Last week, we went to London for a family day out taking Pip on the London Eye for the first time! Located on the South Bank in London it is situated opposite the Houses of Parliament and the famous Big Ben! Rising up to 443 feet (135m) you can see views across London and beyond. After the Shard, it is the highest public viewing point in London!
The last time I had been on the London Eye was years ago and pre-baby so I was excited to take Pip on the ride for the first time. We had our tickets sent to us in the post so all we had to do was queue! We turned up at Monday morning at 10.30am (London Eye opens at 10am) and even then there was a long queue. However, it was longer than it looked. We moved pretty quickly through the queue and after about 10 minutes we were jumping onto one of the pods while it was moving. I didn't realise the London Eye doesn't actually stop to load people, you simply jump on at the boarding point, whilst the wheel is still rotating (sounds scarier than it is)!
The whole ride was really smooth, much like the Brighton i360 and the complete rotation takes 30 minutes. We were lucky with the weather that day and it was a beautifully clear. I had forgotten how high the London Eye is and the views at the top are amazing. You can see the whole of London up there. The best views for me were Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, St Pauls and the river below, which looked tiny when we were at the top! Pip has a fascination with tall buildings at the moment and he enjoyed spotting all of the famous ones across London! I did feel a bit giddy at the top. Pip, on the other hand, was completely unfazed!
As with all cities, some tourist attractions are over priced and not worth the hassle or the money. I feel our ride on the London Eye was an enjoyable one and definitely worth it. When else are you going to see the whole of London in its entirety?!
Tips and Visitor Information
- Ticket Prices: Adult (16+) £23.45, Children (3-15 years) £18.95, Under 3 free!
- Go early in the morning to avoid long queues.
- Check opening/closing times before you visit as they change regularly depending on the month/season. During August the London Eye is open between 10am-8.30pm. Check here for monthly opening times.
- Always check the forecast before you go, English weather is unpredictable!
- Buy a fast track ticket if you want to avoid the queues although saying that we didn't have to wait long at all (10 minutes).
- Buy a combination ticket if you're interested in visiting another attraction.
- Be aware that the photos they take of you at the entrance cost £20 each. It's a shame they are so expensive!
- Remember to visit the 4D cinema experience ride (free for everyone) inside the visitor centre (next to the London Eye). It's fun!
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*We were guests on the London Eye courtesy of 365 tickets. All words and opinions are my own.
Have you been on the London Eye? I'd love to hear about your experience so please comment below. Thanks ☺
Wow! It seems like you had a nice ride on the London Eye! We've been to London several times and everytime wanted to go on the London Eye, but the queue was always too long. So thank you for sharing your experience and pictures! :)
ReplyDeleteIt looks like you had a lovely time - those views! I've never been myself... But one day!
ReplyDeleteOh, you were lucky to have such a nice day! We went on a rainy October afternoon but at least there was no line up. Gorgeous views.
ReplyDeleteI lived in London for one year and never went to the London Eye. Only passing it every time I go to my working place, lol. Such a shame, I know. Glad to know that Pip had a great time up there. And thanks for sharing beautiful pictures. Now I know how gorgeous the panorama of London from above :)
ReplyDeleteThe London Eye looks like so much fun. I didn’t do it on my last visit and now kind of regret it, especially now that Big Ben is silent for a bit. Your photos came out great, what a lovely clear day.
ReplyDeleteI didn’t know that pods are so huge and rotate. I can imagine that lines could be quite long especially during high season. Actually, that’s the reason why I skipped the Eye in my London trip planning. Nice to know about fast line tickets. Penang Hill in Malaysia has the same feature, and it was so convenient and saved us hours of waiting time.
ReplyDeletePart of me wanted to do the Eye when I was in London for photos but I am not a big heights fan and it was a school holiday so the queue was INSANE so I skipped it. You have made me consider doing it next time by buying tickets in advance for sure!
ReplyDeleteThis is a MUST for my upcoming trip to London. I'm very happy to hear that it's a tourist site that you think is truly worth the money! Great tip to combine tickets because I know I'm going to want to see more! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWow--looks like you had gorgeous weather for a ride! I've been wanting to ride the London Eye for so long but it never seems to work out. Hopefully the next time we are in London we can make it happen! The 4D cinema experience ride sounds like a lot of fun too. Great photos!
ReplyDeleteYou really can't beat that location! I've been on a couple of different 'eyes' and they all have cool views but I think this one of Big Ben is the best!
ReplyDeleteadded this to our list for our visit in May, kid will love this
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