If people vote with their feet, then the fact that an estimated 30 million sets of shoes from around the world have walked onto the Eye so their owners can take in a view of the city tells you that London’s most popular attraction is worth a spin. The huge Millennium Wheel, located on the South Bank, is to the British capital what the Eiffel Tower is to Paris: the opportunity for locals and tourists alike to see the chief landmarks and sprawling mass of the city from an exciting elevated angle.

Built to mark the turn of the 21st century and only intended to have a life span of five years, the wheel has since become an indelible part of London’s landscape. Rotating at just 0.5 mph, the contraption runs continuously, but still allows passengers to climb into the viewing pods—it keeps on turning at its steady pace, with an individual journey lasting 30 minutes. When you reach the top height of 135 metres, the Eye presents an amazing vista that will stun the (maximum capacity of) 25 viewers per pod into silence. At £15.50 it’s not exactly cheap, but if you visit the website you can buy joint tickets combining other attractions and wrangle some sort of deal out of the experience. Otherwise we recommend you just shell it out and enjoy the touristy yet tremendous view.