London's Newest Tourist Attraction

London's newest and tallest tourist attraction, The Shard, opens to the public on February 1, offering visitors 40-mile views extending across the city. The Shard, which stands at 1,061 feet was briefly the tallest building in Europe but already lost the title to Moscow's new Mercury Tower.

The Shard is a mixed purpose building combing a hotel at ground level with residential accommodation and a tourist attraction, The View from the Shard. The View is the highlight, which is the deck on the 72nd floor and it claims to be the only place where you can see the entire city of London. Interactive digital 'Tell: scopes' have been installed around the main viewing deck on level 69 and help visitors to locate less obvious landmarks and provide alternative real-time, sunrise, sunset and night views of the city, plus information about the surroundings.

Tickets cost £24.95 for adults, £18.95 for children. The Shard is located at London Bridge tube station. It will contain a Shangri-La luxury hotel. The viewing deck is surrounded by the pointed glass panes that give the Shard its name. It is only open air above your head. The downside of the glass barrier is that it ruins your photos and raindrops obscure the view. Around the gallery, animated maps and video screens will illustrate the growth of London. Visitors will transfer lifts at level 33, where they will walk over a graffiti word map of London. There is a gift shop at level 69, and it has free Wi-Fi!