Original Photo by B J Mullan -  CC-BY-SA 3.0

The Shard at London Bridge is basically a high-rise building in Southwark, London.  It has also been referred to as the Shard of Glass, Shard London Bridge or the London Bridge Tower and it is officially the tallest building in Western Europe.  Certainly the most prominent building on the London skyline, the good news is that you can visit the Shard and take the lift to what must be the ultimate spot to get a great view over the capital; it's tall enough to give you a view that takes in the entire city.  The bad news is, it isn't free, in fact it is more expensive than the London Eye.