YESTERDAY, I published my five star review of the West End production of Kinky Boots, urging musical fans to ‘go and catch Lola and her angels at the earliest opportunity’, and what better way to round out a trip to London than by taking in some of it’s internationally-renowned and iconic visitor attractions?

Following on from the success of my previous ‘Summer’ and ‘Halloween’ Visits series, ‘London Visits’ will see me visiting some of London’s most iconic landmarks and visitor attractions, to help source those must-visit destinations that will help round out your theatre break, long weekend, or even just give you the perfect reason to take a trip to the Capital in and of themselves!

Kickstarting with The London Dungeon, it’s difficult to imagine being able to get much further from the glitz, camp and glamour of Kinky Boots than with the grime, creepiness and charismatic scares on offer here. Clocking in at roughly 90 minutes, the Dungeon is an interactive walk-through experience which delves into the darker, murkier days of London’s history, popping in to key periods in the Cities’ history such as the Great Fire of 1666, the 14th Century’s Black Death epidemic and the Jack the Ripper Whitechapel murders.

It’s a well-judged and neatly varied experience; there’s enough diversity in the various live shows and set pieces that visitors are put through to make sure there’s never a lull, and the actors throughout are suitably game and invested in their roles. It is also suitably informative and educational without becoming too bogged down with exposition and historical facts - usually entertainment, scares or laughs take precedence. This is perhaps most evident when the walkthrough occasionally deviates into the realms of fiction, such as a suitably thrilling trip to the pie and barber shop of Mrs Lovett and Sweeney Todd.

The London Dungeon advises that it may not be suitable for under 12’s, and it’s easy to see why - there is plenty of reference (both direct and indirect) to murder, torture and plenty of gruesome reflections to London’s darker days, such as a sequence where a Plague nurse pulls the innards from her recently departed colleague. With that being said, there were a number of younger children in the group we travelled with, and they were gleefully lapping up all of the jumps, scares and surprises.

The tone of the walkthrough as a whole fluxes between sombre and ominous to occasionally downright scary - the aforementioned trip to Todd’s barber shop springing once again to mind. There are also practical considerations to take into mind when considering your party, too - the walkthrough is bookended with two very different ride experiences, both fun, but bearing a minimum height restriction (though those too short and others who do not wish to ride are catered for) and a series of other considerations (no pregnant mothers, heart complaints, back or neck problems etc.). These are all listed in full on the London Dungeon website, and it may be worth giving them the once over as the rides are good fun and help round out the experience neatly.

And then why not kick back and enjoy a complimentary ale, gin or cocktail in the characterful, superbly fitted London Dungeon Tavern, where the gossip, characters and drinks are in plentiful supply (though top-ups will cost you!).

In all, The London Dungeon gives a fascinating, eerie insight into the darker annals of the great City, and, particularly for those with a penchant for the grim, is a very easy recommendation. At 90 - 110 minutes, it won’t fill the entirety of a day, but for the quality of experience on offer, it proves solid value for money as a London attraction - especially when combined with one or more of the other eligible London attractions.

Such as, for instance, the Coca Cola London Eye, merely a stone’s throw away.

Brilliantly located and boasting an unbeatable view over the City, the London Eye has already become a synonymous and iconic part of the City’s skyline. And it isn’t difficult to see why, nor why a visit should be part of any respectable visitor’s London bucket list.

A 30-minute round circle on the eye gives you plenty of time to take in the sights, aided by various interactive digital panels should you wish, without feeling rushed or short-changed. This is also ably abetted by having a limited number of persons admitted per pod, so as to avoid too much clammer or competition for that view and those photos - though be aware this can mean very long queuing times on busier, sunnier or peak days (school holidays, weekends etc.)

But what a view it is - you haven’t seen London until you have seen it from above, and even on the murkiest of days, it is a thrill to look out and take in the likes of Buckingham Palace, the Shard and the houses of Parliament all in a single panoramic swing. London is a mightily impressive City by any standard, and the apex of the Eye remains one of the highest viewing points open to the public.

There's also the short London Eye 4D cinema experience which comes free with all tickets purchased for the Eye. It's a short, fun distraction, but only really a must-do for families and those with children, and certainly not really worth shelling out the £9.50 admission charge for by itself (for those who haven't purchased a ticket for the Eye).

At £25 and up per person (slightly less for under 15’s, online advance discounts available), a family ticket on the Eye won’t come cheap, especially for such a relatively short experience, but as mentioned it is definitely one of those now-iconic must-do’s that has seen the attraction long outlive what was initially only supposed to be a temporary part of the millennium celebrations. 

As with The London Dungeon, the easiest recommendation is to purchase passes for multiple attractions at once, either direct or online, with the London Eye website even offering the ability to customise your own tailor-made multi-ticket. With this option, the more you opt for - including other visits such as Madame Tussauds London, SEA LIFE London Aquarium etc. - the more you save. And whilst this may sound prohibitively expensive, it can actually mean you end up paying as little as £10 per person for attractions that normally cost upwards of three times that amount.

In all though, with Kinky Boots proving a shining, glittery example of how London’s West End still offers some of the finest theatre in the world, it’s important to pick accompanying attractions that are going to prove just as entertaining and fulfilling. Being literally on one another’s doorstep, providing a diverse and very different pair of experiences, and littered with plenty of iconic views and forays into London’s history, the London Dungeon and Coca Cola London Eye are two great picks and thoroughly recommended attractions that will show you quite literally the highs and lows of one of the greatest Cities on the planet. 

And what more can you ask for, really?

Booking for both the London Dungeon and Coca Cola London Eye can be done either directly at their respective Box Offices and Ticket Sales, or online at their websites:

THE LONDON DUNGEON Official Website | https://www.thedungeons.com/london/en/

THE COCA COLA LONDON EYE Official Website | https://www.londoneye.com