Climbing the Monument to the Great Fire of London

One of the more random tourist attractions you can find in London is the Monument to the Great Fire of London. Located a block above the London Bridge in a ward called Candlewick, the Monument (as it's more casually known) is a 200-foot-tall column (a fluted Doric column, for the architects out there) that was built in the 1670s. The reason it is so commonly visited by tourists, aside from its convenient location, is the viewing platform.

What can you see from the top of the Monument?

I was very surprised to learn that, actually, you can go inside this monument. It sort of just looks like a giant statue from the street, until you crane your neck back and look all the way to the top. I did, and lo and behold, there were people up there. Inside the base of the monument, there is a small ticket window. And then above that, the entire column is a spiral staircase that takes you up 311 steps to a viewing platform.

From the 360-degree viewing platform atop the Monument, you get surprisingly good views of the surrounding neighborhoods. You can see the River Thames and the Tower Bridge, and famous buildings like the Shard, the Gherkin, and St. Paul's Cathedral.

The viewing platform is rather small, comfortably fitting maybe twenty or thirty people. Additionally, the spiral staircase is really a one person at a time kind of experience, making it difficult to negotiate getting around folks going in the opposite direction as you. They manage this by capping the number of people allowed in at one time, so don't be surprised if there is a short line when you arrive.

Is it worth it to climb the Monument?

I wouldn't say by any means that the Monument provides the best view of London. It's not very high up - and thank goodness for that, since there's no elevator! (As it was, my legs felt like jelly by the time we got back to the street.) But it is open air, as opposed to looking through windows, which makes for less optimal photos, so that may be a plus on your list.

It's also really conveniently located near other worthy attractions and only takes maybe 30 minutes total, depending on how many breaks you need, so it's not a really a huge time investment. It's also only 6£ for an adult, so I can't really say it's a waste of money either. If you're short on cash or time, it's definitely skippable, and if you're afraid of heights, I recommend skipping it indeed. But if you love a leg workout and a bit of a view, the Monument to the Great Fire of London is a good tourist stop.