The London Eye is a giant Ferris wheel that was built to celebrate the new millennium. Like the Eiffel Tower, it was never meant to be a long lasting monument that would become an icon of the city. Not being crazy about heights, I did a lot of research before committing to the expense of riding up to the very top and back down again!
Sunday morning felt like the perfect time to ride the Eye. I just happened to be there, the weather was good, and the crowds weren’t massive.
There are a few different ways to buy tickets for the London Eye, each one more expensive than the last. I did my research and learned two things. 1) The Fast Track tickets are pretty much a rip off as the queue is almost as long and 2) The money saved by buying online ahead of time is not worth it if you end up going on a day with bad weather. I decided to just buy a regular ticket when I got there, then ended up combining with Madame Tussaud’s and the aquarium.
I got in the queue around noon and was off the Eye by 12:40. So even if the crowds seem large, they move quickly. Like with all London attractions I’ve visited thus far, be prepared to open your bag and to be subjected to a wand search before embarking. Unless a rider is disabled or elderly, the Eye does not stop and you step on and off while it is moving, which it does at a snail’s pace.
These pods are going up.
I splurged (£1!) on a viewing guide. A lot of people in my pod referred to it and expressed regret at not getting it.
This is it!
Looking northwards to Jubilee Bridge.
M16 headquarters.
Looking west.
St. Paul’s Cathedral to the northeast.
I was starting to get a little uncomfortable here.
The Shard.
Wow! This is iconic London in one shot! Notice Westminster Abbey behind Big Ben.
Almost at the top! I was ready to get off by this point, just a general feeling of malaise rather than fear. I distracted myself by walking around the pod and trying to see as far off in the distance as I could.
This was so worth the price of admission!
To the northwest.
Buckingham Palace.
Another view of the Shard. One thing I didn’t get to see was the Gherkin.
Looking south. The guide barely had anything in this direction even though there is an Eiffel Toweresque structure to the southeast…
The treasury.
These balconies are so precious!
Done!
Riding the London Eye was an unbelievable experience. It is worth the expense and the time spent in the queue. I would love to ride it again at sunset one day. I think that unless you have a debilitating fear of heights, you could manage riding the Eye. It’s easy to distract yourself from how high up you really are.
Omg I’m dizzy from these pics. Hats off to you for your bravery!
It’s really not that bad once you’re in it!
Awesome, didn’t realize you were in a pod, I might have been able to handle it although my husband would have had finger prints on his thighs!
You can sit in the middle of the pod well away from the edges. I like to brave my fears so I stood at the edges and looked down a lot…
You mustn’t mention MI6. The brits like to pretend it doesn’t exist. But then anyone who has watched a Bond movie knows all about it. Romney got in trouble last election by telling the press that he and been “briefed” by MI6. They were not amused.
How much was you ticket to the Eye?
Hey, M16 was listed on the map they sold me!
I may have liaised with MI6 in the past…
I paid £50 for the Eye, the Aquarium, and Madame Tussaud’s. A regular ticket for the eye is about £27.50.
Oh, I wish I had remembered to tell you we attended Evensong at Westminster Cathedral. Beautiful service.
Oh, that sounds lovely!