It’s hard to miss the London Eye when you’re exploring London!
At a whopping 135m tall, this giant observation wheel sits right on the South Bank of the River Thames and offers one of the best views of the capital.
Opened in 2000 as a temporary structure (spoiler: it wasn’t that temporary!) the London Eye has been flying tourists, who can enjoy iconic views of London from its pods, ever since.
Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, the London Eye is here to stay, so 2025 is the perfect opportunity to visit (or revisit) this iconic attraction.
Wondering when to go, what to expect, plus some fun facts to enjoy along the way too?
I’ve got you covered with this all-you-need-to-know London Eye guide!
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London Eye is 25!
Can you believe London Eye is 25 years old this year?!
To celebrate this landmark anniversary, why not hop on board for an unforgettable London experience?
I hadn’t taken a flight with the London Eye since I was at school, but had a fab time doing so again recently to celebrate the Eye’s Silver Birthday.
Book your tickets for the London Eye online, in advance, for the best prices now.
You Can Get Outstanding Views of London from the Top
On a clear day, you can see up to 40km beyond Greater London from the top of the London Eye!
Though it’s not quite the highest public viewing point in London, keep an eye out for an amazing array of famous landmark.
Here’s what you can expect to see and snap…
Facing North
• BT Tower
• St. Paul’s Cathedral
• Tate Modern
• Waterloo Bridge
• British Museum
Facing East
• Tower of London
• Tower Bridge
• The Shard
• Shakespeare’s Globe
• Waterloo Station
Facing West
• Buckingham Palace
• Wembley Stadium
• Trafalgar Square
• Windsor Castle (on a clear day!)
Facing South
• Westminster Abbey
• Big Ben
• The Houses of Parliament
• Westminster Bridge
• County Hall
• Battersea Power Station
Top Tip: Rent a mini-binocular set for £5 online / £6 at the gate so you can see the sights better!
You can also refer to this downloadable London Eye guide, or grab the London Eye Official Guidebook from the gift shop for more info about what you’re seeing.
There Are Several Ways to Experience the London Eye
If you’re booking your London Eye tickets ahead of time (and you really should), you have a few choices.
The first choice is to book online.
Standard online tickets start at £29, depending on the day, but that goes up to at least £42 if you book the same day.
On-site prices are higher.
Standard tickets are perfect if budget is your priority over wait times, but if you visit during peak times, you could face queues of up to 90 minutes!
Every thought about visiting in the evening?
Enjoying the London Eye after dark is a completely different way to see the capital, offering an unforgettable experience with London most famous buildings illuminated all around you.
Pro Tip: Your ticket time is when you’re supposed to join the queue, not when you get on the Eye. Keep this in mind, especially if you’re on a tight itinerary.
The London Eye Can Get Busy
The London Eye gets very busy, especially during summer and public holidays, when wait times can exceed 45 minutes.
But you don’t have to get stuck in the queue for longer than necessary!
To avoid the crowds, try to go early in the morning, as close to the opening time as possible.
You can also try near closing time, to try and dodge the queue.
Opening hours vary by season, so plan accordingly…
- April–August: 10am to 8:30pm
- September–March: 11am to 6pm; 10am to 8:30pm during school holidays
- Christmas Eve (24th December): 10am to 5:30pm
- Christmas Day (25th December): closed
- New Year’s Eve (31st December): 10am to 3pm
I also highly recommend Fast Track Entry as the best way to go when you visit the London Eye!
For about £15 more, you can go to the priority queue on your chosen time slot and breeze through in under 15 minutes – it only took me around 10 minutes to get from the queue to the pod this way!
And for another £7, you can also get a Flexi Fast Track ticket, which lets you visit the Eye anytime on your chosen day – perfect if you’re not quite sure of your itinerary yet.
The London Eye Wasn’t Actually the First Choice
Did you know the London Eye started as a pitch for a new millennium project that never actually got picked?
Thankfully, David Marks of Marks Barfield architects, along with Julia Barfield, decided to go ahead with their dream anyway.
With a little help from British Airways, the world’s tallest Ferris Wheel (at the time) became a reality.
The design is unique, too.
Instead of being supported on both sides, The Eye only has an A-frame on one side.
It also rotates quite slowly – 26cm per second, to be exact – so everyone can hop on and off the passenger pods without the whole thing stopping.
The full rotation takes 30 minutes, a perfect amount of time to enjoy a stunning get a bird’s eye view of the London skyline without rushing.
Fun Fact: There are 32 pods on the Eye, one for each London borough. But you’ll find they’re numbered up to 33; that’s because number 13 is skipped for superstitious reasons!
The London Eye Has Gone by Many Names
Despite being affectionately known as “The London Eye” or simply “The Eye,” the world’s tallest cantilevered observation wheel has had its fair share of different names, including…
• British Airways London Eye
• Coca-Cola London Eye
• EDF Energy London Eye
• Merlin Entertainments London Eye
• Millennium Wheel
• Lastminute.com London Eye
You Can Do More Than Just Sightsee on the Eye
Did you know you can take your ride to the next level with London Eye Premium Experiences?
Looking for a lick of luxury? Get the Champagne Experience and enjoy fast-track entry, plus Moët & Chandon Impérial Brut.
Feel the love in the air? Enjoy a private pod just for you and that special someone, with a bottle of Moët & Chandon Rosé Impérial, and a personal London Eye host care of Cupid’s Capsule.
Want a group trip to remember? Bring 25 of your family and friends along for a ride in a private pod with Fast Track entry.
Keen to make the most of your day in London? Why not bundle popular attraction tickets together by combining your London Eye ticket with a visit to SEA LIFE London or a trip to Madame Tussauds – and see more for less!
London Eye Tickets Get You Discounts at Other London Attractions
Unsurprisingly, one of the most popular multi-attraction tickets is for a London River Cruise and a ride on the London Eye – what better way to take in the city than from the air and the water?!
After your half an hour ride on the wheel, you can then enjoy a 40 minute cruise on the Thames for the ultimate London experience.
Buying your multi-attraction tickets online is cheaper compared to buying individual tickets at the attraction, and mean you can select your preferred time slot, ensuring you have a spot reserved.
This will allow you to skip the ticket queue and head straight to the attractions, for more time to soak in the experience.
Getting to the London Eye is Easy
The London Eye is only a 5-minute walk from Waterloo tube station, or a 7-minute walk from Westminster station, where Big Ben is located.
Embankment and Charing Cross tube stations are 15 minutes away.
Buses are plentiful too. Numbers 1, 12, 59, 68, 76, 77, 139, 148, 159, 168, 176, 188, 211, 243, 77 and 381, 507, 521 all stop close by, as do the classic London hop-on, hop-off bus tours.
Want a different way of arriving? Hop on an Uber Boat by Thames Clippers and glide right up to the London Eye pier from spots as far down the River as Battersea and Greenwich.
London Eye Photo Tips
I definitely won’t blame you if you take loads of photos while on the Eye – I was snapping away like a maniac when I took a ride on it!
Yes, the view from the top of the world’s largest cantilevered observation wheel is simply unbeatable.
But you also need to be prepared – you only have a couple of chances to take the perfect shot.
Your ride may be 30 minutes long, but the best time to take photos at the perfect angle only lasts a few minutes.
Here are a few tips to get those Instagram-worthy shots aboard one of the world’s most popular paid tourist attractions…
• The outer railing is one of the best places to get the clearest view of London’s skyline.
• Press your lens against the glass to cut reflections.
• Use a polarising filter if you’ve got one, especially if the skies are clear and the sun’s bright.
• Set a slightly faster shutter speed (1/125s or more) to avoid blur (unless you’re going for a specific effect).
• Go during golden hour for amazing shots with the softest light.
Once your ride is over and you want a photo of the Eye itself, try these spots…
• Corner of Westminster Bridge, particularly on the Parliament side, for a classic shot with the Boudica Statue in the foreground
• Blue Bridge in St. James’s Park provides a picturesque view with the London Eye in the distance, paired with Buckingham Palace on the other side
• My favourite, Waterloo Bridge, which allows you to capture the London Eye and other iconic landmarks, like the Houses of Parliament on the opposite bank
• Blackfriars Bridge is another classic for sunset shots thanks to position east of the Eye
• Jubilee Gardens to get those tight, up-close angles, especially great when the wheel is illuminated at night. Opt for a low viewpoint within the gardens to capture the wheel’s scale and the city skyline behind.
• River Cruises offers great views of various landmarks from the water, including the London Eye
Key Things to Know About the London Eye
Here are a few more things to know before you (re)visit the London Eye…
The Eye is wheelchair accessible. For safety reasons, there’s a limit of two wheelchair users per pod and eight wheelchair users total at any given time. Though not required, it’s highly recommended that you book a wheelchair slot.
If you’re travelling with a pushchair or pram, it must be fully closed while you’re in the boarding queue and during the ride.
Toilets are in the ticket office on ground level, so make sure you go before you queue and take the Eye!
Afraid of heights? Don’t worry. Most visitors say the slow speed and enclosed pods feel safe, even if you’re not a fan of heights. You can also sit on the central bench inside the pod if you need a moment to reorient yourself.
Pods are climate-controlled and very comfortable throughout the entire experience.
There are also audio guides available in multiple languages, should you need one.
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Mini Travel Guide to London
When to Visit London?
I’d definitely recommend visiting London in the summer, when the better weather at this time will allow you to enjoy all the wonderful attractions, gardens, markets, squares, stations and statues of this world-class city.
Just remember weekends, especially during the school summer holidays, can get very busy here and are probably best avoided!
Accommodation tends to be cheaper mid-week and out-of-season too.
How to Travel to London?
Fly to either London Heathrow, London Luton, London Stansted or London Gatwick.
As always, I use Skyscanner to find the best flight prices.
You can also get the Eurostar from Amsterdam, Bruges or Paris to London.
Book via Trainline.
How Long to Visit London For?
Look, you could easily spend a month (or a year!) in London and not see it all!
I’d recommend a minimum of 4-6 days.
Travel Insurance
World Nomads offers simple and flexible travel insurance. Buy at home or while travelling and claim online from anywhere in the world.
Alternatively, if you’re a long-term traveller, digital nomad or frequent remote worker seeking travel health cover, check out Safetywing’s Nomad Insurance policies.
Travel Money
The UK uses the British Pounds (GBP).
I always travel with my Wise card, which makes spending abroad cheaper with real exchange rates and no sneaky transaction or ATM fees.
Wise cards works just like a debit card and it link easily with Google and Apple pay. Grab yours here.
Luggage Storage
Store your luggage in London for the day, or longer, with LuggageHero.
They have safe and reviewed sites across the city.
SAVE THIS ARTICLE TO PINTEREST!
So there is it, everything you need to know before hopping on one of London’s best attractions…
Annnnd you even learned some fun facts along the way!
All that’s left for me to say is “Cheers, here’s to another 25 years for the London Eye!”
The article was sponsored by London Eye but, as always, all views are my own.
This page contains affiliate links meaning Big World Small Pockets may receive a small commission on any purchases at no extra cost to you.
