The Fenchurch Building (The Walkie-Talkie)
The Fenchurch Building (The Walkie-Talkie) things to do, attractions, restaurants, events info and trip planning
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We'd pre-booked access tickets and arrived 10 minutes before 11.30. We walked from Southwark Cathedral which we'd visited earlier in the morning. As we had tickets we joined the back of the line, which is undercover. Luckily for us as it had started to rain. If you haven't pre-booked, there are signs telling you to check with the staff before queuing to check availability. The system of "those with restaurant bookings head straight through & those with access tickets hang on a bit" was working relatively smoothly till a young, and can only assume new in post, chap got stuck in. After being queue jumped by a few families, we did the British thing of eye rolling and tutting before being more continental and striding forward to the bag x-ray and lifts. Up we flew to the 35th (I think....!) floor and exited to a wide open plaza with views of a very grey and rainy London. Due to the weather, the doors to the balcony were closed, so we must revisit to take advantage of that. There was plenty of seating so I parked hubby and went off to purchase refreshments. Replace "purchase" with "remortgage the house". 2 coffees (good) and 2 slices of cake (dry) came to £21. I now understand why there's so much seating.... Time from ordering to delivery was 15 minutes so once you factor in inflation, was probably closer to £22. We walked around the perimeter of the garden and got some really lovely views of the best city. There's a cocktail bar at the top (rear) of the garden which was closed when we were there. The plants were very beautiful and you can easily find little pockets of calm. After our walk around it was quick visit to the toilets (on the same floor) them whizzing back down. My love of a good gift shop was not satisfied by a corner of generic merch in the café over the way.
Sarah SextonSarah Sexton
00
Beautiful modern skyscraper with an interesting past. Apparently, when this building was originally built, the glass facade would focus the sun's light in the afternoon to literally melt people's cars parked across the street like a giant magnifying glass. They had to redesign the whole thing to prevent this from happening. This is what I heard, so don't be mad if it's not totally accurate. It's a very nice building though. Absolutely beautiful observation deck. Two restaurants plus a bar. We had lunch at the upper Fenchurch Restaurant and the food was very good. The views are spectacular. You can see all the way up and down the Thames River. We had fun trying to pick out all of the various London landmarks and neighborhoods. There is also a small botanical garden on either side that is very pretty. They did an amazing job building this place. The only issue is that it's very popular and there's usually a huge line of people outside waiting to get in. A good hack to skip past the long wait is to make a reservation for lunch at one of the two restaurants. Highly recommended! A++
Erik CrossErik Cross
00
Oi, let me tell ya 'bout the Fenchurch Building, better known as the Walkie Talkie. This skyscraper's a proper sight to behold in the heart of London. It's got that unique shape, bulgin' out at the top like it’s tryin' to grab your attention, and believe me, it does! The best part 'as gotta be the Sky Garden at the top. It's like steppin' into a different world. You get up there, and blimey, the views are spectacular! You can see the whole of London spread out beneath ya, all the landmarks lookin' tiny from up there. It's got these lush gardens, bars, and restaurants where you can have a cheeky drink or a bite to eat while takin' in the scenery. The building itself caused a bit of a stir when it was first built. Folks weren't too sure 'bout its design, callin' it the Walkie Scorchie 'cause it used to reflect sunlight and melt cars below! They’ve sorted that out now, thank goodness. So if you’re in the City, take a gander at the Walkie Talkie. Pop up to the Sky Garden – it's free, but you need to book in advance. Trust me, it's a view you won't forget in a hurry.
Monzia KhanMonzia Khan
00
If you're lucky enough to get the free tickets, then the Sky Garden on the top floors is well worth a visit. There are some very expensive restaurants up there, a booking at which gets you access, but for those with a little more challenged budgets, they do still have a nice cafe bar with alcoholic drinks, coffees, cakes, free water, etc. Even that's not cheap but considering it's free to get up there, I didn't mind a little treat! Overall the experience is better than the Shard (which you have to pay for) since it is more spacious and the general surroundings, inside the building, are far more pleasant (the Shard was quite sparse when we visited a few years ago). There's plenty of seating, toilet facilities, a large outdoor balcony area, a multi-level 360 degree view of the capital and you seem to be able to stay up there as long as you like once you're up there! I would definitely recommend getting online and reserving some tickets if you're going to be in the area - I think new ones are released every Monday.
Darren ButterworthDarren Butterworth
00
AMAZING SKY GARDEN … AND IT’S FREE! Even though it’s free, you’ll need to book a timed ticket in advance on their website. They allow walk ins from 10:00am, but that stops at around 12:00pm and you’ll be waiting behind all the timed tickets. So if you haven’t booked, the window is limited for you to visit. That said, when you do go in, you’ll be AMAZED at the views from the top (the 35th floor). The greenery up there is amazing and it provides arguably the best views of London from here, even better than the Shard. There’s some amazing eateries up there where you can buy food and drink, I wish I’d known before buying a Starbucks beforehand. They don’t allow you into the building with your own food and drink, so you’ll need to consume it before you enter. Overall, I’m surprised they don’t charge for this! Take advantage that it’s free whilst you can!
Ninh LyNinh Ly
00
Visited the sky garden with my friends at a weekend . You need to book a few weeks before on the website , you book a time slot and each member of your party will need to bring identification with you. The sky garden is free to book and gives amazing views of London and beyond. As soon as you exit the lifts on the 35 floor you will find toilets and also a bar area which you can sit down , plenty of tables , also this is where you can walk out to a big outside balcony for the views of London. When you come back inside you can walk up some stairs either side to see the beautiful gardens and also at the top is another bar which was quite and more seating. The top floor has a restaurant on it , which looked lovely. Well worth a visit to the sky gardens , would definitely come again .
Julie crakerJulie craker
10
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Overview
4.7
(4K reviews)
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+44 20 7337 2344
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Website
skygarden.london
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