U.S friend visiting Wimbledon - HELP !

Hi,

I have a friend that's just emailed me asking for info on Wimbledon.  She wants any info on how to obtain tickets and best places to stay that are close and any hints on transportation links there.

I have no clue, any information would really help.  Thanks !

http://www.merton.gov.uk/index.htm

this is the council website.... click through under visiting and you can get links on tickets and places to stay.

thanks for the speedy reply - i'll forward this on should help a ton ! 

There are three main ways of getting tickets for Wimbledon.

1. Debenture tickets: These are tickets that are allocated to ticketing agencies to sell as part of packages to the general Public. These are available right up until and during the tournement but tend to be very expensive.

2. Public Ballot: Each year Wimbledon sets aside a proportion of tickets that are allocated in a draw made around this time. The closing date for this years ballot has now well passed but you can apply for next year striaight after this year's event.

3. The easiest way to get in and the cheapest is to queue for tickets at the venue . If you want to be seated in one of the show courts (centre court or court number 1) it does mean camping out on the street all night but it is well worth it and can be good fun if you are willing! My husband in fact does this every year. Usually he gets there about 5:00pm the day before and takes a tent & bedding (there are storage facilities for all this outside the venue the next morning.) The process and rules for the queue are quite regimental but carried out to be totally fair to everyone. If the big matches on the show courts dont bother you you can turn up on the day and you should get in but still be ready for a long wait to get in as the queue progresses.

Gates open around 10:00 each day and those first in the queue will be allocated a coloured wrist band for the appropriate court they wish to be in or a ground wrist band. Tickets for the show courts give you a seat all day meaning you are free to come and go as you please. The ground admittance means you can pretty much see any court except centre and number 1.

Prices this year and further details can be obtained on the main wimbledon website www.wimbledon.org

Getting accomadation near wimbledon for the duration of the tournament is pretty impossible unless you are prepared to pay a  fortune. You are better off staying in central London or with a friend if you can.

The best way of getting to the site is by train from Waterloo station to Wimbledon's main station. you can alternativly take the district line though this does take longer. From Wimbledon station there is then a choice of walking about a mile and a half (just follow the constant stream of people!), using the shuttle bus or a taxi.

As I say my husband does this every year so if you need to know any more details, queing tips or places to eat just PM me.

Finally a point on security. The organisers have got very hot on taking targe items into the grounds. This does include cooler boxes and picnic baskets so dont have any aspirations on bringing a large picnic. Although they say it's interests of security it's probably more to do with the fact they want you to take advantage to the vastly inflated prices at their consession stands but thats just my opinion whatever. however pack light for the day!

Thanks so much for all the extra info !  I really appreciate all the great posts.

ebay is another place to look for Wimbledon tickets.  It's a fantastic experience and I try to go every year but I'm a huge tennis fan/player.

I got my Stella Artois/Queen's Club tickets in the post recently and was very excited which is a great warm-up for Wimbledon if your friend can't make Wimbledon itself I hear it's not too difficult to get tickets, especially in the week.

I've already missed out on the public ballot and the LTA Tennis Association Members ballot so I'm hoping I can get some tickets through my tennis club!

One of the absolute highlights of the British summer.

ebay is another place to look for Wimbledon tickets. 

Great tip, matt! I hadn't thought of eBay!! I will definitely try to make it this year. I used to go to the US Open in the states, so I feel I really should make it to Wimbledon now that I'm here!

I have been several times, to the outside courts.  The tickets are cheap (I think around a tenner these days) and you have access to all the outside courts, you can see some great matches on courts 2 & 3 and you would be surprised who turns up on the outer courts, I've seen Martina Navratilova, Henri Leconte, Jennifer Capriati, Leyton Hewitt and I forget who else.

I have been several times, to the outside courts.  The tickets are cheap (I think around a tenner these days) and you have access to all the outside courts, you can see some great matches on courts 2 & 3 and you would be surprised who turns up on the outer courts, I've seen Martina Navratilova, Henri Leconte, Jennifer Capriati, Leyton Hewitt and I forget who else.

For the US Open, I used to do a combo -- buy a good seat for a big match, then get cheap tickets for a day of wandering around the outside courts. It is fun! I've also seen some really great players up close off the big courts. Liz, what's the best way to get the cheap tickets?

You can only get them on the day by queuing up. Don't bother going early, you will end up queuing all day. Best to turn up around 2-3pm, you'll still queue for an hour or so but then they let everyone in after 4pm anyway.  You'll get a good couple of hours that way.  Once inside you can also queue for half price returns for centre & no.1 courts.

You can only gte them on the day b queuing up. Don't bother going early, you will end up queuing all day. Best to turn up around 2-3pm, you'll still queue for an hour or so but then they let everyone in after 4pm anyway.  You'll get a good couple of hours that way.  Once inside you can also queue for half price returns for centre & no.1 courts.

Thanks!

The atmosphere at Wimbledon is 1 million times better than the US Open.  Also, the Arthur Ashe stadium is so cavernous and soulless.  It's relatively difficult to get the seats down below or near the court, us average Joes/Janes have sat near the top and it looks like you are watching 2 ants playing.

Even if you are in the last row at Centre court or Court 1 at Wimbledon you're never very far away and it seems very intimate.  Britwife has some great suggestions about the outside courts, you can sometimes see much better matches out there and you can wander among so many different ones especially if it's early on in the tournament.  It's all very lush and green, the grass is beautiful.

I've heard the French Open is very intimate as well and I'm dying to make it one of these years but I always seem to miss it.  The outside courts there are supposed to be brilliant to watch matches.
Hmm, maybe I should check out eBay, see if there are any tickets for one of the weekends...

Almost forgot, the middle Sunday is always an off-day at Wimbledon unless there is horrendous rain in the first week - they will have a People's Sunday if the matches get backed up enough and everyone queues for tickets, first come first served.  But I believe this has only happened about 3 times in the history of the tournment (I think the last time was maybe as recent as 2004?)

Also, the Arthur Ashe stadium is so cavernous and soulless.  It's relatively difficult to get the seats down below or near the court, us average Joes/Janes have sat near the top and it looks like you are watching 2 ants playing.

The last time I was there (2002), it rained all day and I think most people gave up on any matches being played on Arthur Ashe. I sat it out and ended up with a front row seat for Sampras vs Rudeski!

My dh husband has been going to wimbledon since he was a wee little boy!  You could probably say it's in his blood as his great great great(not sure how many greats to be exact!) aunt won Wimbledon 5 times starting in 1887 (Charlotte "Lottie" Dod). He probably knows a lot of the ins and outs of it going to wimbledon as he has . He has been quite fortunate on the matches he gets to see. Last year, he sat on centre court right behind the umpire and became a star!  He said when he turned his mobile on after the match he was flooded with texts with people saying they could see him, and did they know who he was sitting next to???  He is still trying to get me to go but I don't quite fancy camping out. It's his thing and I would kind of like to leave it as something special for him to do!  I probably should do it one year as I am sure he is quite keen to share the experience with me!  ahhh.... who knows!