Arrival at Wimbledon
The first question about visiting Wimbledon is how to get there. The tennis grounds are located about 12 kilometres southwest of Trafalgar Square. There are several ways to get there, the two most popular being by train from Waterloo Station or the District Line tube from Central London. Some popular tube stations along the District Line are Embankment, Westminster, and Victoria stations.
You can take both of these to Wimbledon station and, from there, use the dedicated Championships bus service to the tennis grounds during the tournament. The shuttle bus takes 10-15 minutes, depending on the traffic. It’s a handy service, with a one-way ticket costing £4.00 and a round-trip ticket £6.00. The buses pick up and drop off outside Gate 11a on Somerset Road. There is a marked path towards the gates from the bus stop, and you can’t miss it.
If you prefer to walk, it takes about 30 minutes to get from Wimbledon Station to the tennis grounds. When using the District Line, you can also get off at Southfields Station and walk 20 minutes from there.
You can access the grounds every day from 10 am. There are gates around the grounds that you can use to get into the grounds. The best one for you depends on which direction you are coming from. When taking the shuttle bus, it’s usually gate 12 or 13.
Ticket and Bag Check
Before heading in, ensure you have a valid photo ID matching your ticket in the Wimbledon app. Photocopies aren’t accepted, so bring your passport or driving license. Forgetting your ID could delay your entry, as AELTC might ask for it anytime. Wimbledon recommends transferring tickets in the app to each party member, making checking the tickets and the IDs quicker. To do this, each party member needs to have the application installed on their phones and create an account with an email address that will be used for the transfer. The transfer itself was painless and worked very quickly.
As with any major event, there is a bag check before getting in at Wimbledon. One bag measuring 40cm x 30cm x 30cm is allowed per person. If you have aircraft cabin size luggage with you, there are four locations where you can leave your bags during the day.
How do the Tickets Work?
There are 18 courts at Wimbledon. The main ones are Centre Court (capacity 15000) and Court 1 (capacity 12345), and Court 2 can hold 4000 spectators. Buying a ticket to Wimbledon is either for a specific court on the day for these three courts or a ground pass for the smaller courts. Some smaller courts only have a few rows of seating around the court, and there are no reserved seats.
Whether you have a court-specific ticket or a ground pass, there are usually several matches on each court, and you can watch as many of them as you like. The matches start at 11 am for the outside courts and at 1 am or 1.30 am for Centre Court and Court 1. During the finals weekend, the matches at Centre Court start at 2 am.
Even when the matches haven’t started, there’s a lot to see and do. If you haven’t been to the grounds before, walking around and seeing the grounds and famous places is a great experience. If you need refreshments, there are plenty of places to buy snacks or food and get drinks.
Getting a Ticket
Ballot
To buy a ticket, you must register for the myWimbledon service and the Wimbledon Public Ballot, which opens in September. This way you can participate in a draw to buy tickets. The tickets are allocated randomly, so you won’t know beforehand which tickets you will get to buy. If you’re lucky, you can decide whether to buy the ticket. We’d recommend getting the tickets anyway, as the experience is worth it. The tickets cannot be resold, but they can be refunded until 24 hours before the day your tickets are for. The ticket prices (2024) for Centre Court range from £90 to £275. See all ticket prices for 2024 on the Wimbledon website
The Queue
Another way to get tickets is to join the ticket queue. Wimbledon is one of the few major sports events with tickets available to buy each day. To get them, you should join the queue early in the morning. 500 tickets are available to buy from the queue for Centre Court, No. 1 Court, and No. 2 Court for each day except for the last four days on Centre Court. A few thousand Grounds Passes are available each day that will get you in the grounds and see the matches on courts 3-18 if seating is available.
Some tickets will also become available later for the Grounds Pass holders as visitors can resell their tickets when they leave for the day. The resell tickets cost £10, and proceeds from ticket resales go to charity. The resell tickets will get you into one of Centre Court, No. 1 Court or No. 2 Court.
Debenture Tickets
One further option to get a ticket is to buy a debenture ticket. These are very good seats on the Centre Court that can be bought for five years at a time and which the owner can then sell for each day. The price for a debenture ticket is very high. Tickets are already available for next year’s tournament, with prices ranging from £2000 for a first-round match to over £8000 for the final, but if you have the money, it’s a sure way to get a good seat for the final.
Who Visits Wimbledon?
There’s always a lot of discussion and photos in newspapers and media about who visits Wimbledon each year. There are royals, movie stars, and other well-known individuals. What often isn’t mentioned enough is that the tournament is mainly for tennis fans. Seeing excellent tennis and enjoying a lovely day out is a great experience. While there is a dress code, it doesn’t require you to splash out for a new suite for the day.
Exploring the Grounds at Wimbledon
Once at the Grounds, you may see many others wandering around and watching tennis. The grounds can hold 42,000 people in one day. The grounds are extensive, about 500 meters from the south to the north end, so having all of these people doesn’t necessarily make the place feel crowded, with a couple of exceptions. It’s good to check the map before going or in the app to familiarise yourself with the environment. There are also maps in many locations so that you won’t get lost. Depending on the matches on a specific day, there may be fewer people in the evening as it’s a long day for the visitors that arrive when the grounds open at 10 AM.
Overview of the Facilities
Food and Drink
While tennis is the main attraction, another important thing about a Wimbledon visit is just having a good summer day out. The matches can be long, and you can spend the whole day at Wimbledon, especially when watching multiple matches. Taking a break to enjoy some refreshments is a must at Wimbledon.
To enjoy the day, there are good facilities for getting food and refreshments around the grounds in six separate locations. Each has several options, from a larder where you can get a quick drink or a ready-made salad to hot food options such as fish and chips, Korean Fried Chicken, or burgers to restaurants where you can sit and order at the table. Each area’s menu is available in the Wimbledon app or website, but most areas have a similar selection. We found the prices reasonable for such an event and the food quality quite good. There may be queues depending on the number of visitors and the food type, as some foods are more popular than others.
Food courts
These are the food courts starting from the south, as that’s the order if you use the shuttle bus service:
- Southern Village
- Centenary Garden
- Tea Lawn
- Walled Garden
- Parkside
- The Hill
Strawberries and Cream
When visiting Wimbledon, you should try the traditional treat, strawberries and cream, which is an absolute must-have during the tournament. These delicacies are available at several locations listed above. The strawberries, sourced from Hugh Lowe Farms in Kent, are picked each day at sunrise before transporting to Wimbledon and have been a staple for over 25 years. During the tournament, the crowds enjoy over 38.4 tons of strawberries and 445 kg of raspberries.
Drinks
Another quintessential part of the Wimbledon experience is enjoying some drinks. A popular option is a Pimm’s No.1 Cup, a fruity gin-based drink with herbs, caramelised orange, and spices, which can be refilled later. The price is £11.95, which isn’t very cheap, to be honest. Other options are also available, such as beer, cider, Gin and Tonic, wine, and champagne. The larders also sell drinks in cans.
You can also bring your own drinks. Each visitor is allowed one bottle of wine or champagne or two cans of beer or mixed drinks. One important point is that there are water refill points around the grounds so you can stay hydrated.
Shops
The grounds feature several shops where you can buy official Wimbledon merchandise. From clothing and accessories to memorabilia, these shops are perfect for souvenirs. The main shop near Centre Court has a wide selection of goods, as does the one next to No. 1 Court. There’s also a smaller shop beside the museum and many kiosk-type shops around the grounds.
Interesting Spots and Activities
In addition to the tennis courts and matches, the grounds offer a lovely place to spend a summer day.
The Hill
The Hill, also known as Henman Hill or Murray Mound, is one of the most iconic spots at Wimbledon. If you want to chill out and watch matches on a giant screen, it’s the place to be. It’s a lively spot, especially for those without tickets to the main courts. There are several places to get snacks and drinks nearby, which many visitors take advantage of. The atmosphere can be fun as the crowd cheers for their favourite.
Fan Zones
There are designated fan zones where you can enjoy various activities, from interactive games and competitions to autograph sessions with former players. These areas are about enhancing the fan experience and making your visit memorable.
Green Spaces
In addition to the excitement of the matches, Wimbledon also offers beautiful green spaces that provide an escape. Take a leisurely stroll and soak in the vibrant floral displays outside the main courts and lush lawns around the grounds. There are nice seating areas where you can relax after an exciting match with a cold or hot drink.
Watching the Matches
How about the tennis itself, then? We almost forgot with so many things to see and enjoy. As we mentioned earlier, the matches from courts 3 to 18 do not have reserved seating; anyone can watch them as long as there’s space. You’ll need a ticket with a seat reservation for Centre Court, No. 1 Court and No. 2 Court.
We were excited to see two thrilling women’s doubles semifinals. First up were Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, who faced off against Elise Mertens and Hsieh Su-wei (ranked no. 1). The match went to a third set, and Siniakova/Townsend won 6-4. Townsend/Siniakova were the crowd favourites in this match, eliciting big cheers from the crowd after winning big points.
In the second semifinal, Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe beat Caroline Dolehide and Desirae Krawczyk 2-0.
In the final, Siniakova/Townsend took the championship with a 7-6, 7-6 win over Dabrowski/Routliffe. This was Siniakova’s 8th grand slam title, and for Townsend, it was the first.
Tips for Watching the Matches
The main courts are big, and it takes a while for people to find their seats. There may also queues when getting a drink to enjoy during the match. This can cause some of the seats to fill after the match starts. It is also a problem when there are sometimes only 20 minutes between the matches, which isn’t enough for spectators to take a comfort break or get a drink.
Summary
Whether you’re a die-hard tennis fan or just looking for a fun day out, we think you’ll enjoy the atmosphere and facilities at Wimbledon. Everything is well-organised, and you’ll have a nice day out.
