London Mayor Boris Johnson, joined by architect Renzo Piano, cut a ribbon to the viewing platform, which is positioned 243m up the skyscraper, reports the BBC.
At the observation deck, called The View from The Shard, visitors are promised a spectacular 40-mile panoramic view of the capital if it’s a clear day – although today’s drizzle means today’s views of London won’t be at their finest.
James Episcopou proposed his girlfriend to Laura Taylor at the View from the Shard this morning
The Shard stands at 310m tall and is part of a £2bn redevelopment of the London Bridge area. The building has office space, apartments, restaurants and a 200-room Shangri-La hotel which is due to open in the summer.
The view from the 68th floor on a clear day
Visitors can look through special telescopes called ‘Tell: scopes’ which show a real image of the surroundings as well as what a clear-day view would be as well as a sunset view and a night view.
Ticket prices are £24.95 for adults and £18.95 for children.
Don’t want to fork out? Take a look at The Guardian’s augmented reality panorama here
Images via Getty
