Useful things to know before your visit
Address: London Eye, Riverside Building, County Hall, Westminster Bridge Road, Waterloo SE1 7PB. Telephone: 0871 781 3000. Website: londoneye.com
How much do the tickets cost?
You can book adult tickets online in advance from £32, and children (2-15 years) from £29. Infants under-2 are free. If you pay on the day then it’s more expensive: adults are from £37, and children are from £33.
What are the opening hours?
Opening times are 10am to 8.30pm (Mon-Sun, Jul to Aug, 2nd half Oct and mid Dec); 11am to 6pm (Mon-Sun, Sep to 1st half Oct, Nov and early Dec); 9.30am to 9pm (Mon-Sun, late Dec).
How much time do you need?
A full rotation on the ride only takes 30 minutes, but you should include an extra 30-50 minutes for the queue. You can avoid the first 15-20 minutes inside the ticket office by ordering them online in advance, but you’ll still have to wait 15-20 minutes outside. If you pay extra for a Fast Track ticket then you’ll get priority entry through a separate gate.
How far can you see?
You get a great view of Horse Guards, Big Ben, Parliament, Buckingham Palace and the dome of St. Paul’s, but Tower Bridge and the Tower of London are hidden behind buildings. The furthest places you can easily recognise are Wembley Stadium (8 miles), Alexandra Palace (7.5 miles), the transmitter at Crystal Palace (6 miles) and the skyscrapers at Canary Wharf (5 miles). Windsor Castle is supposed to be visible 21 miles away, but I’ve never managed to see it myself.
Is it better to visit during the day or night?
The capsules aren’t so full at night and seeing the river bridges and city skyline lit up is certainly memorable, but I think it’s actually quite difficult to pick out individual buildings amongst all the office lights. You’ll be okay with the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, St. Paul’s and The Shard, but everything else is just white lights in the dark. If you really want to visit at night then maybe try around sunset instead.
Is it worth going in cloudy or rainy weather?
The London Eye isn’t very tall so cloudy weather doesn’t affect your view of nearby landmarks like Big Ben and St. Paul’s, but the skyscrapers at Canary Wharf will disappear, and maybe even the top of The Shard. But heavy rainfall will definitely have an adverse effect because the water will run in rivulets down the outside of the pod, messing up your photos.
Should you go if you’re afraid of heights?
I’m not great with heights either and I was fine. But it does wobble. The wobbling is at its worst just after you enter the pod and when it’s arching over the top of the wheel. In my experience you get accustomed to it fairly quickly, and there’s always that bench in the centre of the pod where you can sit down and focus on the floor.
How many people will be inside the pod?
The maximum number of people that can fit inside is 28. The bench in the centre of the pod can only accomodate about 15. You might get lucky and have less people during off-peak periods, but the only way you’ll get one all to yourself is if you’ve paid extra for a private pod.
Which buses go to the London Eye?
Bus routes 3, 11, 12, 76, 77, 148, 159, 381, 453 and C10 all stop close by.
Which is the closest train station?
The nearest station is Waterloo, which connects with the Bakerloo Jubilee Northern and Waterloo & City lines. It also serves National Rail trains. You can walk the ¼ mile to the London Eye in about 5 minutes.
Which other attractions are like the London Eye?
The highest views in London are at Horizon 22 and The Shard. The Sky Garden is also worth a visit. If you don’t mind walking up lots of stairs then try The Monument and St. Paul’s. If you want an actual ‘ride’ like the London Eye then try the cable car and ArcelorMittal Orbit.
Which other attractions are nearby?
These attractions are all within 15 minutes walk of the London Eye: London Dungeon, SEA LIFE London Aquarium, Hayward Gallery, Banqueting House, Big Ben, Downing Street, Household Cavalry Museum, Houses of Parliament, Cleopatra’s Needle, Horse Guards, Benjamin Franklin House, Churchill War Rooms, Jewel Tower, Westminster Abbey and Nelson’s Column.
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I can’t help wondering what will happen if one of those flimsy little spokes snap. I mean, look at them – they look like wire coat-hangers. Are we 100% sure that the builders knew what they were doing?
Normally I’d buy my ticket online because I know how huge the queues can be, but I’ve decided to buy one at the gate today so I can describe it. First of all you have to queue up through a snake of ropes inside the ticket office (that took me 25 minutes), then you have to join the actual queue outside (15 minutes so far), and it’s during this second phase that I’m starting to feel like a mountaineer assembling at base camp.
Photo: londondrum.comAll the different nationalities are standing around me laughing and joking and snapping pictures of the summit and I can almost kid myself that I’m having fun. The wheel is turning at a nice sedentary rate above my head and no one is banging on the windows screaming to get out. So it seems safe. But when I look into my neighbours’ eyes I can see their nerves are building. It’s the way they grip the railing that gives the game away… they’re holding on so tight and vice-like that it’s draining all the blood away from their skin. On the outside they’re happily chatting with their buddies but every few seconds they chance a glance upwards, at the mad mountain above them, watching the human-filled glass globules arching over the top like the hot rocks that get spat out the top of a volcano.
Photo: londondrum.com
Photo: londondrum.comStepping inside one of the pods
When you finally enter the pod you’ll probably have about twenty tourists crowding around the windows, running around, sitting down, standing up, leaning on the glass (I wish they would keep still!). The adults will start claiming some space by a window whilst their kids bounce around shouting “look at that! look at that!”
Photo: londondrum.comNormally I’m dismissive of all those daft health and safety rules but on the London Eye there should definitely be one that says everybody has to sit down and keep completely still because this pod is very definitely wobbling – it’s wobbling enough to feel it. There’s a very slight wobble as it slides along the track, and every now and then there’ll be a much bigger wobble. Don’t ask me why it wobbles because I haven’t got a clue. It’s like turbulence, I suppose. Or maybe one of the nuts has fallen off, or one of the main chains has snapped – I don’t know. But you soon settle down and start aiming your camera out the window.
View of the landmarks from the London Eye
Photo: londondrum.comThe first five minutes just lifts you above the river so you can see the people on Hungerford Bridge and the traffic on Waterloo Bridge. Once you’ve risen above the rooftops you can look down on Horse Guards Parade and see Buckingham Palace nestling beyond the trees of St. James’s Park.
Photo: londondrum.com
See if you can spot the top of Nelson’s Column for a bonus point. If you can spot the top of The Monument then you’re doing well.
Photo: londondrum.comIf I’m being totally honest then I was expecting the view to be a teensy bit better because the dome of St. Paul’s is just a distant thimble and the Tower of London and Tower Bridge are hidden behind some office blocks.
Photo: londondrum.com
In my mind’s eye I had visions of being able to see all the way to the Thames Barrier. I wanted to see the White Cliffs of Dover. I wanted to see the coast of France. I wanted to look back through time to the day I was born. Considering that you can see all the way to the moon just by looking up, I thought we’d be able to see a little bit further than the Circle Line.
View of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament
Photo: londondrum.com
Photo: londondrum.comThe wobbling will be at its absolute worst when the pod reaches the top, and I must admit that I didn’t like the feeling at all. I actually had to sit down for a few minutes until we started descending down the other side (but I’m a wuss when it comes to heights). It’s at this point that you can enjoy the finest view of Big Ben and Parliament from anywhere in London.
Here’s an important tip: don’t go when it’s raining because you’re basically standing inside a giant goldfish bowl and rivulets of rainwater will come zig-zagging down the glass and mess up all your photos.
And don’t go when the sun is low in the sky either (like early evening, before it gets dark) because you’ll get a bright haze in your lens that will mess up your shots. The best time to ride it is around lunchtime or early afternoon, when the sun is directly overhead.
I’ve ranked the London Eye as ★1 in the 25 things to do in London at least once, ★2 in the best things to do with kids in London, ★7 in the must-see London landmarks and ★8 in my favourite places for photos in London
It also appears in my one-day London itineraries with timings, one-day London itinerary for families, spending two days in London with the family itinerary and how to spend a week in London itinerary
London Squire guidebook – Check out my guidebook available to buy at Amazon, Apple and Kobo. I’ve personally visited 210 London landmarks, attractions and hotels and collected all of my reviews, example itineraries, handy practical info, and advice about using the buses and trains into an eBook, along with 675 original photos
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What do you think? (11)
Ask a question, or share your experience of the London Eye
Myah Hi! I am having to go with my family but I am really afraid of heights! And I mean really afraid, I mean petrified, terrified! I know I am not going to enjoy it but I want to know if I am going to be so scared I will have a panic attack and ruin it for everybody. They say it is not that high and I will be fine. What do you think? (reply)
↳Craig Hi Myah. I’m not a big fan of heights myself and I was fine. It’s a bit nervy for the first minute as it starts to rise up but once you’ve got used to the wobble (it does wobble a bit) then you’ll be alright. And they do have a bench in the middle of the pod where you can sit down and stare at the floor if it gets too much. The hardest part is plucking up the courage to go on. Once you’re past that then it’s a lot easier. (reply)
Zoe You should have a nice day with the sun shining because when I went it was raining. I didn’t mind the rain, and I still had some amazing views of London, but the rain dripping down the glass meant that my photos didn’t turn out too great. But it is good and worth spending your time. (reply)
Jia Which one would you recommend. Day London Eye or night London Eye? Is it worth to do a river cruise after London Eye? I am planning to have a evening/night London Eye + river cruise. Any cruise recommendation? Thanks. (reply)
↳Craig Hi Jia. If it was me I’d probably go during the daytime. The night views are impressive, but I think it’s sometimes hard to pick out the individual landmarks because the lights all look the same. Remember to check the timetables for the river cruise because they don’t run very late. (reply)
Paul Loved it. (reply)
Mario Excellent and down to earth coverage. Many thanks Mario. (reply)
Kristin Hi, is the London Eye worth the queuing and the time spent? (reply)
↳Craig Hi Kristin, I think it’s definitely worth a go. You can buy your tickets in advance if you want to avoid the worst of the queue (you’ll still have to queue a little bit with the ‘fast track’ tickets, but not so much). It should only take 60-90 minutes in total, so you’ll still have plenty of time to visit other things afterwards. (reply)
Jon How many people in a pod? Is it busy? Do you ever get a pod to yourself. (reply)
↳Craig Hi Jon, you’re not going to get a pod to yourself because there’s always a long queue behind you. The maximum number of people they put inside is 28. You can see in my video how packed they are. There is always room to move around, but you sometimes have to wait a minute or two for someone to vacate the little bit of window that you want. (reply)
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