Take A Ride On The London Eye

Posted on September 30, 2008
Filed Under Europe

London, the capital city of England and the United Kingdom, has many tourist attractions, a large number of of which are amongst the most popular in the country. For generations London has been an amazingly popular vacation destination and much of this interest is due to the immensity of the historical architecture and the widely varied culture. While a large number of the visitor attractions found in London have some history associated with them, for example the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace the Tower of London, there are various others that are relatively new, for example the London Aquarium, Millennium Bridge, Millenium Dome, and the most popular of these, the London Eye.

The London Eye is not unfrequently referred to as the Millennium Wheel for the simple reason that it was built in 1999 to celebrate the coming of the new millennium. It was opened officially by the U.K. Prime Minister, Mr. Tony Blair, on the evening of 31 December alarmingly there were technical issues and it was not opened to the public until March 2000. At a height of one hundred and thirty five meters above London the London Eye is now an unmistakable, and highly visible landmark.

In 1895, in Earl’s Court, was the Great Wheel of London, which was an extremely large Ferris Wheel which was able to accommodate about sixteen hundred people a go. Unfortunately it was demolished in 1907 but today London has something similar in the London Eye. Although it is not the largest Ferris wheel in the world it can legally claim to be the worlds largest cantilever observation tower!

Although the London Eye isn’t able to transport as much people as the Great Wheel of London could, it can manage to accommodate 25 people in each of its thirty two capsules. In contrast to a Ferris wheel, on the London Eye, you are allowed to stand up and wander about in a capsule but you might find that you want to sit down as it takes about half an hour for it to go through a complete revolution.

With as much as three and a half people flying on the London Eye each year it is, today, the number 1 most visited paid visitor attraction in London and Great Britain. The probable reason why people choose to have a go on the London Eye is to see the incredible panoramas seen from the top. At the very top of the Millenium Wheel it is possible to see the surrounding four miles. From this advantageous viewpoint you are able to take in such landmarks as St Paul’s, Hampton Court Palace, Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace. of course these are just a few as you can also see the best possible views of most of the landmarks of London. In fact Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament look as though they are directly below you.

Many people choose to use a trip on the London Eye as an opportunity to make a marriage proposal and it is actually possible to get married there. When booking a flight it is also possible to book other things such as educational trips for small groups of students of all ages.

If your time in London is limited the London Eye is a real life saver because it is possible for one to take in nearly all of the greatest London landmarks while on the 30 minute trip which is impossible to do any other way (excluding a helicopter or balloon ride). Luckily it is reasonably easy to find hotels near the London Eye which will save you more time.