ArcelorMittal Orbit


Turner Prize–winner Anish Kapoor's 115m-high, twisted-steel sculpture towers strikingly over the southern end of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. In essence it's an artwork, but at the 80m mark it also offers an impressive panorama from a mirrored viewing platform, which is accessed by a lift from the base of the sculpture (the tallest in the UK). A dramatic tunnel slide running down the tower is the world's highest and longest, coiling 178m down to ground level.

Descend 4m (via a caged external staircase) from the platform for more vistas, interpretative screens and an outside section. From here, you can opt to skip down 455 steps to the ground (accompanied by soundscapes of London) or hop back in the lift. Alternatively, weave your way down on the superb tunnel slide (worth the extra £5, children must be over eight years old), which takes 40 seconds to get you back down. For further thrills, take a free-fall abseil off the tower (£85, book ahead, kids must be over 14).


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. London Stadium

0.16 MILES

Still known to most Londoners as the Olympic Stadium, this large sportsground is the main focal point of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. It had a Games…

2. Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

0.41 MILES

The glittering centrepiece of London's 2012 Olympic Games, this vast 227-hectare expanse includes the main Olympic venues as well as playgrounds, walking…

3. House Mill

0.79 MILES

One of two remaining mills from a trio that once stood on this small island in the River Lea, House Mill (1776) operated as a sluice tidal mill, grinding…

4. Victoria Park

1.17 MILES

The ‘Regent’s Park of the East End’, this 86-hectare leafy expanse of ornamental lakes, monuments, tennis courts, flower beds and lawns was opened in 1845…

5. Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park

1.21 MILES

Opened in 1841 this 13-hectare cemetery was the last of the ‘Magnificent Seven’: suburban cemeteries (including Highgate and Abney Park) created by an act…

6. Mile End Park

1.38 MILES

The 36-hectare Mile End Park is a long, narrow series of interconnected green spaces wedged between Burdett and Grove Rds and Regent’s Canal. Landscaped…

7. Ragged School Museum

1.67 MILES

Both adults and children are inevitably charmed by this combination of mock Victorian schoolroom (with hard wooden benches and desks, slates, chalk,…

8. Sutton House

1.76 MILES

It would be quite possible to walk straight past this relatively inconspicuous brick house without noticing its great age. Originally known as Bryk Place,…