How To Book:
Call the ODA (Olympic Delivery Authority) on tel: 0300 2012 001 (9am-5.30pm, Monday to Friday). Calls are charged at the same rate as standard landlines, e.g. 01/02 numbers.
Tours are only on the weekend and you have to book many weeks in advance. Children must be over 8 years old to join the tour.
It's a bus tour on a small 30-seater with a qualified official tour guide to explain the site as you travel around.
Photography is allowed but not videoing and phones must be switched off.
The tour takes just over an hour as the Olympic Park is an area the size of Hyde Park and half of Kensington Gardens.
I've tried this tour (January 2010 and March 2010 - see photos) and have found it really interesting. There's a short on-board video to watch while your driven to the Park and you get a map and leaflet to help you understand the scale and layout of the site.
Security is very tight so you will be expected to have a bag check, while on the bus, when you arrive at the Park. The Security Guards I met were all ex-Gurkhas and were polite and efficient.
Some of the larger buildings I saw each time included:
- The International Broadcast Centre - this is where the large TV networks and radio broadcasters will be housed. 20,000 members of the media will work from there.
- Velodrome - affectionately known as 'the Pringle' due to its shape. As soon as this is completed, Team GB will start training there.
- Olympic Village - this is where the athletes and officials will be staying and the canteen within will be the biggest restaurant in the world! It was considered important that the athletes 'compete and not 'commute' so the Village is close to all the main venues.
- Basketball building - this is a temporary structure.
- Hockey building - temporary here but will be moved to be used in a new location after the games.
- Olympic Stadium - a roof will cover two-thirds of the spectators and there will be a 80,000 capacity.
- Handball Arena - only the concrete foundations to see when I visited in January 2010 but I've since returned for the 'London Prepares series and watched Goalball here.
- Energy Centre - will supply all of the power to the Park.
Interestingly, there are waterways all over the Olympic Park so there are 30 bridges. The north of the park is being kept more 'natural' and, during the games, visitors will be able to buy tickets to enter the Park and will be able to picnic in this area and watch the games on large screens. Part of the games legacy will mean the largest urban park in Europe for 150 years for east London.
On the edge of the site, is the large and new Westfield shopping mall called 'Stratford City'. This had planning permission before London won the Olympics so they have had to work with the largest building site next door.
When Will It Be Ready?
All construction work at the Olympic Park is on, or even ahead of, schedule. All will be ready by 2011 and testing will be done to ensure everything is perfect before the London 2012 Olympics start on 27 July 2012. The public will be needed for the testing to check all bridges, thoroughfares, seating, etc.
Olympic Park Walking Tours
There are Blue Badge guided walking tours around the developing 2012 Olympic Park every day from Bromley By Bow tube station at 11am for £9. The walk lasts 2 hours and goes ahead whatever the weather. Find out more, including how to book, from the Olympic Tour Guides site.
Want to know more about the area outside of the Park? I've tried a tour of Stratford and can recommend it.
