Despite living and working in London I had never taken a trip on the London Eye before, that all changed in Christmas 2006. My boyfriend’s mum had received free tickets for the London Eye and Thames river cruise, which she gave to us. We got priority queuing but to be honest the queues weren’t that bad. This might have been because of the time of year (30/12/06). We took the river cruise first. The cruise was excellent; we sat outside, which was freezing, but worth it for the views. The intricate history of the buildings, bridges and areas of London received on the boat trip is incredible.

I live in London and thought I knew the buildings and history quite well, but details such as the type of birds on Blackfriars bridge being different on each side due to whether they are facing towards or away from the sea, made me realise how little I know. The trip takes about 40 minutes, and you get a free drink, we got mulled wine but I presume it changes with the season. I would definitely recommend the trip, especially if you don’t plan to get a guide for the eye, this will give you a perspective of which buildings are which and the history of them. After finished the cruise we headed to the queue for the eye. We queued for about 35 minutes, which didn’t seem to bad. The views are spectacular but we didn’t get a guide and I think it would be worthwhile doing as there were questions I wanted to ask about some buildings. I would take another trip on the eye as I would love to see across London at night, its beautiful just from the train so I can imagine that at night the views are spectacular.

The ticket itself does not require booking, but this can be done online before you go if you want to go at a specific time. There are also reductions in the price if you book online in advance. It is, however, still fairly expensive for one trip.

Despite the price, I would say that the London Eye is now a must with any trip to London, as the views are spectacular.

From the Eye (assuming a clear English day), you can get a fantastic 360 degree view of London. Many landmarks are easily recognizable such as Buckingham Palace, Parliament Building, and Big Ben. Westminster Abbey, The British Museum, the Tate Modern, and many others are also close by.

The interesting thing about the Eye is that it actually never stops moving, even when passengers are exiting or embarking. The Eye moves slow enough that one revolution takes about 30 minutes to complete. However, if there are slow passengers such as the elderly or disabled, then the Eye will stop to accommodate them.

The London Eye is very accessible and is within walking distance of many major sites. Even though it is not a highly adventurous ride, it does provide an excellent opportunity to get an overview of the London landscape.