London Eye

I suspect you'd be fine buying the ticket once you arrive in London. You might purchase on the day you arrive, for visiting the London Eye the next day. One advantage of waiting until you get there, is that you'll have some idea what the weather is going be like for that two-day period.

The other tactic you might consider would be to go first thing in the morning, as it usually isn't as busy then. The light will probably be a bit better then for pictures (although there often seems to be a bit of "haze" over London).

If it looks like the compartment is going to be full, try and get next to a window straight away, as most of the group will probably be looking to take pictures.

The London Eye travels very slowly, so you'll have a good look at London (it doesn't stop when boarding passengers).

If possible, you might have a look at Rick's Guidebooks as well - of course, they will provide the BEST information :-)

Happy travels!

Last time I was on the London Eye was in the middle of the summer tourist season. Did not have a ticket purchased in advance...walked right up to the front of the counter and purchased a ticket and entire transaction took less than 5 minutes. Took my ride as the sun was starting to set, so got a nice look at London as the sun was going down and by the time I got off, saw a few minutes of the lights coming on across the skyline. There were only about 5 other people in my compartment, so no one needed to jockey for position to get photos or a good view.

Unless you are psychic when it comes to predicting weather, I wouldn't bother buying a ticket online even if it is half price. It's not worth your time or money if it's foggy or pouring rain.

Jut to be contrarian, I was there last October, and the ticket-buying lines were pretty long. Still, I would not buy in advance given the chance the weather might go south. Since you have only two days, I'd advise having an alternative for the time you'd spend on the Eye. Walking north from the Eye along one side of the Thames and back on the other side is a good alternative.

I've been on the Eye many times on many different trips and never waited in line to buy tickets nor to board more that 10 minutes.

I wouldn't bother buying tickets ahead. It was fast and easy even though very busy. Don't skip a clear day to go. You might not get another.

I agree! We were in London in October and took a night ride on the London Eye. Bought our tickets and on the ride in 10 minutes! It was a little pricey, but worth it! Afterwards, we walked across Westminster Bridge north and had a lovely night view of Big Ben and Parliament. Had a lovely fish 'n chips dinner at a pub on Whitehall and back to our hotel.