To get the cheapest London Eye tickets, book advance late afternoon slots for £29, or use third-party sites like GetYourGuide for cheaper morning slots at £32.
Getting the cheapest London Eye tickets, in summary:
- Book at least a day in advance.
- Go for a late afternoon/ early evening slot.
- Book via a third party for other times of the day.
What is the London Eye?
The London Eye is one of London’s most popular tourist attractions, and an expensive way to see the city. It’s a 135 metre-tall observation wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames in London, which takes around 30 minutes to rotate.
Is the London Eye worth the money?
I quite enjoyed the London Eye. It offers good views over London. But personally, I’d invest the money elsewhere. For around the same price, you can spend hours in the Tower Of London (make sure you see the Crown Jewels first), climb the O2 or take a fascinating walking tour of London’s top rock and roll sites.
These are all better ways to spend your money, as are visiting the Wembley Stadium, St Paul’s Cathedral or Westminster Abbey – all of which are cheaper than the London Eye.
Five great things to do in London
- 🚖 Take a private black cab tour around London’s highlights – with hotel pick-up.
- 🧙 Discover Harry Potter filming locations – and spots that inspired the books – on a wizarding walking tour.
- 🍴 Taste the best of British cuisine on a food tour through Borough Market.
- 🚲 Combine landmarks, pubs and street art – on a guided bike tour.
- ⛴️ Take a sightseeing cruise along the Thames from Westminster to Greenwich.
Cost of London Eye tickets
However, most people are probably going to ignore this advice and go on the London Eye anyway. If that’s the case, there are a couple of tricks for making the London Eye tickets cheaper.
The first is to book at least a day in advance. Book on the day, and tickets cost a frankly appalling £42. This is outrageously overpriced.
Best time for cheap London Eye tickets
However, book at least a day in advance, and tickets cost from £29. This is more like it, but there is a catch. If you want those cheaper London Eye tickets, they are limited to certain times – usually in the late afternoon or early evening.
When I looked the night before in August, the cheapest tickets were £30 and the earliest timeslot available at this price was 16.15 to 16.30.
If you want the cheapest London Eye tickets, prepare to go later in the day.
The cheapest tickets for the London Eye in the morning
If you don’t want to base your day around going to the London Eye in the late afternoon, however, there is a surprising workaround. I say surprising, as I wasn’t expecting to discover it either.
Searching the night before in August, the cheapest London Eye ticket in the morning on the official site cost £36, and that was just for one timeslot.
However, going via a third party site – GetYourGuide – the tickets cost £32, irrespective of the timeslot.
For full disclosure, I have an affiliate account with GetYourGuide. If you buy the tickets through this link, I will earn a small commission. Which, obviously, I would very much prefer. But the same theory applies to other third party sellers.
For most timeslots, it is cheaper to book London Eye tickets through a third party than direct from the official London Eye site.
Getting the cheapest London Eye tickets
This is quite obviously insane, but it’s probably best not to question it. If you want London Eye tickets on the day, third party sites are no cheaper.
If you want the absolute cheapest London Eye tickets, book via the official site for one of the limited time slots in the late afternoon or early evening.
But if you want to pick a timeslot that suits your schedule, you’re usually better off advance booking tickets through a third party.
Things to do near the London Eye
- Walk along the South Bank. The riverside path next to the London Eye runs east towards the Tate Modern and the Golden Hinde or west towards Westminster, with street performers, food stalls and views across the Thames.
- Visit the Florence Nightingale Museum: A specialist museum devoted to the nursing pioneer is inside nearby St Thomas’ Hospital.
- Visit the SEA LIFE London Aquarium. Located next door to the London Eye, this popular attraction features sharks, rays, turtles and interactive exhibits.
- Experience the London Dungeon. Just a short walk away, the London Dungeon uses live actors and special effects to tell dark and entertaining stories from London’s history.
- Cross Westminster Bridge to see Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. From the London Eye, it is a short walk to some of London’s most recognisable landmarks.
Other London attractions worth considering include the HMS Belfast, Eltham Palace, the Cutty Sark and the Freud Museum.
London Eye FAQs
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is the London Eye? | The London Eye is a large observation wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames, offering panoramic views across central London from enclosed glass capsules. |
| Do I need to book London Eye tickets in advance? | Booking London Eye tickets in advance is recommended, particularly during weekends, school holidays and peak tourist seasons. |
| How long does a ride on the London Eye take? | A full rotation on the London Eye takes around 30 minutes from start to finish. |
| What can you see from the London Eye? | Views from the London Eye include Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, St Paul’s Cathedral, Buckingham Palace and the River Thames. |
| Is the London Eye accessible? | The London Eye is wheelchair accessible, with step-free access, spacious capsules and staff assistance available for visitors who need it. |
More London travel
Other London articles on Planet Whitley include:
- Inside the Churchill War Rooms.
- How to get on the Harry Potter Studios Tour when tickets have sold out.
- How to get free entry to St Paul’s Cathedral.
- The best weather for visiting Thorpe Park.
- The part of the Tower of London you should visit first.
