Review : The London Eye
Its been well over a month since I have been back from London and when I was there I took time out to actually do some sightseeing - places which I have never visited before. I have meaning to do a write up of some of the places I saw, so I will start with a review of the London Eye.
Can you believe its been almost 10 years since the London Eye has been built ??! Well I thought a visit was way over due so I went on a Sunday to check it out. When you get off at Waterloo station and head out the exits marked ‘London Eye’ it soon hits you. The wonderful looking London Eye. Up close its even more impressive.
When you get there its not that clear where to get the tickets, its probably the most asked question around. When it finally got to our turn to get on the London Eye I was waiting for the wheel to stop, but it doesn’t ! So you have to time your jump on as it comes past. You share the capsule with about 10 or 12 other people and the whole experience lasts about 40 minutes although it feels much shorter.
There are places to sit in the middle but you can expect to be on your feet for most of the time checking out the amazing views. There are also a couple of spots which are marked on the floor where you can stand to pose for a good photo and you will be taking lots of photos (I must have about 10 of the Houses of Parliament !!).
Overall Verdict
An enjoyable experience and a great opportunity for some good touristy photos. The time is just enough because you are really just looking at the same views over and again but at different heights as the wheel goes round. I would have liked a talking commentary which explains the history of the buildings we were looking at. As I hopped off The London Eye I had enjoyed it, but I didn’t get the feeling that I would want to do it again.
3 Tips For Visiting The London Eye
1.If you plan to visit a lot of sites while you are over in London, then you can buy a multi-pass ticket from the one of the ticket outlets at the London Eye. The price will cover entry to London Eye and other attractions like Tower of London and Madame Tussauds.
2. If you decide to buy a ticket for just the London Eye like I did there are two tickets you can buy. The regular tickets cost £17 and fast track tickets (which allows you to jump the line) are £27. I went with the regular ticket and when I got there the line looked pretty long, but it moved so quickly that I think the fast track would have just saved me 10 minutes. It really wasn’t worth the extra tenner.
3. They don’t allow any food or drinks on the London Eye so down the Latte before you join the line !
4 Responses Leave a comment
The closest I have been to the London Eye is when u fly over it as u land at Heathrow, if you are lucky you can see it clearly from the airplane window.
I think $17 is a bit pricey and you were wise not to fast track and pay more, this ain’t Disney..lol!!
It probably looks great at night too.
You know i was thinking that too. Its open till 9pm and it might actually be better at night because you get to see the city of London skyline lit up.
I never have the chance or time to try that one! I keep telling myself… maybe on my next trip!
Its definitely worth visiting. Try to go on a clear day/night if you can (if thats possibile with the British weather !)