The Monument to the Great Fire of London, commonly known as The Monument, is a 202-foot-tall Doric column in Central London. The column, built between 1671 and 1677, is a memorial to the 1666 Great Fire of London. However, The Monument is not just a memorial construction, it is also a panoramic viewpoint.

Visitors can climb the 311 steps inside the Monument to the Great Fire of London - don’t worry, the ascent shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes - to get a view of riverside Central London.

The column is decorated by shallow grooves that run its entire length and it is topped by a gilded urn of fire. Its height matches the monument’s distance from the place where the fire started, Thomas Farriners’s bakery. If you also want to see the site where the fire was stopped, you’ll have to head to the Golden Boy of Pye Corner, near Smithfield.

At the base of the column, you’ll see that three of its sides are inscribed in Latin and illustrated. The north side describes the fire, its damages, and how it was extinguished. The southern face describes King Charles II’s actions following the fire, while the east side describes the construction of The Monument. The western side, the only illustrated one, displays a bas-relief depicting the destruction of the city.

Location

Fish St Hill, City of London, London EC3R 8AH.

The Monument is located in Central London’s City of London district, just in front of the River Thames’ northern bank, opposite London Bridge. This financial district is an area with a high concentration of tourist sights and landmarks.

Just across the bridge from The Monument are the Borough Market, The Shard, and the Old Operating Theatre. The Tower of London is just east of The Monument on the northern bank, with the Tower Bridge just in front of it. Northwest of The Monument is St Paul’s Cathedral.

Tickets

The Monument to the Great Fire of London has an entrance fee of £5.80. Discounts are available for children, seniors, and visitors with disabilities. Tickets to enter The Monument can only be bought on the day at the ticket office, so you might be required to queue for a short while before entering. This is to keep the number of visitors inside the attraction safe at all times.

Remember that to reach the top of The Monument you’ll have to climb up 311 steps, so we suggest you wear sensible shoes. The narrow layout of the winding staircase and the lack of lifts make the attraction unsuitable for people with mobility issues.

If you have a London Pass, you can visit The Monument for free just by showing your pass at the entrance. The Monument to the Great Fire of London is usually also included in the 2FOR1 offers, which give you the right to get two tickets for the price of one.

Schedule

The Monument is open every day (Monday through Sunday) from 09:30 am to 1:00 pm and from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm. Visitors are allowed in until half an hour before closing time, both in the morning and at night.

Keep in mind that The Monument sees the majority of its school visits on Tuesdays, so we recommend avoiding them for a quiet visit.

Transport

There are a couple of different ways you can get to The Monument on public transport. The first and most popular is by Tube. The stop Monument, along the Circle and District lines, is the closest one, just in front of the attraction. Just a couple of minutes away from The Monument is also Bank station, where you can catch the Central, Northern, and Waterloo and City Tube lines, as well as the DLR.

Alternatively, if you prefer catching the bus, you can take lines 15, 17, 21, 35, 43, 47, 133, 141, 149, 388, and 521.

If you want, you can also take a cab to get to The Monument, but traffic tends to be intense and fares high in Central London, so we don’t recommend it.

Nearby sights

Tower of London - 650 km (0.4 miles) east, 8-minute walk.

Borough Market - 650 m (0.4 miles) south, 8-minute walk.

The Old Operating Theatre - 750 m (0.5 miles) south, 9-minute walk.

The Shard - 900 m (0.6 miles) south, 12-minute walk.

Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre - 900 m (0. miles) southwest, 11-minute walk.

HMS Belfast - 950 m (0.6 miles) southeast, 12-minute walk.

Tower Bridge - 1 km (0.6 miles) east, 13-minute walk.

St Paul’s Cathedral - 1 km (0.6 miles) west, 14-minute walk.