The Shard, Western Europe's New Tallest Building, Opens To The Public (PHOTOS)

Western Europe's new tallest building, The Shard, opened Friday in London to much fanfare and hoopla.

The 95-story building, which stands at 1,016 feet, teeters over London's famous skyline.

London Mayor Boris Johnson unveiled the skyscraper to the public, saying, "It's the closest thing to being in an airplane and looking down on London. But you can walk around, you've got complete stability.... You can see all the bends in the river, you can see my office, you can see Buckingham Palace, you can see the whole thing for 40 miles around.. It's like the tip of a cocktail stick emerging through the skin of a colossal pickled onion," according to The Telegraph.

The building, which is majority owned by Qatar, will be home to retail outlets, restaurants and a Shangri-La hotel, Reuters reports.

Visitors to The Shard will be charged 24.95 pounds (advanced adult tickets) and 18.95 pounds (child) to check out the 40-mile view (check out ticket options here). Or, you can check out the stunning views for free below.