Best View of London?
 

I am a burgeoning "photographer" with my new digital camera and was wondering if there were fabulous views of London besides the expensive (but tempting) London Eye. I dicovered Pariliament Hill in Hampstead Heath online. Anyone know anything about this or other places for awesome views? I appreciate all guidance!

Climb the 500 or so feet to the top of St Paul's Cathedral - where you can then walk around the narrow ledge and see all of London. the last of the three stages of the climb is via ladder i believe - not for the willy-nilly!

Tate Modern gives you some great views of St Pauls, and you could try the upper walkways at Tower Bridge (though they're not free).

I've done a cursory online peek at St Paul's and the Monument at Tower Bridge. Thanks for the suggestions, I will further investigate!

besides those already mentioned:

Primrose Hill across from Regent's Park and the Zoo.

The OXO tower obervation deck The brasserie/restaurasnt/bar are pricey but the deck is free.

On one episode of Amazing Race the pit stop was at Potter's Field and the view across the river including the Tower Bridge was a gorgeous shot.

janis's suggestion is spot on, easy to get to and will give you an impressive visita of most of London's high rise landmarks from the dome of St Paul's and the Barbican Centre to the byzantine tower of Westminster Cathedral and the chimneys of Battersea Power Station.
For something a bit different from the 'chocolate box' landscapes try the A102(M)between Kidbrooke and Blackheath. From any of the bridges that cross the road, there is a view downhill to the Thames and the Millenium Dome with the Canary Wharf office blocks forming a backdrop and the Post Office Tower behind that. A train from Charing Cross to Blackheath will get you there.

Looking for "aweome" vistas of London is a wee bit like looking for tasteful architecture in Las Vegas or pastoral idylls in Los Angeles.

You can find them, but it's really not what we do best. HK, Sydney and Manhattan beat us hollow on the great skyline: Paris and Rome on individual spectacular buildings (if on precious little else).

Most of London was built to be looked at from the street. I think you'll find far better things to snap if you concentrate on more intimate street scenes. Wandering round The City (the original 1 sq mile Roman foundation, now the financial district, but mostly still following the Roman street plan), especially on a Saturday or Sunday, throws up thousands of smaller things (especially the new/old juxtapositions)to photograph.

One exception: about a quarter of landings at Heathrow come in from the east, following the Thames, across Westminster - almost always low enough to see it all even on the cloudiest day. I've never got the photography right: damn reflections in the plane windows always seem to throw the autofocus. But if you can master the technology, I've never seen a better "landing" view of a city anywhere since they closed the old HK airport.

If you go to Greenwich, you can get a view of Canary Wharf with the Queen's House and Museum in the foreground.
It's a wonderful juxtaposition of old and modern London.

You can see what I mean at
http://tinyurl.com/857el

I think the London Eye is worth every penny. Its so quiet and peaceful going slowly up and around, with beautiful views on all sides.

Many thanks to all. I have been to Manahattan, Sydney, and Paris, so I suppose my hopes are pretty high for London "vistas". Your advice has been invaluable!

For those of you who enjoy travel photography, check out www.trekearth.com

We went to Shakespeare's Globe Theatre and walked over the Millenium Bridge towards St. Paul's, then took the boat back to Westminster from there...We had a great series of photos from the river, going past The Tower of London, and a number of other sites. The approach coming past the Eye and towards Big Ben was also really fun and photo-worthy. I don't think it cost $15 British Pounds for the two of us for the one-way boat trip.

Also, the view from the Eye is fantastic -- and worth every penny. You can see for miles, and get good views of St. Paul's, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, and of course Parliament and Westminster Abbey.

Happy travels,

Jules