Dalston roof park

This funky space, four storeys up, offers yoga classes, comedy nights, spoken word and foodie events, live gigs and film screenings.

If you prefer horticulture to culture, you can get involved in the management of the garden and allotment space on the roof. Or you can just grab a drink and soak up the views of Dalston Kingsland.  

Until Sept 30. Mon-Fri 9am-11pm. Sat 1pm-12am. Sun 1pm-10pm, £2
Dalston E8 3DL
Station | Dalston Kingsland
bootstrapcompany.co.uk

 

Boundary

Sit in bespoke furniture around the open fireplace, and make sure you take time to admire the garden, before checking out the panoramic views of London.

There’s a unique Cuban humidor with a full cigar menu. This could well be the London’s most luxurious rooftop.

Daily. 12pm-sundown, free
Shoreditch, E2 7JE
Station | Shoreditch High St
theboundary.co.uk

 

Queen of Hoxton

Part bar, part club, part art gallery, the Queen of Hoxton (above) comes into its own in summer with a gorgeous rooftop garden, complete with hanging baskets and a fountain.

Don your best hipster threads and tuck into some of east London’s best jerk chicken from the rooftop barbecue. There’s scrawling wall art and a tempting list of delicious cocktails.

Whether the roof garden is open depends on the weather: follow the team on Twitter for the latest updates.

Sun-Wed, 12pm-12am; Thur-Sat 12pm-2am, free
Hoxton, EC2A 3LT
Station | Liverpool St
queenofhoxton.com

 

Up at the 02

Wear flat shoes with a good grip, as the climb up to the top of the arena’s roof is pretty steep. Once you’re at the top, 52m up, walk around and enjoy the views of south east London, Docklands and the Olympic Park.

Mon-Fri 12pm-8pm, Sat-Sun 10am-6pm, £22
Greenwich, SE10 0DX
Tube | North Greenwich
theo2.co.uk/upattheo2

 

Monument

The world’s tallest isolated column, Monument stands 62m from the site of the baker’s where the fire began in 1666. There are 311 steep spiral steps to the caged viewing platform.

Daily. 9.30am-6pm
City, EC3R 8AH
Tube | Monument
themonument.info

 

Go Ape Trent Park

Escape the city on a 600m-long assault course set 16m up in the trees of Trent Park. You’ll tackle Tarzan swings, rope bridges and zip wires on your journey around the course. Look out, too, for the Skateboard Zips: a combo of boarding and zip wire.

Unitl Oct 31. 9am-4.30pm, £30
Enflield, EN4 0PS
Tube | Cockfosters
goape.co.uk

 

Read more: Touch The Sky – London’s top laces to test your vertigo

–

Kensington Roof Gardens

One of London’s longest-standing rooftop oases, The Roof Gardens is the biggest of its kind in Europe, 30m above Kensington High Street.

It features three themed areas: a Spanish garden, with fountains and palms, based on the Alhambra in Spain; a Tudor garden with hanging wisteria and sexy secret corners; and an English woodland garden with a pond, complete with fish, pintail ducks and four flamingos.

Mon-Sat 12.30am-2pm,
7pm-10.30pm; Sun 12-2.30pm, free
Kensington, W8 5SA
Station | High St Kensington
roofgardens.virgin.com

Xstrata Treetop Walkway

About 200m of walkway winding between the crowns of lime, sweet chestnut and oak trees, 18m up. Spot birds, insects, lichen and fungi.

Daily. 9am-5.45pm
Kew, TW9 3AB
Tube | Kew Bridge
kew.org

 

Pizza Pilgrims’ Forza Win

Street food masters Pizza Pilgrims prepare their wares in a secret rooftop location, somewhere around Brick Lane.

The three-course meal is washed down with plenty of British craft lager Saint, or the classic Italian aperitif, Aperol Spritz, plus live music.

Thurs-Sat. Times vary, £25
Secret location, Tower Hamlets
Tube | Aldgate East
forzawin.com

Wembley zip wire

Shoot 30m above the iconic sports stadium on a 200m long wire strung over the pitch. Punters are promised they can reach speeds of up to 25 miles an hour as they race along the high-density zip wire.

Then, take a more leisurely tour of the stadium, where you can sneak into the England changing rooms, emerging pumped and ready from the tunnel.

Days vary. 10am-4pm, £40
HA9 0WS
Tube | Wembley Park
wembleystadium.com/tours

 

Selfridges Rooftop

For summer 2012, British food architects Bompas and Parr have recreated the crazy golf course that used to adorn Selfridges’ roof in the 1930s.

Test your putting skills on a London-themed cake-based nine-hole course, six floors above the Oxford Street traffic. If all that swinging around the sweets makes you peckish, you can  indulge in a traditional British afternoon tea from the 100 per cent organic Daylesford Cafe.

Until Sept 2. Mon-Sat 12pm-7pm. Sun 12pm-6pm, £6
Oxford, WH1 6HB
Tube | Bond Street
style.selfridges.com

–

Emirates Airline

Get great views of London’s Docklands, Canary Wharf and the Olympic Park with a trip on the new cable car across the Thames, the Emirates Air Line.

At the highest point on the five-10 minute trip, the cars dangle 90m above the river, enough to make even the most stable stomachs wobble a little bit.

Mon-Fri 7am-9pm. Sat 8am-9pm. Sun 9am-9pm, £8.60
Greenwich, SE10 0FJ
Tube | North Greenwich/ Royal Victoria
emiratesairline.co.uk

 

Galvin at Windows bar

Prices for a drink on the 28th floor of the London Hilton with accompanying 360-degree views of Hyde Park and Buckingham Palace are at a premium, so maybe keep this for a special occasion.

Daily. Times vary, free
Park, Lane W1K 1BE
Tube | Hyde Park Corner
galvinatwindows.com

 

Paramount Bar

You’ll need to book and adhere to a dress code, but once in, you’ll sup on beers, ciders, whiskeys and some funky cocktails while enjoying fantastic views across the city. Top class.

Daily. Times vary , free   
Oxford Street, WC1A 1DD
Tube | Tottenham Court Rd
paramount.uk.net

 

Walkway at Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge’s high-level walkways span the Thames 42m above the river. You can see St Paul’s and Monument to the west, and spy on the surprisingly chic boats of St Katharine’s Dock to the east.

Daily. 10am-6pm, £8
Southwark, SE1 2UP
Tube | London Bridge
towerbridge.org.uk

Frank’s Cafe and Campari Bar

Access through Peckham’s disused multi-storey might be less than salubrious (the stairs smell just as you’d expect a car park stairwell to), but it’s worth braving the climb.

The roof (10 floors up) offers spectacular views of the whole of London; there are quirky art installations from the Bold Tendencies project for some thought-provoking culture; and Frank’s serves the perfect accompaniments to both: a variety of Camparis and cocktails, plus interesting snacks and mains.

Thurs-Sun, 11am-10pm, until Sept
Peckham, SE15 4ST
Tube | Peckham Rye
frankscafe.org

 

St Paul’s Cathedral

On the external Golden Gallery, you’ll be 85m from the cathedral floor, having climbed 528 steps. Take in views of central London,
the Thames, Shakespeare’s Globe, and the Tate Modern.

Mon-Sat, 8.30am-4pm, £15
City of London, EC4M 8AD
Tube | St Paul’s
stpauls.co.uk

 

Skyroom

Nibble on tapas-style dishes as Skyroom teeters on the London skyline, one of its four rooms hanging over the street below.

Through the leaves of the resident Black Tupelo tree, you can glimpse brilliant views of the More London estate, the Shard, the Thames and the Tower of London beyond.

Wed-Sat. Times vary, £5
London Bridge, SE1 2TU
Tube | London Bridge
platterform.com

 

Read more: Touch The Sky – London’s top laces to test your vertigo