London "Eye"
 

We plan to visit London on October 19th and want to visit and ride the London eye. Do I need to book in advance? Any advice on the best time to go when it is not too busy. <BR>Mike

Hi Mike, <BR> <BR>I rode the London Eye last November, and just went and bought tickets on the first (only?) beautiful day we were there for the soonest possible time. We ended up waiting about an hour in line once we had the tickets in hand (which took about one minute), but there was a lot of good people-watching and the wait didn't seem long at all. <BR> <BR>Personally, I wouldn't book in advance, because the weather is so unpredictable, and you might not want to be up there in the rain or fog. But given a day as beautiful as we had ... even MY phots came out well!

I gather there have been a lot of no-shows recently, so you could just turn up. But you want to be sure, and pick the time you want - I like to go at sun-down. Book on www.britishairways.com

<BR>When we took our "flight" on the London Eye last year, we bought our tickets just before boarding. I don't think we waited more than 30 minutes. <BR> <BR>I think the best time to ride the Eye is in the morning, when you can get the best pictures of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. During the afternoon, the Sun is in a bad position for pictures in that direction.

Mike, <BR>We took a ride on the Eye on September 20th - I had booked in advance but we arrived about half an hour before our designated time and were allowed on then. Thoroughly enjoyed it and the views are spectacular. I just wish there had been some sort of commentary as am sure we missed some of the points of interest by trying to see it all.

Mike, I forgot to say that our booking was for 11 in the morning - and there were no queues at all. Later in the week we were in the area in the afternoon and there still appeared to be very little waiting time.

You can get on just about any day - but you do have to queue. The lines are not outside by the eye since all tickets are timed for a 30 minute window so the only folks in that line already have tickets. the queue is inside the ticket office - usually about 30 to 45 minute wait. <BR> <BR>But if you go to the tourist Information office in Victoria station any morning you can get tickets for 5 PM that day w/o standing in any line at all. It is good to pick up the tix in the morning so you don't eat up 45 minutes of good sightseeing time waiting in line at the Eye.

I have tried to get on the Eye many time and have been disappointed a few times...I would book in advance if you haven't got alternative days to g...at least then you won't have to waste time queueing and you won't be disappointed. Before you go on the 'Flight' buy one of the blue brochures which shows the view and whet you can see from where - a greta souvenir too!

We went in June and didn't make reservations. Got there a little after 10 am. We waited about 20-30 minutes in the ticket line, but then walked right on once we got our tickets. By the time we got off, the lines were quite long. Our hotel was in the adjacent building and we noticed that the lines got longer as the day went on. Saturday was really mobbed.

Mike, thanks for asking this question. We will be in London on Oct 16-20th and I was wondering the same thing. We may wait for a sunny day and swing by to get our tickets for a later time in the day.

I went to the London Eye last Tuesday (2nd Oct) and there were no lines at all (4.30pm) - I just bought a ticket and got straight on. Many of the cabins were almost empty (they were also checked between every group of passengers by security staff). <BR> <BR>Later in October it may be busier due to school half-term holidays.

I was in London in August and I booked my ticket through a BA Holidays desk. The prepaid voucher enabled me to queue up in a much shorter line to obtain my boarding pass and get 'onboard' in under 1/2 hour. It was very busy at the time. <BR> <BR>I would recommend checking the weather report for the next day, purchase a prepaid voucher when things look favorable and takes your chances. If it's a nice day, the queues will be very long!! <BR>

I went up in the London Eye on a day trip from Paris on the Eurostar. I did not prebook as I wasn't sure what I was going to do besides an art exhibit on Catherine the Great (now closed) at Somerset House. <BR> <BR>Without prebooking in August, it took me about an hour to queue for tickets, queue to get on and take my ride. I would not go if the weather is not bright and sunny--which is another reason I would not prebook. <BR> <BR>Have fun!

Thank you all very much for your responses. Does anyone know what date in October the British half term holidays Ruth mentioned are? Also, where are the BA Holiday desks to get a ticket earlier? Is there one at Heathrow airport? Thanks again, Mike

British half term is the week begning the 21st October [well for London schools at any rate it does sometimes vary a bit across country]

According to the BA brochure, there are Holidays Welcome Desks at the following locations: <BR> <BR>&gt;&gt; Gatwick north terminal ground floor, <BR>&gt;&gt; Heathrow terminal 4 ground floor, <BR>&gt;&gt; Royal National Hotel (Russell Square) <BR>&gt;&gt; Cumberland Hotel (Marble Arch) <BR> <BR>They can also assist you with most other tourist attractions; Tower of London, Big Bus Experience, Madame Tussauds / London Planetarium, Lion King, etc. <BR> <BR>enjoy!!