Falkirk Wheel
Falkirk Wheel
4.5
Points of Interest & LandmarksArchitectural Buildings
9:45 AM - 5:30 PM
Monday
9:45 AM - 5:30 PM
Tuesday
9:45 AM - 5:30 PM
Wednesday
9:45 AM - 5:30 PM
Thursday
9:45 AM - 5:30 PM
Friday
9:45 AM - 5:30 PM
Saturday
9:45 AM - 5:30 PM
Sunday
9:45 AM - 5:30 PM
About
This 35-meter-high rotating boat lift, the world’s first, connects the Forth & Clyde and Union canals.
Duration: 2-3 hours
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listing
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
What is Travelers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

Top ways to experience Falkirk Wheel

See what travelers are saying

  • David Walker
    Caputh, United Kingdom208 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Welcome break from the canal rain
    Regular half way (almost) stop off on cycle trips along the F/C-Union Canal between Edinburgh and Glasgow. Always friendly staff, clean and very welcome stock of goodies. Today the curry cauliflower soup so good I thought I’d write a review. Now back to reflective solo cycling in the rain!
    Hi, Many thanks for your review. We're glad to hear that you enjoyed your visit! - TFW Team
    Written October 9, 2024
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled solo
    Written October 5, 2023
  • Katie P
    United Kingdom279 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Fabulous engineering
    What a feat of engineering! The only one in the world. How amazing, decent price. Pay at pay machine or on exit with contactless card. Beautiful cafe with information points, great tasting food at a reasonable price. You could spend hours here doing all the different activities. What a fabulous facility.
    Hi Katie, Many thanks for your great review! We are very pleased to hear that you enjoyed your visit! - TFW Team
    Written October 9, 2024
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written October 7, 2023
  • Rachel H
    2 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Worth a visit
    A fascinating engineering accomplishment. Really enjoyed the boat trip. Would recommend a visit. The girls who looked after us were professional and humorous. We could have seen more is the windows in the roof of the boat had been cleaned. On site restaurant average.
    Hi Rachel, Many thanks for your great review! We're glad to hear that you enjoyed your visit and we have passed your comments onto our boat team. - TFW Team
    Written October 9, 2024
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written October 17, 2023
  • J-from-Marysville
    Marysville, Ohio1,008 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Unbelievable
    Unbelievable canal lock mechanism. We arrived late in the day in mid-October and didn't get to see it in operation. It would have been an amazing sight. We did take lots of pictures. There are lots of activities available for your family to do, besides watching the wheel. I highly recommend.
    Hi there, Thank you for your 5 star review! We're glad to hear that you enjoyed your visit. - TFW Team
    Written October 9, 2024
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written October 18, 2023
  • Grace S
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A must-see piece of engineering
    We visited here on the 15th Oct and would highly recommend. We went on the boat trip that takes you up the wheel and along the canal and back again. Our boat captain Gill and our trainee captain Jane were both entertaining and accommodating. The food in the cafe was average and they have a wide selection of souvenirs and goodies in their shop.
    Hi there, Thank you for your review! We're glad to hear that you enjoyed your visit! We'll make sure that Gill & Jane receive your great feedback. - TFW Team
    Written October 9, 2024
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled with friends
    Written October 21, 2023
  • KevinP1314
    Monifieth, United Kingdom2,758 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A fantastic piece of engineering ingenuity
    Having worked in a technical engineering capacity on the hydraulic system that lifts the flood barrier in London, yet now living in Scotland. I have long wished to visit the Falkirk Wheel and being presented with an opportunity of a veteran reunion 42 years in the making. This location had an added attraction.
    Hi Kevin, Thank you for your review! We are pleased to hear of your positive experience at the wheel!
    Written October 8, 2024
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled with friends
    Written October 27, 2023
  • ndw78
    Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom2,928 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Amazing to see in action
    Engineering at its best, it was fantastic to see in action taking the boats up and down. There is a tour you can do on a larger canal boat, unfortunately we didn’t have time but worth the wait watching it work. Not a lot else to do this time of year but loads during the main season from the website and information
    Hi there, many thanks for your positive review. We hope you enjoyed your visit.
    Written October 8, 2024
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written October 28, 2023
  • andrewjenny
    Hervey Bay, Australia619 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great piece of Machinery Architecture
    Day we visited was a bit rainy so we didn't end up doing a ride on boat which gives you an opportunity to experience the Wheel. It is a great piece of modern machinery and architecture. Very impressive to see up close. Worth a visit and with better weather a ride on the boat.
    Hi Andrew, Many thanks for your review, we are pleased to hear that you enjoyed your visit! - Jane
    Written October 8, 2024
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written November 16, 2023
  • Louise R
    Bridport, United Kingdom205 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Amazing experience
    We loved the Falkirk wheel, seeing it working was amazing and so informative for our children too. We stayed over night in a Motorhome and it was amazing seeing the wheel at night with all the lights. The staff were very helpful and friendly. There is access to toilets and showers here. We didn’t go on the boat trip this time but hopefully in the future we will get the chance. There is also a cafe and a gift shop here.
    Hi there, Many thanks for your review and we are happy to hear that yourself and your family enjoyed your overnight stay! We look forward to welcoming you again for another visit in the future. - Jane
    Written October 8, 2024
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited September 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written February 22, 2024
  • Michael B
    London, United Kingdom6 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Architectural masterpiece and cultural heritage site
    Very cool place. Went on a bike trip from Edinburgh to Glasgow via Union Channel and enjoyed the tranquility of this place. We didn't take the boat but watched the scenery from afar as the ships get lifted up and down at this important and historical crossroads. There is a nice coffee place nearby with good views. Weather was great so that definitely contributed to the experience. Wonderful bike trip and highly recommended!
    Hi Michael, Many thanks for your review and we are happy to hear that you enjoyed your visit! - Jane
    Written October 8, 2024
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited May 2023
    Traveled with friends
    Written March 5, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles5,914 reviews
Excellent
3,410
Very good
1,780
Average
506
Poor
122
Terrible
96

Whi22
United Kingdom66 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2021
Prebooked trip in advance and we booked via telephone as you couldn’t get a certain ticket online. The man who dealt with this was lovely completely understood and never charged the telephone booking fee which was appreciated and we didn’t need to pay until we arrived on the day. The problems occurred as we were getting ready to board the boat (we did the original tour). It was just assumed that if you are in a wheelchair you cannot get out and walk and you have to sit in the wheelchair section. We explained the man who gave the pre briefing that we didn’t need a wheelchair space. He was not happy and got a rant from him in front of everybody else waiting for the same trip. He basically said that the seats were no good for disabilities and you will be comfier in the wheelchair (like he knows whats best for me when we doesn’t even know me) and that if I got out he would have to go and store the wheelchair away. You could tell by his face he was not happy about storing it away. This should have been sorted before and not in front of everybody else especially when you have to arrive 15 mins beforehand. He left the decision up to us so not wanting to cause more a scene and because of his attitude we felt it would be best just sitting in the wheelchair section. How wrong this decision was, you cannot see anything kids and adults jumping up in front of you for the whole trip you couldn’t see anything from the front. The side window directly beside had notices etc in they way. The other side windows were obstructed either by people or the thick border for the windows. When you sit in a wheelchair space you are sat in front of your family on your own so you cannot enjoy it as a family like everybody else was. You are really left out and the staff attitude at the beginning didn’t help. Hated the whole trip total waste of money. After the trip wasn’t much better bought a couple of items at the gift shop one item didn’t have the price on the stall. The lady who served wasn’t very nice didn’t find out the price of the other item just got told the whole price and had to take her word for it as no receipt was given as it was a cash purchase. She was talking that quietly you couldn’t hear her. When she gave change she gave one Scottish note, asked for an English one as we were leaving Scotland the next day. She was not happy by her attitude. A lady on the till beside us also asked the other lady serving for an English note so the two behind the counter had to scrat around looking for English ones. Horrible experience totally ruined. It will be even worse when the boat is back to full capacity after social distancing.
Written August 12, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Simon A
Carlisle, UK104 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2020
This is a marvel of modern engineering. It is very interesting to see and learn about. We paid for a family to go on the 1 hour boat trip. It is advertised as 60 minutes but actually lasts 50 minutes. The boats captain? is very good at his job, keeping everyone entertained and sharing interesting facts however the price charged is far too much when compared to what is on offer.
Written March 15, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Judi M
Maryculter, UK574 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020
My husband very much enjoyed his 2 hour 'Engineering Experience' tour of the Falkirk Wheel. The group was a manageable 10 people, and he learned a lot of great interest, especialy as he has an engineering background.

Our daughter, her husband and myself waited around for the almost 3 hours my husband was there on his tour, (as he had to arrive 15 minutes before the tour time, and it overran by 1/2 hour).

Since it was such a wild and windy day we were forced to stay in the cafe for most of this time.

Neither of the boat trips fitted in with the timing of my husband's tour, or we would have considered passing the time doing that.


So, the cafe it was, and it was absolutely freezing - no wonder if was not at all busy. Also, we were served, but the two female staff members didn't seem terribly welcoming or interested in customers.

We definitely had hoped the Visitor Centre would have had some sort of exhibition/ information tour to take in while we waited. We really think some information for visitors to study would be a great addition at the Falkirk Wheel

But no, just the ice cold cafe, and the huge gift shop area to take refuge in.

Had the cafe been warm and staff welcoming we would have stayed for lunch when my husband had finished his tour, so they lost out on business with the chilly temperature and atmosphere.

Would not visit again unless it was summer and we could get about outside.
Written February 11, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

SManson84
8 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020 • Family
Slightly overpriced for the experience however my complaint is with the “tour/ vessel operators” as they went absolutely over the top about COVID 19 restrictions and guidelines. Considering practically every party on the vessel had a young child with them they went completely over the top. There was a speech whilst we queued and then again twice when we got on the vessel. The operator Eddie actually sounded quite threatening when saying no one could move from their allocated seat, eat, drink or remove their mask. We knew this already as Covid 19 hasn’t passed any of us by, so he just managed to freak out all the children by talking about spreading a dangerous illness. Stupid!
Written August 28, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your review, this feedback is very valuable to us. We have completed further training with our team on how to correctly deliver the vital health and safety information to our visitors in such a way as to be informative and friendly. Again thank you for your feedback. We hope to see you visit again in the future.
Written September 24, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

EKB61
Cheam, UK109 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020 • Family
It was a dreadful day and the rain was torrential. There’s not much to see or do at centre the moment - lots of it was closed up and so we walked along the canal until we were all soaked! We had booked the boat trip at 4pm and arrived half an hour before to be told the wheel had broken down and a part would need to be fetched from Glasgow so the trip was cancelled.

The staff said it was very unusual but were a bit indifferent to people’s disappointment which gave the impression this happens more often than they suggested! They did process the refund quickly and when we asked they waived the £3.50 car park charge.
Written August 9, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

A Midlife Adventure
Dursley, UK2,768 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2021
We really didn't get this! This masterpiece of engineering should be front and centre of this visitor attraction but instead there is a flotilla of activities for youngsters to play on or in with the wheel in the background.
I appreciate this is great for families but for us "mid lifers" it was a real disappointment. We watched the wheel but were put off staying here and actually booking a tour because it was so geared towards family units.
We paid £3.50 for parking which we did not object to but it was obvious that lots of families were just walking along the canal from local estates and thus entering for free?
We then decided to walk the canal from The Wheel to the Kelpies. Admittedly it was a very hot day but notwithstanding this there is no attraction to this walk. We saw no wildlife, the canal is backed by endless housing and there isn't a bench or cafe in sight to take a break which on a 4 mile walk wasn't great. Sorry a real disappointment!
Written July 27, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Chaosfairie
22 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2021 • Couples
I had taster session of paddleboarding with Kerrie today. The session was amazing and has ignited a desire to continue which was highlighted with Kerrie's skill as instructor.

You start with the fun activity of putting on wet suit
and buoyancy aid which is never fun but the quality of equipment is excellent.

You are then taken down to the Dock where paddleboards are ready and waiting to be given tutorial and assistance to get into water. Then the fun begins with building skills and confidence as you play along the river as well as getting opportunity to jump of board and try to get back on again.

Kerrie was our instructor and did amazing job of working with a mixed age group sharing her knowledge and experience.

I would recommend this experience to anyone of any age for affordability as well enjoyment
Written August 11, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Andyx72
Carlisle, UK97 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2021 • Family
The Falkirk Wheel is a fantastic piece of engineering, so we combined a visit to The Kelpies with the Wheel.

There is a lot going on here, other than the boat rides on the Wheel. There's loads fir kids to do, including zorbing, mini golf and water games.

We could only get booked on the revolution tour which we had booked online. Like every other attraction, we queued for our ride and when we got to the front, I showed my email confirmation to the tour guide. Despite it not saying so on the email, or in the visitor centre, we had to 'check in' first in the visitor centre and get our tickets. This would be useful information to put on the email or signpost when you join the queue! The day we went it was 25c. The boat has a glass roof but only the side windows were open. With no breeze, we were cooking inside as the roof windows were closed.

Parking is £3.50 for the day which is reasonable
Written July 23, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Retired_Gentleman
Southampton, UK286 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2019
As a retired civil engineer, I found the Falkirk Wheel quite fascinating but it is a sight and experience that can be enjoyed by anyone. The wheel rotates to raise and lower boats the 35m difference in height between the Forth & Clyde and the Union canals and visitors can book a ride on one of the boats, which of course we did. While we waited our turn, we watched as the wheel transported the boats between the two levels. Remarkably, the power used to rotate the giant wheel is the same as would be needed to boil eight kettles of water. During the journey we were treated to an informative and entertaining commentary. The trip is not a thrill a minute fairground ride but a sedate view of a great feat of engineering. The world’s first and only rotating boat lift was opened by the Queen in 2002.
Written June 28, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

gaynoroasis
Dunfermline, UK301 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2020 • Couples
Nice visit to see this amazing piece of engineering. It wasn’t clear where or if boat tickets were on sale so didn’t do the trip. Walked around open areas - some parts closed off due to construction or upgrade. Great view at the top with walk under the tunnel

£3.50 parking fee default

More benches on grassy area would be nice to sit and take in views
Written September 19, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I wish you had asked our team in the visitor centre about the boat trip tickets they would have been able to help. The construction you saw is for our new mini golf course. On your next visit not only could you enjoy a boat tour you can enjoy a fun round on mini golf.
Written September 24, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Showing results 1-10 of 5,561
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing

Falkirk Wheel - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

All Falkirk HotelsFalkirk Hotel DealsLast Minute Hotels in Falkirk
All things to do in Falkirk
Spas & Wellness in Falkirk
RestaurantsFlightsVacation RentalsTravel StoriesCruisesRental Cars