Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

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Explore Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

Built to stage the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, the 560-acre Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park has a range of outdoor and indoor activities in world-class venues to entertain the whole family.

Highlights

  • Experience a 40-second slide down and around the ArcelorMittal Orbit, the world’s longest tunnel slide.
  • Weave between the 195 jets of water which make up a giant fountain, a great attraction for both adults and children.
  • Imagine you are competing in the Olympics as you swim at the London Aquatics Centre, used for the 2012 games.

Tickets & Prices

Immerse yourself in the vibrant legacy of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, a symbol of London’s 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, now home to exhilarating experiences and unforgettable tours.

  • ABBA Voyage Concert + Transfer from London – Experience the magic of ABBA in a groundbreaking concert with skip-the-line access and roundtrip travel on an ABBA Voyage branded electric coach, choosing between dance floor or seated tickets.
  • London Stadium Tour – Explore the iconic London Stadium with a live guide, gaining panoramic views from VIP areas and access to exclusive behind-the-scenes locations like the home changing room.
  • London Stadium Legends Tour – Delve deeper into the heart of West Ham United with a Legends Tour, including areas usually off-limits and a Q&A session with a West Ham legend, making it an essential experience for fans.

Things to Keep in Mind

  • Food and drinks are not included in the ABBA Voyage concert package, so plan accordingly for your meal needs before or after the event.
  • Hotel pickup/drop-off is not provided for the ABBA Voyage concert, ensuring you have arrangements for reaching the designated pickup point for the electric coach.
  • Comfortable shoes are recommended for all tours due to the amount of walking involved, especially for exploring the stadium and potentially standing during the concert.
  • Remember to bring a camera for the London Stadium tours to capture the exclusive behind-the-scenes access, but respect any no-photo areas or guidelines provided by the guide.
  • Check weather conditions in advance, especially for the concert and outdoor parts of the stadium tours, to dress appropriately and enhance your experience.

What to See and Do

ArcelorMittal Orbit

The ArcelorMittal Orbit is the UK’s tallest sculpture, an iconic interactive art display. At 114.5 meters high you are provided with stunning views across London through floor-to-ceiling glass windows. There is also an outside walkway 80 meters up offering another unique way to view the capital. 

If you feel like descending the tower in an alternative way try the slide. The ArcelorMittal Orbit’s 40-second tunnel slide of loops, twists, and drops is the tallest and longest in the world. Another element of this interactive art display is the chance to perform an 80-meter abseil, the UK’s highest free-fall abseiling experience.

World-Class Sporting Venues

A visit to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park gives you the chance to use the same venues as Olympic athletes. You can swim in the technologically advanced London Aquatic Centre or use their state-of-the-art gym facilities. The Velopark is the first place anywhere to offer the chance to participate in four types of cycling, while the tennis centre offers indoor and outdoor tennis courts for public use all year round. Visit the Copper Box Arena, a multi-sport arena with plenty of activities to choose from.

Parklands and Gardens

Some of the top garden designers designed accessible 24/7 the beautiful parkland and garden areas. From broad meadows to waterway walks, find your perfect spot to stroll, relax, or maybe have a family picnic. Take a boat trip along the canal and hear how the park was created. 

Explore the Great British Gardens, combining three gardens based around an Olympic medals theme and highlighting Britain’s horticultural heritage. Look out for the wildlife which has made the park its home.

Trails and Tours

The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park provides a landscape containing hundreds of acres to explore at your leisure. There are several trails to help enhance your visit. Try the London 2012 trail and relive the sights and sounds of that fantastic summer of sport. 

The parkland and wildlife trail is great for nature lovers, while the young ones will love the thrills of the Children’s Adventures in the Park trail. Walk or take to the waterways with a guided tour to learn more about the park and the wildlife that now calls it home.

London Stadium Tour

The London Stadium was the centrepiece of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and is now home to West Ham United FC. A stadium tour gives you access to areas usually off-limits to the public. Visit the changing rooms and head out pitchside through the players’ tunnel. You will also see the indoor warm-up track where athletes such as Usain Bolt and Mo Farah would have prepared for their big nights out on the track.

Did You Know: (5 interesting facts!)

  1. The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is the largest public park to have opened in Europe in the last 150 years.
  2. The park is set over 560 acres, around the size of 300 football pitches, and contains 6.5km of waterways.
  3. The park has over 13,000 trees across 26 woodland areas, which are home to around 60 species of birds.
  4. The ArcelorMittal Orbit was a collaboration between the renowned artist Sir Anish Kapoor and engineer Cecil Balmond.
  5. Four Iron Age skeletons were found when excavating the site for the Olympic Park.

History

  • 2005 London was selected to stage the 2012 Olympics, starting a 7-year regeneration project culminating in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
  • May 2008 Construction begins on the centrepiece London Olympic Stadium.
  • March 2011 Olympic stadium is completed on time.
  • August – September 2012 Olympic park venues host many of the London Olympic and Paralympic sports.
  • 2012 Following the end of the Paralympics, the start of a 2-year transformation of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
  • April 2014 Transformed Park opens to the public.
  • June 2016 The slide at the ArcelorMittal Orbit opens.

Facilities and Accessibility

The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park was designed to make it accessible, with step-free access, hard-standing surfaces, and plenty of available seating. Accessible toilets and changing facilities can be found across the park, as can induction loops and audio assistive systems. The park also runs a mobility service to assist people in moving around the site. All of the park’s world-class sporting venues were also designed with accessibility in mind.

The park has plenty for the kids to enjoy with suitable play areas where they can explore and play. The Tumbling Bay playground contains rock pools, sandpits, slides, wobbly bridges, and more to keep the little ones entertained. This playground sits alongside one of the park’s cafes where the whole family can sit and relax.

Throughout the park and across the sporting venues there are numerous places to eat and drink. The cafes, kiosks, bars, and restaurants open to visitors offer various cuisines, as well as hot and cold drinks, snacks, and ice creams. The park also has free water fountain facilities.