The London Eye, the world’s largest wheel, allows you to see up to 25 miles away on a clear day. It provides a bird’s eye view of all of London’s major renowned structures, including Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Covent Garden, etc. It has been a popular choice for a wide range of occasions and special events around the city. But aside from its massive size and worldwide popularity, do you really know the London Eye? Here are some interesting facts you may not know about this giant wheel:
* The London Eye isn’t actually a giant Ferris wheel; rather it is a cantilevered observation wheel.
* With an average of 3.5 million visitors per year, the London Eye receives more visitors than the Great Pyramid of Giza and the Taj Mahal combined per year.
* The capsule moves at a leisurely 26cm per second – that’s 30 minutes per rotation – which is about twice as fast as a running turtle, giving you more time to see all the wonderful sights of London in a clear day In total, it rotates about 60,000 times a year.
* The wheel can carry 800 passengers per shift, which is equivalent to 11 red double-decker London buses.
* There are 32 capsules on the wheel, and they are numbered 1 to 33, since the unfortunate number 13 was pulled. Each one weighs 10 tons and carries up to 15,000 visitors each day of operation.
* Each pod accommodates 25 guests, and other options include Champagne Pod, Private Champagne & Canapés Pod, Brunch Pod, Vinopolis Wine Tasting Pod, Afternoon Team Pod, Green & Dark Chocolate Tasting Pod , etc.
* The total weight of the complete wheel including its 32 capsules is about 2,100 tons, which is equivalent to 1,272 London black cabs.
* The circumference of the London Eye is 424 meters (or 11,392 feet); if stretched, it would be 1.75 times longer than One Canada Square in Canary Wharf, the tallest building in the UK today.
* The height of the wheel is 135 meters, almost three times higher than Tower Bridge and four times wider than the world-famous dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral.
* The axis that supports the entire structure is 23 meters high, about the size of the church tower, while its axis that rotates the axis weighs about 330 tons, about 30 times more than the complete Big Ben.
* The wheels consume 150 kW to turn, that’s about 100 vacuum cleaners working at the same time.
The London Eye is open to the public every day, except of course on Christmas Day and on its annual 10-day maintenance (usually mid-January). The operation starts at 10:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m., but during the summer it ends until 9:30 p.m.
Although there are many same-day tickets for sale on the site, reservations are highly recommended, as weekends and holidays tend to sell out early.
