Shard tickets sell out

Lucrezia Millarini gives you a behind-the-scenes look at the view from London's tallest new visitor attraction, as it announces that its first two visitor days are already sold out.

• Business

The View from the Shard chief executive Andy Nyberg explains why the Shard is such a popular visitor attraction already.He says: "This is the only place you can see the whole of London at once and, as such, is a natural starting point for exploring the UK's capital."

Steep entry prices seem not to have deterred tourists wanting to see London from near the top of the UK's highest building which opens to visitors next month. Tickets to The View from the Shard - 800ft up on the 1,016ft high building in south London are £24.95 for adults and £18.95 for children.

The opening day for the attraction - February 1 - is sold out as is the second day. Visitors to the building, which towers over London Bridge station, take two lifts to get to level 68 for 40-mile views and can go up as far as the 72nd floor where viewing area is partly in the open.

Those wanting to see night views for themselves will be able to take advantage of the fact that The View, which opens at 9am, will stay open until 10pm each day.

Tickets are pre-booked although there will be some facility for walk-up visitors.

The Shard has 600,000sq ft of offices, three floors of restaurants and a 200-room Shangri-La hotel which is due to open this summer. There are also 10 luxury apartments which are expected to go for as much as £50 million each and which are expected to be let out.

• UK

As tickets to the opening day of The View from the Shard sell out, we give you a sneak preview of what you can see from the top of London's newest visitor attraction.

• Business