London Landmarks And The London Eye

London, the capital city of England and the United Kingdom, has numerous tourist attractions, many of which are amongst the most popular in the country. For generations London has been a popular vacation destination and much of this interest is due to the immensity of the historical buildings and the unique culture. While many of the visitor attractions found in London have a historic interest, such as the Houses of Parliament, The Tower of London and Buckingham Palace, there are many that are only recent additions, such as the London Aquarium, and the youngest of these is the London Eye.

Many still refer to the London Eye as the Millennium Wheel, the reason being that it was built to commemorate then end of the old millenium and celebrate the new. It was officially opened by the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, in the evening of December 31 but, sadly, there were technical issues and it was not opened to the public until March 2000. Standing 135m above London it has become an unmistakable, and highly visible, landmark.

The Great Wheel of London was an enormous Ferris wheel, capable of carrying up to 1600 people, which appeared in Earl’s Court in 1895. Unfortunately it was demolished in 1907 but today London has a replacement in the London Eye. Although it is not the largest Ferris wheel in the world it can legitimately claim to be the worlds largest cantilever observation tower!

Although the London Eye cannot carry as many people as the Great Wheel of London could it can manage to carry 25 people in each of its 32 capsules. It takes about 30 minutes for the wheel to make a complete revolution during which time you can choose to remain seated or you can stand up and walk about.

Around 3.5 million people take a flight on the London Eye each year making it the most popular paid visitor attraction in London and the UK. The main reason people take the trip is to enjoy the most amazing views of London. During a revolution it is possible to take in some of the many London landmarks such as Westminster Abbey, Hampton Court Palace and Buckingham Palace. Of course you also get a fantastic view of the Houses of Parliament and the tower containing Big Ben (Big Ben is actually the bell) as it almost appears to be below the Eye.

The London Eye has been the scene of many a marriage proposal and a number of weddings, which can be booked as a package. 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 you are planning a vacation to London or just a weekend break it is well worth taking the opportunity to take a ride on this incredible visitor attraction. If your time in London is limited it is a real time saver as you are able to take in nearly all of the most important London landmarks during the 30 minute trip which is impossible to do any other way (excluding a helicopter or balloon ride).