The London Eye (Tickets, Fast Track, and is it Worth it)?

The London Eye is one of the most iconic landmarks in London. Tons of people flock to the London Eye for the unique experience and fantastic views of landmarks like Big Ben and Westminster Palace.

In this article I’ll talk about what you can expect on your London Eye visit and give you my recommendations for the best London eye tickets.

London Eye History

The London Eye, Europe’s tallest Ferris Wheel, was built in the year 2000 to celebrate the millennium. It’s a massive structure (by London standards) that stands 443 feet tall and is made up of 32 pods which each represent one of the bureaus in London.

The London Eye was originally meant to be temporary; however, it was such an attraction that they ended up keeping it around. While the London Eye has proven to be quite a touristic draw, many still wonder whether a trip to the London Eye is worth the cost.

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Is the London Eye worth it?

The London Eye
The London Eye seen from below.

London Eye Tickets

The first thing to know about the London Eye is that there are a ton of different types of packages for London Eye tickets. The standard adult admission ticket — which requires you to select a certain time slot starts at £24 per adult.

London Eye fast pass tickets

The prices go up depending on whether you’d like a fast track and/or flexi ticket.

The fast track ticket will have you waiting in no more than a 15-20 minute line (we only waited about 3 minutes) and considering how long the line can get during peak hours, I’d recommend the fast track for you if you’re at all on a time crunch.

Keep in mind that the standard entry queue time can be around 45 minutes.

You can get your fast pass tickets here.

London Eye flexi tickets

The flexi option can allow you to show up at any time during a designated day or if you pay a little more, you can show up at any time on any day during the week of your choice. If you’re interested in getting the flexi + fast pass tickets to avoid the line, you can buy fast pass flexi tickets here

Splurging

The London Eye offers a ton of specialty packages that you can look into if you’re in the mood of splurging (these range from £28-50 per person). Some of these include glasses of champagne, chocolate and wine tasting, and even whiskey tours.

You can also book your own private capsule tour so you can experience the view all to your lonesome with romantic additions of champagne and truffles but that’s a pretty pricey option at £360.

Personally, I don’t think it would be worth spending that much money for a mere 30 minutes of privacy but if you could afford to do so, you probably wouldn’t be questioning whether such an experience would be worth the money to begin with.

At the top of the The London Eye.

London Eye Hours

The Coca-Cola London Eye opening times vary throughout the year, typically the attraction opens at 10:00 and closes between 18:00-20:30.

You can check here for the latest hours.

Where is the London Eye?

The London Eye is located directly across from Westminster, where you’ll find Big Ben.

You can take the Tube to Westminster Station and walk the bridge to the London Eye for a more scenic route. Or if you can take the Tube to the Waterloo Station, which is right next to the London Eye.

London Eye map
Map of the London Eye.

The London Eye Experience

The London Eye takes thirty minutes for one rotation, thus you’ll have thirty minutes to take in the views, which is plenty of time. In fact, after about 20 minutes into it, you’ll likely feel like you’ve “seen it all.”

Tip: to help keep yourself occupied considering downloading the London Eye App.

  • Get the London Eye App for Android
  • Get the London Eye App for Apple
The London Eye View
An iconic view of Big Ben from the London Eye.

I think they stick about 28 people in each capsule which may sound like a lot but the capsules are pretty spacious and I think there’s enough room for you to comfortably enjoy your experience.

I didn’t realize it but this eye of London never stops rotating even when they load and unload the occupants. It moves so slowly and smoothly, however, that it’s not an issue. (Note: if you are disabled they will stop it momentarily so that there’s no issues loading you on and off.)

The London Eye View

The entire ride up and down is pretty smooth as well. From the time you step into the clear capsules, it’s only a matter of minutes before you ascend over the River Thames and have the birds eye view of London.

A few more minutes and you’re approximately 440 feet in the air and can see the skyscrapers upstream on the River Thames, including The Shard. If you look really closely with a zoom lenses or binoculars you can see the Tower of London and even, Tower Bridge. On a clear day, you can see as far as Wembley Stadium.

The Shard from The London Eye

There’s a couple of tablets in each capsule that will help you point out the buildings that you’re looking at which makes it a bit more interesting of a ride. I’d done a lot of research so I knew what most of the buildings were that we were looking at but it was still pretty helpful to give it a glance here and there.

Tablet in capsule of The London Eye

From time to time as the London Eye gains elevation, you can feel an occasional shift in the capsule as the rotating mechanisms change but nothing that should startle you too bad. In fact, you may not even feel anything at all. The capsules are all outfitted with air conditioning but if the sun is hitting your windows directly, it can get a little warm as ours did so you may need to ditch the jacket or sweater once you get in.

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One of the best views in London

The view from the London Eye is, in my opinion, one of the best in London.

Sure, the Shard is higher and offers a more far-reaching view. However, the Shard is much further upstream along the River Thames so you’re not offered that “money shot” with Big Ben and the Palace of Westminster right in front of you. To me that’s the quintessential London shot and one of the reasons I feel like it was worth the cost.

The London Eye View
View from the London Eye.
London Eye view Big Ben
View from the London Eye.
Bridge view from London Eye
View from the London Eye.

I do kind of wish we would have timed our visit about an hour later when the sun was setting. We got in the London Eye around 7:15 pm and the Sun was still sitting pretty high considering it is late May. However, I think capturing the sunset from the Eye would’ve added a lot of drama to the photographs and it also would’ve been nice to see London lit up at twilight.

The glares in the windows aren’t too bad but you’ll likely have to work around them depending on the lighting conditions. Also, unless something has changed, no tripods are allowed on the London Eye, so keep that mind if you’re thinking about getting some night shots.

London Eye FAQ

Can you bring food into the London Eye?

Food is not allowed on the London Eye but you can bring bottled water.

If you need to bring a food or drink related item for medical reasons, contact them and they should be able to work something out.

Can I take my luggage on the London Eye?

Large bags or suitcases are not permitted onto the London Eye. There is also not a cloakroom facility at the London Eye. Instead, you’ll have to go to London Waterloo station for the nearest luggage facility.

Are there seats on the London Eye?

Yes. There is actually a bench in the center of the capsule, which is available on a first come first serve basis.

How tall is the London Eye?

The London Eye stands 443 feet tall.

Final word

Overall, it’s a bit pricey of an experience but when you factor in the great views that the London Eye offers I think that it’s worth the money for the majority of people who will go to experience it, especially if you double dip with the day and night experience.

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