London Eye

A ride on the London Eye will give you a birds eye view of Central London

The The London Eye is a giant ferris wheel with enclosed cabins located on the Southbank of the River Thames across from Westminster Palace.

I always thought the London Eye looked very out of place among the historical London landscape and I don't think I'm alone in that. I think maybe it is London's answer to the Eiffel Tower in Paris, but unlike the Eiffel Tower, it looks very much out of place. That aside, London doesn't have any hilltops or skyscrapers nearby to offer the public a birds eye view of the city, so the London Eye fills that gap.

Inspite of my objections, the London Eye is actually very popular with tourists, in fact it is the single most popular non-free tourist attraction in the UK with about 3.5 million riders per year. At 520 feet tall, it is Europe's tallest ferris wheel and indeed the 2nd tallest in the world and therefore does offer some outstanding views of the heart of London.

Passengers are carried in large enclosed air-conditioned capsules that are very stable and hold up to 25 people. Passengers can stand and walk around inside the capsules or sit during the ride which takes approximately ½ hour and completes one revolution.

Since opening in the year 2000 the London Eye has been called the British Airways London Eye, Merlin Entertainments London Eye, the Millennium Wheel, and now the EDF Energy London Eye as it received different sponsorships.

Tickets for the London Eye are available online at a discount from walk-up pricing. There is a multi-tiered pricing system with higher priced tickets allowing you to avoid the long lines.

The London Eye is open daily, except on Christmas, from 10 am until 8:30 pm and until 9:30 pm during July and August.

For more information about the The London Eye including cost and operating times visit their official website: The London Eye