London Eye - London

The British Airways London Eye, to give it its full title, has quickly become one of London’s most popular visitor attractions since it opened to the public in March 2000. It’s the world’s tallest observation wheel, 443ft(135m) high, and is located in a fantastic position on the south bank of the River Thames next to County Hall, just across Westminster Bridge from the Houses of Parliament.

For anyone looking to get great panoramic views of London, the Eye is the best option available and if you go on it on a clear day you can see for up to 25 miles. Attached to the wheel are 32 glass capsules and because they’re on the outside of the wheel the views are unobstructed. Each can carry 25 people comfortably, there’s a wooden bench in the middle to sit on but being all glass it can get a bit warm in there on a hot day.

It takes 30 minutes to do a full revolution and the ride is so smooth you don’t feel like you’re moving. The Eye doesn’t actually stop when people get on or off, its moving slowly enough to unload and load capsules without coming to a halt. When you’re on it take notice of the compass points on the capsule floor. Even though the Eye is on the south bank of the Thames the bend in that stretch of the river means that looking straight across at the opposite bank is looking directly from east to west.

The London Eye is open from 10am-8pm daily, Oct-May and from 10am-9pm, June-Sept. Walk up tickets are £13.50(adults), if you pre-book they’re a little cheaper, booking online saves 10%. The London Eye website gives the full range of adult, child and discount tickets. The ticket office is located in the County Hall building right next to the Eye which is where you also pick up the pre-booked tickets. It is worth booking ahead because the queues in summer can get quite long.

There is full disabled access and they have a fast track policy for disabled or elderly cutomers if its requested.

The London Eye is at Jubilee Gardens next to County Hall on the South Bank, the nearest tube stations are Waterloo and Westminster. Its pretty hard to miss if you’re anywhere around central London and well worth the time to visit.