Is the London Eye worth the ticket price?
Written by arwa
The London Eye is fast becoming the face of modern London. This iconic London landmark is situated on the South bank of the river Thames and is one of most visited London attractions.
But with an entry price of £16.15, the Eye has its share of critics who dub it as “overpriced” and “not worth the money”. Fellow Europe a la Care bloggers have voiced their opinions on this topic, Kimberly in “London Eye: Great London attractions or expensive time wasting disappointment“ and Thomas in “London by bus, boat and overpriced ferris wheel“. The price is steep, agreed, but if you resonate with any of the following points, then The London Eye is definitely worth it.
- The view from the top is fabulous and breathtaking, to say the least. The entire city lies there before your eyes. The wheel certainly offers delightful insights into the layout of one of the most exciting cities of the world.
- The ride provides great photo ops, covering London from all the directions.
- This is perhaps the only place in London from where you can appreciate the skyline of the entire Central London. The view from the top of St. Paul’s cathedral fades in comparison and it costs to climb the cathedral too.
- The night time views are awesome, particularly just before the night fall when the city starts lighting up. In case you decide to visit the Eye at night, twilight is the best time.
- You are also provided a guide book detailing the different attractions that you can see from the top, in all the 4 directions. Have a nice time spotting the places!
- My Europe travel tip – Use the option of combination tickets which include entry to Madam Tussauds to see more for less.
As for me, I really enjoyed the views from the top, and having booked a combination ticket, it was fun visiting the wax sculptures at Madam Tussauds later! You can see my photos from the London Eye New Year Fireworks.
Best of London Tips
Read our Best of London Travel Tips, to help you get the most from your visit to the city.
The price is worth it… but the long wait in line makes it not worth it.
So if you pre-purchase tickets or find a way to bypass the line, go for it.
I believe it is worth the money. My first time on the Eye (about 5 years ago) was a great experience. It seemed more expensive than the prices that you listed. I am planning a trip for this fall with a couple of first-timers and I’m telling them that we should fit it into our schedule.
Haha, I was going to write this very post!
Nope. Not worth it. It’s fun. But £18 for about 18 minutes? Well I won’t be doing it again any time soon. I enjoyed it, but once you’ve done it once, you don’t need to go back, do you?
@ Jack : Purchasing the ticket online, with the time stamped on it is one option. This reduces the wait in the line to some extent. However, when we were there, the lines were not so huge, and we easily got through within 20 mins.
Thanks for your comment Jack and wish you a great day ahead!
@ David : Thats nice to hear. Wish you a great trip David. The price I quoted above is for a standard online ticket, which is the cheapest you can get.
@ Sian : Thanks for sharing your point of view Sian. The wheel is surely a one time attraction. For us the round lasted for around 30 mins, I am not sure why it was 18 mins for you.
I don’t think that at that price it is worth it, plus I have been on it on a not so nice day, and god knows how London get smoggy. The view was very , very short indeed. So if you choose to spend those 18 pounds, choose a nice and sunny day, and when the sky is not so smoggy. As you said it’s a one time experience, then it would be worth it to see London from a different perspective. Just make sure that the visibility is good, and you’ll enjoy it I’m sure.
@ Chris: Thanks for sharing your views Chris. It is appreciated. Wish you a great evening ahead!