The London Eye (London Eye)

Member Name: catherine21

Product:	London Eye
Date:	24/08/09 (118 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A great day / evening out, amazing views

Disadvantages: Doesn't last very long, a little expensive

I visited the London Eye for the second time recently, however unlike the first time, I took a trip on it at night.

The London Eye is situated on the banks of the River Thames, just opposite the Houses of Parliament, providing amazing views over London. It is a very short walk from Waterloo station.

We booked our tickets in advance, which cost £14.85 each. This is for a basic ticket, however you can spend more to queue jump, have a glass or champagne or pimms on board, or even book a private pod. I considered the champagne option, however to enjoy one glass of champagne on board adds around £15 to the ticket price! We decided against this, thinking that we could buy a lot more drinks elsewhere for £15 each!

Our tickets were sent by post and arrived just a couple of days after we booked them. You can also purchase tickets at the London Eye just before you wish to take a flight.

We were told to arrive at the Eye 30minutes early for our 9pm flight, however when we got there at 8:30 there was no queue whatsoever, so we could get on board whenever we wanted. It made me glad we hadn't paid the extra for a queue jump!

We decided to wait a little while longer however, as we did particularly want to see London by night, so waited for it to get dark. When it gets dark, the Eye is all lit up, and looks wonderful against the night sky. Since it was built it has become prominent in the London skyline.

When we got on and started our ascent, we were very impressed by the views. Fortunately it was a lovely clear night, so we could see for miles over London. Seeing sights such as St Paul's Cathedral and the Houses of Parliament all floodlit was spectacular.

The Eye moves very slowly, you can barely notice it's movement, and the ride takes around 30-40 minutes. It's plenty of time to see the sights and take lots of photos, however it did feel as though it went rather quickly.

On the way down, there are certain places in the pod you can stand to have a picture taken of you inside the pod. These were on sale at the end for around £10 I think, which seemed a bit steep. Our picture was nice, but i didn't want to pay £10 for it!

There was a small gift shop as well, but we didn't investigate it.

The London Eye made for a lovely evening, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Although £15 may seem quite a lot for 40 minutes, it is well worth doing as you get some amazing views of London. I would definitely recommend that tourists and visitors to London take a trip on the Eye. However, being from London myself, I would suggest fellow Londoners do not take the city for granted, and take a trip on the Eye to see it from a new angle.

Summary: A must see!