The London Eye - Views in the skies! (London Eye)

Name: Whizz11

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Product:	London Eye
Date:	11/04/08 (30 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great views, great day out

Disadvantages: A bit expensive, quite high up!

The London Eye has now become one of my favourite tourist attractions in London, I know, I know, I hear you say what about all the historical places in London that you can go but for a cheap, fun excursion which allows you to see a lot of London then this is the ride for you. Obviously other people agree with me because it has now become the most popular paid tourist attraction in the UK, attracting over 3 million people a year!

The London Eye is basically a big ferris wheel constructed on the south bank of the River Thames right by the Westminster Bridge with the nearest tube station being Westminster. It was opened at the end of 1999 with the first people being allowed to go in March. Initially it was only intended to be opened for approximately 5 years but because is has been so popular it is still going stong. Up until recently it was sponsored by British Airways and each ride was called a flight which I think was a very cute touch.

Adult tickets are approximately £15 which can be a bit pricey but well worth it. The ride last for approximately 40 mintues. Queues are sometimes quite long, especially in the summer so be prepared for this. You can either purchase your tickets over the internet in advance (definitely recommended in peak seasons such as summer as it often sells out) or there is a ticket office adjacent to the wheel. If your looking for a nice romantic idea they also do champagne flight where you go up in a pod and have champagne during the flight.

Each pod holds approximately 20 people. There is a bench in the middle of the pod which you can sit on if you like. The bottom of the pod is see through so you can see down as well so if you are a little spooked of heights you may be a bit scared but the whole thing is enclosed in glass so there is no fear of falling out. The views are fantastic. You can see Big Ben, the houses of parliment and there is a handy map inside all of the pods pointing out each of the different attractions you can see. Apparently on a clear day you can even see Windsor castle.

I would recommend taking the ride at different times of the day too, ie at night you get some spectacular views of all the lights across London.

All in all a great sightseeing day

Summary: A populat tourist attraction and a must see in London