London's giant riverside Ferris wheel has topped a list of the British capital's most visited paid-for attractions.

The London Eye, standing at 135 metres tall, has 32 passenger capsules allowing visitors views for more than 25 miles over the historic city.

It made top spot in a 2007 poll by private firm Visit London, closely followed by the Tower of London and Kew Gardens.

Among free attractions the British Museum and art galleries Tate Modern and the National Gallery proved most popular in 2007.

A spokeswoman for Visit London says: "Visitors to London benefit from the breadth and diversity of things to see and do in the capital, both modern and historic."

The London Visitor's Survey of the first quarter of 2008 found overseas tourists are more likely to spend longer in the city, with a third devoting eight or more nights to sightseeing in the capital. In comparison, more than three-quarters of Britons spend just one to three nights there.