LONDON: have a bird's EYE view (London Eye)

Member Name: sparkle2

Product:	London Eye
Date:	24/07/09 (46 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fantastic views and an enjoyable ride

Disadvantages: Expensive

The London Eye is one of the tourist attractions that most people would recognise and associate with London. Set on the banks of the River Thames, this eye rises a majestic 130m high. Having recently been on it, I thought I would share my experience with you all today:

The location:
As mentioned before, the London Eye is set on the bank of the Thames and is accessible from Waterloo and Embankment tube stations. We decided to get off at Embankment and had a nice walk along Jubilee bridge before approaching the eye. On this approach, there are various street entertainers ranging from people challenging you to ride a wobbly bicycle to win £10 to people dancing and 'hula hooping'. This gives the area near the London Eye a lively atmosphere and is pleasant to stroll around either before or after your ride on the Eye.

The ride:
The London Eye is essentially a large ferris wheel and it takes approximately thirty minutes to go round it. On a clear, sunny day (like the day I went) you can see quite a lot and it is fun spotting the various landmarks you are used to seeing from the ground. These included Wembley stadium, Big Ben, the 'Gherkin' building and Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square. For those not from London, a mini-guide can be bought which would give a more comprehensive account of what you can see. Near the end of the ride, a photo is taken much like on rollercoasters in theme parks where they take your picture while you are on the ride. After embarking, you get to view the photo and decide whether you want to purchase it. There is also a small gift shop where you can buy souvenirs such as pens, teddies and postcards.

The cost: I think this attraction is one of the more expensive in London with tickets costing £17 per adult and £8.50 per child (4-15 year olds). Children under 4 go free and seniors over 60 pay £14. These are all for a standard flight. There are several upgrade options, at varying prices, available, such as having your own private capsule, having a champagne capsule or having a fast track ticket where you don't have to queue as long. Having said that, we had the standard tickets and only queued for five minutes so I'm not sure this is worth it. On the other hand, we may have just been lucky. The mini guides mentioned before cost £3. One thing to note is that there is currently a promotion on the official website (www.londoneye.com) of saving 10% when you book online.

Overall, I really enjoyed my ride on the Eye as you get some fantastic views over London and the flight takes long enough for you to appreciate the views without getting bored. However, for the price, I'm not sure this is something I would go on again as I think it is rather expensive.

Summary: A great one off attraction to go to on a clear day for some stunning views of London