The London Eye – Is It Worth It?

The London Eyeis a major tourist attraction on the bank of The Thames in London. Enjoy spectacular views of The Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, and Central London. London Eye review, is the London Eye worth visiting? Things to do near The London Eye and hotels near The London Eye.

The answer to is the LondonEye worth visiting, depends on your expectations and interests. For me, yes, it’s very worth riding the London Eye. Find out why!

As a Londoner of intermittent, but long, standing I have been known to advise visitors that the one very best thing they should do during their time in London, is to ride the London Eye. Yesterday was my 4th, highly enjoyable, visit.

Buy London Eye tickets online here, for a guaranteed price, and no standing in line!

London is, of course, its own tourist attraction, the city is a global must-visit packed with history, culture and incredible buildings.

But of the modern, custom-built London attractions, the London Eye is arguably the best.

The London Eye

The London Eye is one of the best and most popular tourist attractions in London England. I love the London Eye, and so do many millions of other people.

The London Eye was ranked #5 in terms of visitor numbers for London 2014.

So what makes the London Eye so great?

The London Eye is Just a Great Big Ferris Wheel, Right?

The structure itself is tremendously impressive, it’s huge, solid and shiny, like some alien construction dramatically placed in one of the most visually stunning parts of London.

This huge wheel dominating London’s ancient skyline makes wonderful photos, even if you don’t get to ride.

Each pod of the wheel holds around 28 people.

Boarding and exiting are easy, there’s no push and shove and wheelchair access is possible.

One rotation takes about 30 minutes, the pace is very slow giving riders plenty of time to take in the views.

At the highest point of the Eye’s rotation you will be 135m above the ground and will be able to see for about 40KM. It’s a stunning view of London.

What makes riding the London Eye fascinating for me is seeing how tiny central London is, and so green.

All the big attractions are right there before you, framed by trees and parklands.

Buckingham Palace and Horse Guards Parade are right there, seemingly a stone’s throw from the Houses of Parliament.

The London landmark my kids were most keen to see was The Shard, this magnificent building was used in an episode of Doctor Who, as was The Eye.

Important connections to their favourite TV show make visiting The London Eye and The Shard far more entertaining for them.

Things To Do Near The London Eye

The London Eye is on The South Bank of The Thames, in the heart of London’s major attractions. Because of it its amazing location there are dozens of things to do near the London Eye, within easy walking distance.

Perhaps the most obvious is the Thames itself, where you can enjoy river cruises to enjoying the London scenery or maybe to dine and cruise. Right behind the Eye is the Jubilee Gardens Park, with an impressive kids adventure playground and many buskers and street performers along the edge of the Thames.

There are famous London attractions nearby, such as the London Dungeon, Shrek’s Adventures, and the London Sea Life Aquarium. If you plan to combine your ride on the London Eye with these other fantastic attractions, it will save you money to buy a combi ticket, check those out here.

Buy Sea Life / London Eye Combi Tickets Here, Online and Discounted.

Hotels Near The London Eye

There are several good hotels near the London Eye. Nearby hotels include Premier Inn that is only minutes away from the Eye itself, the Luxurious London Marriott Hotel at County Hall, is almost directly behind The London Eye on the South Bank and the Westminster Bridge Park Plaza, a luxury hotel, is located within walking distance of the Eye. For more information on these hotels, use our links below.

• Premier Inn at London County Hall
• Marriott Hotel at County Hall
• Westminster Bridge Park Plaza.
• County Hall Park Plaza

If you’re looking for more kid-friendly hotels in London, you can take a look at our post!

What’s New at The Eye?

Your ticket now (at time of writing, this could change) includes free admission to a 4D movie experience featuring the London Eye. It’s good, very good actually.

We have been to a few of these 4D presentations all over the world, this one is great. I won’t give away the surprises, but make sure you don’t miss it.

If you are looking for a hotel in London, start your search here.

Each pod now had a Samsung touch screen information points that made finding London’s various landmarks from the air fun and easy.

The kids are pulled like magnets to anything electronic, so these were a big hit. The Eye should certainly be on your list of things to do in London with kids.

Tips for Visiting The London Eye.

The London Eye is on the glorious South Bank of the Thames, almost opposite the Houses of Parliament and right next to The Sea Life London Aquarium.

London Eye Tickets

We suggest you buy London Eye tickets online, in advance. You should be able to get the best price that way, and save yourself a very long wait. Get your Skip-the-line discounted tickets here.

The London Eye gets incredibly busy, particularly on sunny days during July and August school holidays. No surprises there, with the Eye being in the top 5 attractions in London.

We have visited at quiet times in the past and walked straight on but yesterday, one of the busiest days of the year, was another story.

On busy days we would highly recommend buying a Fast Track Ticket, for a little extra you can bypass the boarding queue which, yesterday, was enormous, in excess of 45 minutes.

Before joining the boarding queue you will need to pick up your pre-booked tickets.

We waited 30 minutes in that line. Pre-booking tickets online is quicker and cheaper than buying them on the day.

All riders on The London Eye have an allocated time slot, this time is pre-selected online.

For more information on opening times and ticketing, visit the EDF London Eye website. They will have the latest information and opening times. Our review covers our personal experience on the day we visited, things may have changed.

I love all of London, I like just walking, looking, exploring, and visiting parks and museums but as attractions go, I think The London Eye is my favourite. But, of course, I haven’t done them all, yet.

What for you is the best thing in London?

The London Eye vs The Shard

Both the London Eye and The View From The Shard offer incredible views of London but they are different views. If possible you should visit both attractions. We think The London Eye is better. The Shard triggered far more vertigo in me than The Eye. Both are in South London, south of The Thames, you can see the river from both, but The Shard is further east than The Eye.

The London Eye vs Other Giant Wheels Around The World

There are now many giant wheels around the world. There is one at Niagara Falls, in Dubai, and in Brisbane Australia, for instance. These giant wheels aren’t thrill rides, the view is the experience. If you are keen to take in a particular view from on high, we think it’s worth visiting them all.

If you are looking for a hotel in London, start your search here.

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