London/Wimbledon

Wimbledon is a district in south-west London and hosts one of the world's four tennis grand slam tournaments.

Understand
Wimbledon is a well-known and affluent suburb in the southwest of London, England and is part of the London Borough of Merton. It is best known for the All England Lawn Tennis Championships (or often just referred to as Wimbledon) held every summer and which form part of the worldwide tennis grand slam series. This is the oldest tennis championship in the world dating back to the first match in 1877.

The other three worldwide tennis grand slam tournaments are the US Open in New York City, the French Open in Paris and the Australian Open in Melbourne.

By tube
Wimbledon is serviced by the following stations, in Zones 3 or 4:


 * Wimbledon (District line) – Zone 3. Direct buses run from outside for a small charge during the Tennis Championships.
 * South Wimbledon (Northern line) – Zones 3 and 4.
 * Southfields (District line) – Zone 3. This is the most convenient station for the tennis club.

The quickest route into Wimbledon from central London is usually via a combination of Tube and the National Rail. Though the District Line is the most obvious choice from central London, it is usually the least efficient and often requires a change at Earl's Court. Trains depart every 3–5 minutes from Waterloo to Wimbledon during weekdays with a journey time of about 15 minutes (South West Trains operates this service.)

By train
Services run from London Waterloo via Clapham Junction to Wimbledon Station (about 15 min). Trains from Wimbledon go to Guildford, Hampton Court, Dorking, Shepperton and Woking. Change at Clapham Junction to get to Brighton, Epsom, Gatwick, Reading, Portsmouth and further afield.

Wimbledon Station has two entrances, one at the front of the station serving as a drop-off point for cars and a taxi stop and one to the side that leads to buses and a shopping mall. Disabled access to the 10 platforms is by lifts. Public toilets can be found near the tube District Line platforms. There are food and drink shops within the station complex.

By plane
Wimbledon is almost equidistant between the two major London Airports, Gatwick Airport and Heathrow Airport.

The quickest way from Gatwick is to catch a fast Southern train for London Victoria and get off at Clapham Junction. Here, change onto a South West Trains service south bound to Wimbledon (weekdays: 15 an hour).

From Heathrow, you can either catch the London Underground Piccadilly Line from Heathrow to Earls Court and change onto the District Line to Wimbledon, or you can catch the Heathrow Express (or Heathrow Connect) service to London Paddington Station and then catch a Wimbledon bound District line train from there. Both of these require luggage movement through underground stations.

By tram
Wimbledon Station is the northern terminus of two London Trams routes which cover much of South London:


 * Wimbledon to Elmers End – other tram stops on this route include Dundonald Road and Merton Park
 * Wimbledon to Beckenham Junction

Also, both of these routes go to East Croydon, West Croydon and Reeves Corner, Centrale and Wellesley Road.

A route map can be found here

By car
The A219 runs through Wimbledon Hill Road, Wimbledon Bridge to the Broadway and beyond. The A3 is the main route to Wimbledon when coming in from the M25 Motorway or Heathrow Airport. From Gatwick Airport follow the M23/M25/A217. The nearest petrol station is an Esso Garage with a Tesco Metro (Open 24 hours) found along the Broadway towards South Wimbledon underground station.

Get around
Wimbledon is mostly pedestrian friendly and most places can be easily reached on foot. Buses leave outside the Centre Court Shopping Mall next to Wimbledon station. The main bus station is near Hartfield Rd on Sir Cyril Black Way (behind Morrisons supermarket and the car park on Hartfield Rd). Additionally, there is a taxi stand outside the main entrance to Wimbledon Station.

By bus
Wimbledon is served by local bus routes including routes 57 Kingston/Clapham Park), 93 (Putney Bridge/North Cheam), 131 (Kingston/Tooting Broadway), 156 (Vauxhall), 163 (Morden), 164 (Sutton), 200 (Raynes Park/Mitcham), 219 (Clapham Junction), 493 (Richmond/Tooting) and N87 Night Bus (Aldwych/Kingston). A bus map of Wimbledon (PDF) can be found here.

By car
Parking available at Centre Court Shopping Mall. Off-street parking is normally made available by home-owners looking to make some additional income from the rental of their driveways and garages. Prices are normally in the region of £30-50. Alternatively, you can try renting one of these private parking spaces online through various services.

See






Sports

 * Football: AFC Wimbledon were relegated in 2022, so they now play soccer in League 2, England's fourth tier. Their home ground is Plough Lane (capacity 9200) a mile northeast of the railway station and a mile northwest of Tooting Broadway Underground Station. "The Wombles" were formed in 2002 when the historic Wimbledon FC relocated to Milton Keynes and became MK Dons.
 * Rugby League: London Broncos play the 13-a-side game in the Championship, the second tier; the playing season is Feb-Sept. They share Plough Lane with AFC Wimbledon.
 * Rugby League: London Broncos play the 13-a-side game in the Championship, the second tier; the playing season is Feb-Sept. They share Plough Lane with AFC Wimbledon.

Buy
Shops are to be found along the Broadway towards South Wimbledon and along Wimbledon Hill towards Wimbledon Village and in Wimbledon Village.



Eat
At the tournament, strawberries and cream are a traditional, if expensive, snack, but Wimbledon proper is home to many eateries.

Connect
As of May 2022, Wimbledon has 5G from all UK carriers.