The copper petal of the Olympic cauldron, the 204 individual petals for each competing nation, the Thomas Heatherwick design standing 8.5 metres tall in the centre of the Olympic Stadium on 27 July 2012, the flame that rose from the ground on copper stems lit by seven young athletes nominated by past Olympic greats to inspire the future, the sense that the opening ceremony, Danny Boyle’s Isles of Wonder, was among the most brilliant ceremonies in Olympic history, and the fact that London 2012 left a lasting legacy, is the essential London 2012 story. Here are the venues.

The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park: Heart of the 2012 Games

The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford remains the enduring legacy of the London 2012 Games. This expansive public park is open to everyone and free to explore, offering Parklands, bridges, canals, and wildflower meadows that make it one of the most beautiful urban parks in London. The London Stadium, formerly the Olympic Stadium, was originally an 80,000-seat venue and has been scaled down to 60,000 seats as the home of West Ham United Football Club. Stadium tours cost around £20 and provide behind-the-scenes access to the home dressing room, the players’ tunnel, and what many consider the best stadium tour in London. The London Aquatics Centre, designed by Zaha Hadid with its distinctive stingray roof, features two 50-metre pools and a diving pool. Public swimming costs £5.80, offering the surreal experience of swimming in the same pool where Michael Phelps won gold medals. The ArcelorMittal Orbit, designed by Anish Kapoor and Cecil Balmond, is the UK’s tallest sculpture at 114.5 metres. The viewing platform costs £11.50, while the combined ticket with the world’s longest tunnel slide costs £17.50. The slide measures 178 metres with 12 loops and a 40-second descent, making it the best view and slide combination in the world. The Lee Valley VeloPark, with its distinctive Pringle-shaped velodrome designed by Hopkins Architects, features the track where the British cycling team won seven gold medals. Taster sessions cost £5 and allow you to ride the Olympic track on a fixed-gear bike, though booking two weeks ahead is essential.

Iconic London 2012 Venues Across the UK

Greenwich Park hosted the equestrian and modern pentathlon events, set against the stunning backdrop of the Queen’s House and the Royal Observatory. The view of Canary Wharf from the dressage arena was one of the most beautiful sporting venue views in history. The park remains free to visit today, and standing on the spot where the arena stood offers a chance to remember Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro’s gold medal performances. Horse Guards Parade was transformed into the most surreal Olympic venue ever created, hosting beach volleyball. Some 1,700 tonnes of sand were trucked into the parade ground, which has been the setting for the Changing of the Queen’s Life Guard since 1745. Bikini-clad athletes diving into the sand just 50 metres from the Prime Minister’s door on Downing Street created an unforgettable Olympic image. Today, Horse Guards Parade is free to walk through, and while the sand is long gone, the memory of beach volleyball at Whitehall remains one of the best London 2012 memories. Eton Dorney hosted rowing and canoe sprint events at a lake on the Eton College grounds, 30 kilometres from the Olympic Park, where British rowers won four gold medals. The lake is open to the public, and rowing club taster sessions are available for £15.

Planning Your London 2012 Venue Trail

An essential London 2012 venue trail starts at the London Stadium at 10am, followed by the Aquatics Centre at midday, the VeloPark at 2pm, and the Orbit at 3pm. From there, head to Greenwich Park by 5pm before finishing with dinner at Hackney Wick. The canal-side bars in Hackney Wick, including CRATE Brewery where pints cost around £5, offer pizza by the canal and create the best post-Olympic-park dining experience. Many of these venues are clustered within easy walking distance or a short tube ride from each other, making it feasible to visit several in a single day. The legacy of London 2012 is not just in the physical venues but in the inspiration it provided for a generation of athletes and the lasting improvement to East London’s infrastructure and public spaces.

Have you swum in the Zaha Hadid pool where Phelps won gold, slid down the Orbit tunnel, or stood on the Horse Guards sand at Whitehall? Share your London 2012 venue discoveries in the comments.

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