5 Tips for the Best Wimbledon Tennis Experience

Are you Wimbledon-ready? Starting Monday 3rd July, a whopping 675 tennis matches will take place over two weeks at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, including the Men’s and Women’s Singles, Men’s Doubles, Women’s Doubles, Mixed Doubles and a host of junior matches. Whether it’s your first time attending Wimbledon or you’re a regular in need of a refresher, here are our top 5 tips for enjoying the best Wimbledon experience…

1. Need a last-minute Wimbledon ticket? Join The Queue

Some say you haven’t truly experienced Wimbledon until you’ve joined The Queue.

What are we talking about? Let us enlighten you. If you didn’t get tickets in the Wimbledon ballot and don’t fancy forking out for expensive resale tickets online, you could attempt to buy tickets ‘on the door’ by joining what’s become known as ‘The Queue.’

Wimbledon is one of the only British sporting events where you can buy premium tickets on the day, but be warned; demand is high. Limited seats are available for Centre Court, Court No 1 and Court No 2, so you must get to Wimbledon Park the night before and camp to get one.

Make sure you’ve got a tent, camping chairs, food supplies and something to keep you entertained as the hours pass by. It also doesn’t hurt to be friendly with your queue neighbours - it all adds to the experience! You will be given a dated and numbered queue card upon joining the Wimbledon Queue. This means you can nip out and still maintain your place. No queue jumping allowed!

Something else that isn’t allowed - queueing for your friends. You can only purchase 1 ticket per person to keep things fair. 

Cheaper ground passes for Wimbledon are also available on the day (if you arrive early), granting you access to all courts except the show courts. Resale tickets may also be available later, giving you access to Centre Court and Court No 1 for under £20! Several people will hold these prestigious tickets but intend to leave before the day ends. So, they hand their ticket in and allow it to be resold, with proceeds going to charity. To stand a chance of being one of the lucky people who nabs a Wimbledon resale ticket, head to the small hut near the top of Murray Mount near gate 18 from around 3pm.

2. Save money at Wimbledon - take a picnic

It won’t come as a great shock to you that buying food at Wimbledon can be pretty expensive - not to mention time-consuming. A picnic is the best way to save money and enjoy a more budget-friendly Wimbledon experience.

You can take one bag per person, measuring no more than 40x30x40 cm. However, picnic hampers and coolboxes are a no-go, so it’s best to take your lunch in a disposable bag you can bin when you’re done. If you have extra baggage, there are luggage storage facilities outside the grounds, which you can use for a small daily charge.

Good news, grown-ups - you can also take alcohol into the grounds if you fancy a little tipple in the sunshine! Choose either 1 bottle of wine or 2 x 500ml cans of beer / other alcoholic drink. No spirits allowed.

3. Dress to impress but forget the heels

While all Wimbledon tennis players are required to wear all-white outfits, there isn’t a strict dress code for spectators. However, it’s generally encouraged that spectators dress reasonably smartly, especially if frequenting the show courts or exclusive ‘members areas.’

We suggest smart-casual. Look the part but keep the temperamental British weather and your personal comfort in mind. Don’t forget a jumper, umbrella, raincoat and sunglasses, because let’s face it; the weather can change in seconds. And also, ditch the heels in favour of sensible footwear. You’ll likely do a lot of walking at Wimbledon (more than you think) and spend some of your time queueing, so as great as high heels look with your new Wimbledon dress, your feet won’t thank you for them later.

4. Plan the best travel route to Wilmbledon

We don’t need to tell you that Wimbledon is heaving during the tennis championships. Even if you aren’t camping overnight to join the queue and already have tickets, it’s best to leave yourself extra time to get there.

You can get to the Championships by shuttle bus from either Wimbledon Park (via Waterloo) or Southfields tube stations on the District Line. Alternatively, you can walk from the previously mentioned tube stations (it’ll take you about 15-20 minutes) or arrive by taxi.

5. Snap up a last-minute Wimbledon hotel deal

Wondering where is the best place to stay for Wimbledon? While there are lots of hotels in Wimbledon, these tend to get booked up fast. However, you can book a last-minute hotel room deal with Plans Change. Type ‘Wimbledon’ into our search bar and select your chosen dates. We will then show you the nearest hotels with availability. Some of the hotels near Wimbledon with availability at the time of writing this blog include:

• Travelodge London Raynes Park
• The Lodge Hotel, Putney
• Travelodge Wimbledon Morden
• Holiday Inn Express Wandsworth
• DoubleTree by Hilton London Chelsea

Keep your eyes peeled for discounts and perks, including free cancellation on some hotel rooms.

Wimbledon hotel resale deals

It’s also worth seeing if you can land a cheap London hotel room for Wimbledon on our Resale Deals page. Or, if you’ve booked a non-refundable hotel room in London and can no longer go, why not sell your room with Plans Change and get some of your money back? You will have a captive audience of savvy Wimbledon goers looking for cheap hotel rooms during the tournament, so what are you waiting for? Register for free, pay a small verification fee of just £2.50 if it’s your first time selling with us, and create your listing. Visit our Selling: How it Works page for more info, and feel free to contact our friendly team if you have any questions.