Hi,
This may seem like no brainer, but wanted to ask, just in case. We are debating to ride the London Eye because riding the pod seems like an experience in itself, but we are hesitant to spend the money if the view will be very similar to the view at Sky Garden, which is FREE.
Q1: Is the view from London Eye worth the $$$? as compare with the view from the SkyGarden
Q2: Is riding the pod worth it or go on a ferris wheel at Hyde Park (i.e. Winter Wonderland)?
Please advise.
Thanks! :-)
We did both when we were there a couple weeks ago. The kids really wanted to do the eye. The views are similar. The eye itself is pretty cool too. Hard to say whether it is worth the money to you, but we had fun. We went mid day in the sky garden and at sunset with the lights coming on for the eye, so we got a variety of light conditions.
When in doubt, do it. I enjoyed it very much as did my son. If you have kids, its a definite yes.
Rode the Eye with my daughter because she wanted to. Can’t say it was worth the cost but at least I can say I rode it. We did get to watch a guy who rented the entire pod in front of us propose to his girlfriend, so that was a bonus.
If you like ferris wheels, pick the London Eye and spend the money. We chose the Sky Garden and enjoyed ourselves, particularly that we could spend as much time up there as we wanted (until closing if desired) and it cost us nothing.
There was an attempt to up a London Eye type ferris wheel on Staten Island but that never got off the ground.
The London Eye every time. You can take some great pictures at different heights and it’s very relaxing.
I have done both several times (business not pleasure) and I would go for the SkyGarden every time.
The Eye has the advantage of moving so you get the differing heights but you are "trapped" in a pod on the wheel (not a Ferris wheel as it happens). Also getting into the pod past the bus loads of spotty teenagers (no concept of personal space) can be a bun fight. If you can take in a meal at one of the Sky Garden restaurants or just take a drink from the bar it makes it an event. How long you spend is up to you of course, unlike the Eye. Finally I think the view from that end of town is better, over the Belfast and and The Tower and Tower Bridge (that's the one that almost every tourist seems to think is called London Bridge for reasons that nobody can explain),
I've done both and would choose the Sky Garden purely to save a bundle of cash you could spend on doing something else. The London Eye is worth a trip though, if money no object.
Other nice views... 10th Floor in Tate Modern, free. The top of St. Paul's... 500 steps and £18 entry... But you get to see St. Paul's too.
st pauls closed above whispering gallery recently early dec. no climb to top. cat on lap. typing one hand.
Thank you so much everyone! I looked into Sky Garden, and there's no more tickets for next week. Love the alternative...either St. Paul or Tate Modern. Will save the money from London Eye for something else. Thank you for the suggestions.
as nice as the view from the Eye was, our 2+ hour wait in line (after getting tickets) made it a waste of our precious time.
Note the comment above that the top level of St. Paul's is closed for now.
Here is information of the Tate Modern top floor viewing:
Thanks everyone! We ended up going to the Tate Modern...the kids LOVED the 1st floor with the swing artwork and the view on the 10th floor was lovely. It wasn't very crowded. We didn't do the London Eye, but did book the Thames River cruise, which was lovely too. The cruise also included the 4-D experience, but we didn't go it because it was closed when we went. For a family on a budget, I would recommend just doing the Tate Modern and would search around for the other Thames River cruises...the one we booked ended up costing about USD80 for a family of 5, which is quite expensive given that the cruise is only about 1 hour long.
riding the pod seems like an experience in itself
I see I am late with this - but maybe next time try http://www.emiratesairline.co.uk/
