Dusk delights: London’s best sunset-viewing spots

Following a day of quality sightseeing, visitors to London rarely pass up the opportunity to do one thing in particular – witness the sun set over the city’s world-famous skyline in a prime location. They’ll doubtless want to capture the moment in a snap, a selfie or an Insta story, too, of course!

So, that begs the question, then, before heading back to your booked accommodation (The Chilworth London Paddington hotel, say), just where should you head to experience that perfect sunset-viewing experience in the UK capital? Here are our suggestions… 

North London

Alexandra Palace

‘Ally Pally’ is a classic London entertainment venue, being the site of the BBC’s earliest television broadcasts exactly a century ago. Standing at the top of a hill in the city’s Highgate/ Crouch End area, its green space offers fabulous views of much of London to the south – and is a particularly popular spot for stargazers whenever there’s a major celestial event in the night’s sky. 

Little Venice

One of the loveliest nooks of London for visitors to discover, the wonderful Little Venice is a canal basin near Bayswater (and so close, too, to hotels near Paddington Station London) that’s chock-full of houseboats, elegant bridges, pretty cafés, old-school pubs, boutiques and even a puppet theatre on a canal barge. As far as views of the city are concerned, granted, the ones to be enjoyed here are hardly unobstructed (you’re at a low point in London and the buildings here aren’t very tall) but, should you be sitting in front of a pub or restaurant as a reddish sun sets, it’s certainly a splendid environment to take in the scene around you. 

Parliament Hill

Another spot of glorious greenery that offers a perfect viewing opportunity of much the city beneath it, whatever the time of day but especially at sundown, is this one; the highest spot on North London’s expansive Hampstead Heath. Not only does it provide the aforementioned awesome optics, it also delivers a rustic environment that’ll make you feel like you’re deep in the countryside, rather than a mere couple of miles out of the centre of the UK capital. Glorious all-round, frankly. 

Primrose Hill

Tucked away in an elegant residential district just north of Regent’s Park, Primrose Hill is – thanks to its elevation of 210 feet – a renowned spot to enjoy supreme southward views of the city. So much so, in fact, that many locals, as well as visitors, enjoy congregating with friends and family on warm spring and summer afternoons for picnics that stretch towards dusk, so they can enjoy several lazy, hazy hours culminating in terrific sunset views. 

Central London

GǑNG cocktail bar (The Shard)

If you’re planning on visiting London, you’ll doubtless have heard of The Shard, the tallest building in all of the UK; a glass-fronted skyscraper that, steeple-like, almost pierces the clouds above the London Bridge area. Atop the structure – or, to precise, on its 52nd floor – is the much-heralded GǑNG cocktail bar. It combines Asian-themed aesthetics and delicious drinks with extraordinary views of the capital (from the highest possible vantage point, obviously), especially after dark. 

Iris Bar (The Gherkin)

Book a table right next to a window at Iris Bar, on the top floor of The Gherkin skyscraper, and you’ll be rewarded with an unobstructed vista from your position right in the heart of The City. The food and drink in this bar-cum-restaurant – as popular with travellers as with City workers, as it is – aren’t bad either (and ideal, too, for those enjoying London hotels special offers with breakfast). 

The London Eye

How about a moving – albeit, a slow-moving – sunset panorama of the city? That’s what you get when you board one of the London Eye pods and enjoy an hour-long revolution on this giant Ferris wheel-like landmark. This modern attraction located on the South Bank, adjacent to Westminster Bridge, is one of the London’s most popular, so it’s often very busy in the spring and summer months and you’ll need to book your ticket(s) for a sunset experience at least 45 minutes before sundown. 

Sky Garden (Walkie Talkie building)

How about watching London’s sun set while sipping a tipple in its tallest garden? That’s the option open to you if, timing your visit for late in the day, you call on this uniquely stylish venue, an enclosed yet expansive space on the 36th floor of The City’s so-called ‘Walkie Talkie’ building, which is filled with luscious greenery and vibrant, exotic flowers, as well as a sophisticated bar and restaurant. It’s a fine place to go to for sundown-viewing and to enjoy a night out after the sun sets. 

Waterloo Bridge

Generally speaking, the views – and, therefore, the views of sunsets – from pretty much all the bridges over the Thames are recommended. Yet, of all these bridges, the views to be had from Waterloo Bridge, right in the centre of the city, are the most celebrated. After all, who can forget The Kinks’ song, Waterloo Sunset? The view’s fabulous in either direction; taking in Big Ben and Parliament, Vauxhall Cross and more to the west (where the sun’ll be actually setting, of course) or taking in St Paul’s, The City, Tower Bridge and Canary Wharf to the east. 

South London

Greenwich Park

An excellent destination for a daytime panorama is the gorgeous Georgian-era-associated Greenwich Park. With its 183 acres of rolling greens, this sprawling Royal Park offers awesome opportunities for picnicking as well as catching great views. Speaking of the latter, climb the stairs of The Royal Observatory, at the top of the hill, for stunning views at sunset – you might just find it as soothing for the soul as a day at a spa near Paddington is soothing for your body! 

Up at The O2

Finally, like the London Eye, this one’s an attraction you have to buy a ticket for rather than a free-to-enter venue or a public space. In fact, Up at The O2 is really an activity – it’s a tour across the giant dome that’s the Greenwich-located O2’s roof. Taking you 170 feet above the city below (and entirely safe, don’t worry; although this is arguably an activity for the fit and healthy), it naturally affords you sensational views of the entire city and, yes, time your visit right and you’ll experience a terrific twilight and sunset over the capital, if the weather plays ball, of course!