The London Eye is not just one of the UK’s most famous attractions, but the worlds! But how much do you actually know about what makes the London Eye go round? We’ve put together 15 mind bending facts all about the London Eye and how it works. Find out why it was built, which films its appeared in and the random British celeb who’s been on it an incredible 25 times! And if you liked this, check out more London trivia with our Great Fire of London facts! Or how about these 11 excellent River Thames facts? You might also like this cracking kings and queens quiz! And you can find even more trivia fun on our main facts page!

1. It Opened in 2000

The London Eye was opened in March 2000 as part of Britain’s millennium celebrations. Actually, it was technically opened on the 31st December, 1999 by then Prime Minister Tony Blair, but it ran a bit behind schedule and didn’t open to the public until a few months later.

2. It’s the Largest Wheel of its Kind in the World

The London Eye is the world’s largest cantilevered observation wheel. A cantilever is a horizontally extended structure only supported at one end. It was designed by Julia Barfield and David Marks, architects who are also a married couple!

3. It’s the UK’s Most Popular Paid Attraction

The London Eye gets a lot of visitors every year – over 3.75 million in fact! That’s pretty impressive compared to Windsor Castle’s 1 million, and manages to beat the Tower of London’s 3 million!

4. It Never Stops

The wheel is always turning! It actually goes very slowly – 0.6 miles an hour, or one full rotation every 30 mins – which means it doesn’t need to stop to allow passengers on!

5. You Can See A Lot From It

The London Eye is 135m tall, which means you can see up to 40km away on a clear day! The London Eye is the best place to go if you want views of London’s biggest attractions, including Big Ben, Westminster, St Paul’s cathedral, Tower Bridge and even the Gherkin!

6. It Can Carry Up to 800 People

A total of 800 people can be on the London Eye at any one time – that’s 25 people each capsule! But if you don’t want to share, you can always privately hire one of the capsules – but it’s not cheap!

7. There is One Capsule For Each London Borough

There are 32 capsules on the London Eye, one for each of the London boroughs. Each capsule weighs a whopping 10 tonnes!

8. It Wasn’t Mean to be There Forever

Just like its famous French rival the Eiffel tower, the London Eye was not originally designed to be a lasting monument. Originally, it was meant to be part of the 2000 millennium celebrations. However, it proved so popular that it was given a permanent place on the Thames in 2002!

9. Lots of People Propose on the Eye

The London Eye is one of the most popular spots to propose! Since it opened, over 5000 proposals have taken place on the eye, and it’s even been voted the UK’s most romantic destination! You can even get married on the wheel, about 60 couples do each year!

10. There Was a Wheel in London Before It

Although the London Eye is the UKs most famous Ferris wheel, it’s not actually the first of its kind in London. In 1900, Earl’s Court had it’s own London Eye, called The Great Wheel. It was an impressive 94 metres tall and was built for an ‘Empire of India’ exhibition. Although not as big or famous as the London Eye, it could hold more people – 1,600 in fact!

11. There is No Capsule 13

If you’re superstitious, you’ll know that 13 is meant to be an unlucky number. Hotel rooms, ships and even whole building floors miss out the number 13 just in case, and this includes the London Eye! Although there are 32 capsules, the last one is numbered 33 – because number 13 has been missed out!

12. There is a ‘Royal’ Capsule

If you visit the Eye, you might notice that one of the capsules looks a bit different. This is the ‘Royal Capsule’, which was originally created to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s 60th coronation anniversary in 2013. It’s painted red and was also decorated to celebrate King Charles’ coronation in 2023.

13. You Might See a Famous Face on the Eye

You’re not the only one who wants to a go on the London Eye! Lots of celebs are big fans and have visited many times. But the record for British star visits surely has to go to supermodel Kate Moss, who has visited the Eye a whopping 25 times!

14. It’s Appeared in Lots of Films

Even if you’ve never seen the London Eye in real life, you probably recognise it from the many films its popped up in. This includes 28 Days Later, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and TV show Doctor Who. A wooden version even popped up in medieval film A Knights Tale!

15. It’s Not Actually Called The London Eye

And finally, it turns out we’ve been telling you lies this whole time! Yes, because the London Eye ISN’T the London Eye at all – officially its called the Millennium Wheel! Or it was, until it was changed to the London Eye in 2011, probably because that’s what everyone called it!