The Guardian has launched an interactive microsite to mark the opening of The Shard, offering those who can’t get to London the chance to explore the view. ‘The View From the Top of the Shard’ is a London panorama of sights and sounds, allowing online visitors to scroll around and zoom in and out of a 360° image taken from the observation platform of the EU’s tallest building.

The site lets you switch between day and night panoramas, and you can put your headphones on to listen in on the city. The sounds, from the London Sound Survey, include birdsong, airplanes, and Big Ben.

If you click on the blue icons, you can read information about London’s landmarks, while the orange icons reveal artists,’ musicians,’ and writers’ top landmarks and the stories behind them. So you can find out about Antony Gormley, Tony Benn, Diana Athill, and other famous Londoners’ favorite places.

The Guardian