Last updated: 29 June 2023
Is the London Cable Car, known as the IFS Cloud Cable Car (formerly Emirates Air Line) all it’s cracked up to be?
Created as a way to get to work, the Air Line was launched just in time for the London 2012 Olympics as a way of joining two venues, The O2 at North Greenwich and the ExCeL Centre at Royal Docks.
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While there is plenty at The O2 to keep you entertained, if you only want to go one way, there isn’t very much to do on the other side. Unless you pack a picnic and make a day of it, you might find yourself wandering around aimlessly.
In September 2012 the Air Line announced it had carried 1 million passengers across the Thames, which would have been mostly tourists, especially during following the London Olympics
One popular activity activity for a great vantage point over this part is London is climbing the O2, however another way to get a bird’s eye view is through the windows of the IFS Cloud cable car gondola. Tickets are certainly cheaper than the O2 starting at £6 each way.
We’ve taken the London cable car a few times in the years that we’ve lived in London but unless you have a need to take it for a daily commute, you’ll probably find that once is enough.
Interested in using the IFS Cloud Cable Car:
- You can pre-purchase your tickets online or you can can simply tap on/off using a contactless card
- Check the status on the TFL website before heading out as the IFS Cloud Cable Car is closed in high winds. It took me three goes to finally make it into a cable car!
- Cable cars hold up to 10 people. They get at least a few couples in before closing the doors. If you want your own car then go at a quiet time and hope no one follows you up the stairs.
- It is pram, buggy, & wheelchair accessible.
