Fly the sights of London in 30 minutes on the London Eye (London Eye)

Member Name: chrisc92

Product:	London Eye
Date:	06/08/09 (36 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very smooth and a glimpse of the whole of London

Disadvantages: For 30 minutes £17.50 is a little excessive

I've just returned from a very hectic few days sight seeing in London with my partner Sue, and our first port of call was the British Airways London Eye, which is part of the Merlin group of attractions.

So, with annual pass in hand we sped off across the city from our hotel in Earls Court towards the giant bicycle wheel.

We got off at Westminster tube station, but the closest one is Waterloo only a few minutes walk away.

It was a bright evening when we went to the eye (around 7.30pm and queues were relatively small. (We did go there again Wednesday evening around 6pm).

Depending on queues it is possible to spend more time waiting than time actually on it. I was very sceptical about going on because I am very much afraid of heights and being up close and looking up didn't make me feel any better about it! It wasn't the first time I've looked at it in that way, the first was about 8 years ago when I was on my way home from Maidstone on a very wet day in January and it was still playing on my mind when Sue suggested it.

But, for those that like me that may feel anxious by its sheer size there's no need to panic. It is very smooth and if you did shut your eyes you wouldn't even notice that you'd left the ground.

From about half way you get to see just how fantastic it shows off the capital and you can view for miles - even as far as Windsor Castle some 30 miles away, although you do need binoculars to see it clearly, but you do see the gherkin, canary wharf, telecom tower and many other taller buildings although many others are obscured. It did seem a little scary when you reach the very top, but the bubbles are on a revolving axle so the ride is kept extremely smooth.

Security is pretty tight and for those with tube tickets (as Sue found out) may find their tube tickets have been demagnitised!

As an annual pass holder this was great, nothing to pay and you avoid all the queueing to purchase tickets. However, at £17.50 I do consider it to be excessive despite being a must for any tourist - well I think it is for half an hour. So in my opinion why not buy an annual pass and get on it for free! I certainly did not regret my "flights".

For more information try the link below:

http://www.londoneye.com/TicketsAndPrices/Flights /Default.aspx

Summary: Plan a visit on the eye as part of a package with other Merlin attractions