 9:35
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The tower is used solely for office space and is not open to the public. In the early days there was a viewing deck but this was stopped due to concerns following IRA bombings.

(taken from TallestSkyscrapers.info)

However, it would appear that if you know somebody who works there, they are able to take you on a tour of the building.

enter image description here

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25 Canada square, the Citigroup building, which is one of the tallest buildings in London, does have a cafe on the 27th floor (I may be incorrect with the exact floor number), which is open to the public. It offers amazing panoramic views over London, and especially the Olympic sites and London City Airport.

Source: I used to work for Citigroup

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Citi's cafe is on the 36th floor. However, you will need to know someone who works there such that you can be there as their guest.

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Since 2010 the tallest building in London has been The Shard (309.6m).

The Shard, London

Image © User:Colin / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA-4.0

It has a viewing gallery at the top:

London's highest and best view is situated at the top of The Shard, on floors 68, 69 and 72. At almost twice the height of any other viewing platform in the capital, it offers visitors unparalleled 360-degree views for up to 40 miles.

Unfortunately it's rather expensive, advance tickets start from £25.95 (adult), £19.95 (child).

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    @JoErNanO, I'm answering the implied question of "can I get a view from the tallest building in London" (which used to be Canary Wharf but isn't any more). The spirit of the question rather than the letter of it. ;) – A E May 20 '16 at 9:08
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    Ah, subtle nuance. I like that. :) – JoErNanO♦ May 20 '16 at 9:08
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    @AE 52nd floor: the-shard.com/restaurants/gong. If I remember correctly the cheapest drink was around 5 pounds, which definitely beats having to queue and pre-purchase tickets for the viewing platform. – JonathanReez♦ May 20 '16 at 9:11
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    @HenningMakholm that restaurant isn't very busy during the daytime, so you're almost guaranteed a spot. In the night-time you can usually wait a bit to get a good seat from someone leaving. – JonathanReez♦ May 20 '16 at 9:18
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    travel.stackexchange.com/questions/68669/… I've created a separate question to sort this out :) – JonathanReez♦ May 20 '16 at 9:21

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