Fly the Eye to the roof of London (London Eye)

Member Name: dmandrew

Product:	London Eye
Date:	19/05/09 (7 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Wonderful experience and great views

Disadvantages: Expensive for the time you get

It's not the first time that I have been amazed by the views that you get from going up something that doesn't seem that big from the ground. Most recently, the Falkirk Wheel provided an impressive spectacle, but the London Eye was even better. To be fair, the Wheel is a boat lift (on the Union Canal in Scotland) whereas the prime aim of the Eye is to give great views.

It's right in the middle of London, on the opposite side of the Thames from St. Paul's Cathedral. It's a Ferris wheel, and you only go round it once. It's not cheap. When we went a few years ago it cost £13 and now the price is £17. For this sort of money, for a ride that lasts somewhere around 30 minutes, you are entitled to expect something a bit good.

Although you only go round once, i.e. up to the top and down again, the Eye moves wonderfully slowly, almost imperceptibly, so there is plenty of time to enjoy the experience. We had bought our tickets online, which is easy to do, and got on with virtually no waiting. We did notice that there was a queuing arrangement in place, resembling the concertina pattern used in airports, and so it came as only a mild surprise to see the name of British Airways on the compartments (known as capsules) and amusing to have the ride described as a "flight".
We went up on a fine day - there's not much point in doing this in the rain for £17 - and in a short time were coming up above the rooftops. The Thames stretched away around the corners in both directions. Building after building emerged as we rose. Dozens of the famous landmarks of London were revealed. Past the half way stage on the ascent, and we were climbing to the top. Rather as when watching a brilliant stage chorus, there were so many good places to look at, that it felt impossible to cover them all. The more we rose, the more there was to see. As we neared the top, we got a close view of the Eye's mechanism, and then for a brief but glorious moment we were on the top. That's 135 metres from the bottom, so you are higher than almost everything else in the capital, including St. Paul's.
The journey is so smooth, that the transition between rising and falling was hardly noticed, but rather than it being a disappointment, the descent revealed more views, as we were facing a different direction from that on the way up. Slowly, and inevitably, we passed the 90 degree point on the way down, and were taken back toward to the bottom of the Eye. The cars move slowly that you get out while that Eye is moving, with no danger.
The capsules are large enough or about a dozen people to sit or stand in, and everyone can get a view, as long as no one behaves selfishly. If you want a capsule to yourself, then that is possible, but very expensive. You can go up with champagne or Pimm's, for about £30. You can beat the queues for £27. All that is fine if you want to, but if you choose your time wisely you should be able to get on without a long wait. Avoid school holidays, the middle of the day and weekends if you can.
Here are the 2009 prices for a standard flight:
Adult - £17
Senior citizen or Disabled - £14
Child (4 - 15) - £8.50
Child under 4 - free, when accompanied by an adult
It's open from quite early in the morning to well into the evening, so you might choose your time dependng on what you want to see below. Best, of course, is clear weather in the day time, but I am sure it would be a great experience to go up at night with all of the lights of London beneath you. What would be really good would be some sort of season ticket, perhaps three trips for the price of two, if it could be done in a way that did not allow cheating! There is the Merlin Pass for £150 that gives you a year's worth of visits to the Eye and a few other London attractions, but that's a lot of cash. Could suit a keen or pro photographer to do it that way, though.

Summary: One of London's great modern structures - has to be visited