Sky Garden London: How to Visit the Free Garden at the Top of the Walkie Talkie

Have you ever had one of the best views in London for free, with a tree fern over your head?

That is the Sky Garden, three floors of planting and glass at the top of 20 Fenchurch Street, the tower everyone calls the Walkie Talkie. It is free, but only if you understand how the tickets work. These are sunny days up there.

What Is the Sky Garden?

A public garden under a glass roof on floors 35 to 37 of 20 Fenchurch Street, in the City of London. It opened in January 2015, and it calls itself London's highest public garden.

Inside there are landscaped terraces of plants, an open-air terrace, a café, bars and restaurants. Walls of glass on every side mean you get the whole city at once.

Is the Sky Garden in London Free?

Yes. Sky Garden London is free to visit during set hours: 10am to 6pm on weekdays, and 11am to 9pm at weekends and on bank holidays. You need a free ticket, and it gives you one hour from entry.

The building stays open much later for the bars and restaurants, but outside the free hours you are there as a customer.

How Do You Book Sky Garden Tickets?

Online, on the Sky Garden website. New tickets are released every Monday, except bank holidays, for the following three weeks.

Weekend and evening slots are the hardest to get, so book those on the Monday three weeks ahead.

Can You Just Walk In to the Sky Garden?

Sometimes. Walk-ins are accepted during the free hours when there is space, but it is never guaranteed. On weekdays there are no walk-ins at all after 5pm.

A restaurant or bar booking also gets you in without a free ticket. Arrive no more than 30 minutes before your table.

Do You Need ID for the Sky Garden?

Bring photo ID. The Sky Garden runs Challenge 25, so anyone who looks under 25 may be asked for a passport, a driving licence or a PASS card.

Children need a ticket from the age of five, and under-16s must be with an adult, up to three children each. Under-16s cannot visit after 6pm on weekdays or 9pm at weekends.

There is airport-style security at the door. Large bags and suitcases are not allowed, and there are no lockers.

What Can You See From the Sky Garden?

Everything. West over the City to St Paul's and the BT Tower, south across the Thames to the Shard, and east towards Tower Bridge and Canary Wharf.

The open-air terrace is the place for photographs without glass in the way. It is open from 10am to 6pm on weekdays and 11am to 6pm at weekends.

What Plants Grow in the Sky Garden?

Drought-tolerant planting from the Mediterranean and South Africa, designed by the landscape architects Gillespies. Look for African lilies, red hot pokers, bird of paradise flowers and French lavender, under tree ferns and palms.

The terraces step down the slope of the building, so you walk through the planting on the way to the view.

Is There a Dress Code at the Sky Garden?

Not for the free garden in the daytime. From 6pm the bars and restaurants ask for smart casual, and the Fenchurch restaurant is stricter. Flip-flops, baseball caps and men's vests are not allowed in the evening.

Why Is the Sky Garden Building Called the Walkie Talkie?

Because of its shape. 20 Fenchurch Street, designed by Rafael Viñoly, is 160 metres tall and gets wider as it rises, like an old handset.

The curve caused trouble. In summer 2013, before it was finished, its concave glass focused sunlight onto Eastcheap and melted parts of a parked Jaguar. A reporter fried an egg in the glare, and it was nicknamed the Walkie Scorchie. A permanent sunshade went up in 2014.

In 2015 it won the Carbuncle Cup for the worst new building in the UK. Standing inside it, looking out, you don't have to look at it.

Is the Sky Garden Better Than the Shard?

They are different things. The View from the Shard is paid, and much higher, with open-air galleries up to 244 metres. The Sky Garden is free and lower, with plants and the Shard in the view.

Nearby there are more free views. Horizon 22, on level 58 of 22 Bishopsgate, is higher still and free with booking. I have written about the Lookout at 8 Bishopsgate, and about the garden with a view of St Paul's at 25 Cannon Street. For the whole set, see my guide to the best views of London.

Walk down afterwards to Leadenhall Market, five minutes away, or to the river for Tower Bridge.

Visiting the Sky Garden London: Practical Notes

📍 Where: 1 Sky Garden Walk, London EC3M 8AF. The entrance and lifts are on Philpot Lane.

⏰ Opening: Free public garden 10am to 6pm on weekdays, and 11am to 9pm at weekends and bank holidays. The terrace closes at 6pm.

📅 Open days: Every day. Tickets are released each Monday for the next three weeks.

🎫 Admission: Free with a booked ticket, valid for one hour. Restaurant and bar bookings include access.

🚇 Getting there: Monument station is a short walk. Bank, Tower Hill and Aldgate are within ten minutes, and Fenchurch Street station is close by.

☕ Food: A café and the City Garden Bar in the garden, plus Darwin Brasserie, Fenchurch Restaurant and the Sky Pod Bar.

⏳ How long: Your ticket gives you an hour, which is enough.

📷 Best time: Early on a weekday for space, or a weekend sunset slot if you can get one.

🗺️ Nearby: Leadenhall Market, the Monument, Tower Bridge, and the free views at Horizon 22 and 8 Bishopsgate.

♿ Access: Step-free throughout, with lifts from street level.

🧳 Left luggage: None. Large bags and suitcases are not allowed in.

Have you been up to the Sky Garden? Did you go for sunset, or early when it was quiet?

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