London Eye

Facts and information

Address:: London Eye, Riverside Building, County Hall, Westminster Bridge Road, Waterloo,
London SE1 7PB
England
Website:: www.londoneye.com
Opening times:: 10 AM to 8.30 PM (Jan–Mar), 10 AM to 9 PM (Apr–Jun), 10 AM to 9.30 PM (Jul–Aug), 10 AM to 8.30 PM (Sep–Dec)
Cost:: Adults £18.60; Children £9.54 (4–15); Infants free (under-4); Family ticket £56.28; Note: Opening times & prices are subject to change, and may not apply on public holidays. Always reconfirm with the venue before making plans.
Telephone:: Work +44 (0) 871 781 3000
Buses:: 12 53 77 148 159 214 341 381 453 RV1
Trains:: Charing Cross BKL NRN, Embankment BKL CRC DSC NRN, Waterloo BKL JUB NRN W&C, Westminster CRC DSC JUB Note: The nearest train station to London Eye is Waterloo. We can help you find the best route from any other train station:
Train journey to London Eye

View of the London Eye ferris wheel, taken from inside a pod

^{Inside a London Eye pod} A pod’s-eye view from the London Eye

^{View from the London Eye} View of the London Eye Millennium Wheel

^{London Eye, ‘Millennium Wheel’}

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> Got any questions? Or a review?

The British Airways London Eye – or Millennium Wheel, as it is also known – is the largest observation wheel in the world. It measures 443-feet from edge-to-edge, and the 32 glass covered capsules hold 25 people each.

The whole thing moves at a constant speed of 0.6 miles per hour, and takes about 30 minutes to revolve. On a clear day you can see as far as 25 miles – which is far enough to see the sea in the east.

Construction of the wheel

The London Eye was designed by David Marks and Julia Barfield to celebrate the Millennium. The ferris wheel was too large to be built in situ, so each part was floated down the river and reassembled horizontally. Once it was completed it was hoisted upright by two huge cranes.

Five European countries made valued contributions, and the whole thing took seven years from start to finish.

Future of the London Eye

The wheel was originally planned as a temporary structure – much like the Eiffel Tower in Paris – and when its short five-year lease came up for renewal in 2005, the owners of the land where the struts now stand upped the rent massively. But a change in planning permission has saved it for another twenty years.

It will now almost certainly remain part of the London skyline for generations to come.

>> Drummerboy’s blog – London Eye

Drummerboy – “First time on the London Eye today. It felt a little bit like queuing up to get on a rollercoaster with the big snaking line of people and the metal ramps and barriers to hold back the hoardes. We only had about ten people in our pod so it was pretty empty and we had a good view all around. There’s not a lot inside the pod, no maps or telescopes or anything like that. No parachutes either. All they’ve got is a little wooden bench in the middle for the old people to sit on… continued.”

>> Write a review of London Eye Read all reviews

Terrible 8%

Poor 0%

Okay 0%

Interesting 17%

Exceptional 75%

pearlyqueen – “the london eye is something that you just have to do or your trip would not be complete. it is best to go at the beginning of your holiday because you see so much that you want to do later, and you realise just how big london is. it is big! we looked out o… read the full review”
DaveG – “you want to get a nice day with the sun shining too, because when i went it was raining. I didn't mind the rain, and i still had some amazing views of london, but the rain dripping down the glass meant that my photos didnt turn out too great. The whole thi… read the full review”