Skip to navigation Skip to content

10 things you didn’t know about the London Eye

Kate Moss The London Eye £1 coins

1. The London Eye is not a Ferris wheel. It’s the world’s tallest cantilevered observation wheel

2. Supermodel Kate Moss has been on the London Eye 25 times – the record for a UK celebrity

3. On average the London Eye receives more visitors per year than the Taj Mahal and the Great Pyramids of Giza

4. You can see up to 40 kilometres in all directions (that’s as far as Windsor Castle on a clear day)

5. In December 2005 the London Eye was lit pink in celebration of the first Civil Partnership performed on the wheel

6. The 32 capsules on the London Eye are representative of the 32 London boroughs, and each one weighs as much as 1,052,631 pound coins

7. Despite there only being 32 capsules, for superstitious reasons they are numbered 1 – 33. For good luck number 13 is left out

8. The London Eye can carry 800 people each rotation, which is comparable to 11 London red double decker buses

9. The London Eye had a predecessor – The Great Wheel – which was in working order from 1895 - 1906

10. Capsules travel at a leisurely pace of 26cm per second, which is twice as fast as a tortoise sprinting

Buy tickets to the London Eye

We recommend...

In London

London Panorama Open Top Bus Tour London Panorama Open Top Bus Tour £16.00 A great way to explore London with the Panorama Open Top Bus Tour! *SAVE 15% on tours taken by 30-06-2012*
 

In London

Visitor Oyster Card Visitor Oyster Card £13.00 Visitor Oyster Card - a travel pass for all London travel: underground, bus and train. The easy way to get around!
 

In London

Welcome to London - Personal Introduction to the City Welcome to London - Personal Introduction to the City £35.70 Welcome to London with a 'Tripbod' - your very own personalised introduction and explore of the city with a trusted local

In London

Tower of London Tower of London £19.00 Discover 1,000 years of royal history at the Tower of London