Wimbledon is two places that share a name and a postcode. Wimbledon town, at the bottom of the hill, is a busy suburban shopping centre around a large station. Wimbledon Village, a steep 15-minute walk up Wimbledon Hill Road, is a short high street of boutiques, pubs and horse traffic on the edge of a 460-hectare common. The tennis club sits between them.
Almost everyone who comes here from abroad comes for the tennis, and for two weeks in summer the whole area is organised around it. The rest of the year Wimbledon is simply a prosperous suburb, and the interesting half of it is the village and the common rather than the shops below.
It is in Zone 3, about 25 minutes from central London, and it makes a good half-day when the weather is fine. Our page on Wimbledon tickets and the Queue covers the Championships themselves; this one is about the place they happen in.
Wimbledon in brief
- Wimbledon town is for
- Shops, cinemas, a Victorian theatre, transport connections
- Wimbledon Village is for
- The common, the windmill, pubs, small shops, a walk with a view
- Wimbledon station
- District line, South Western Railway from Waterloo, Thameslink, and the terminus of London Trams
- Station for the tennis
- Southfields, District line, one stop closer to town
- From Waterloo
- About 18 minutes by South Western Railway; about 30 by District line from Westminster
- Zone
- 3
- Championships 2027
- 28 June to 11 July 2027
Which station, and why it matters
Wimbledon station handles four different services under one roof: the District line, South Western Railway trains from Waterloo, Thameslink trains that run north through the centre, and London Trams, which terminate here on their way from Croydon. The fast train from Waterloo takes about 18 minutes; the District line takes longer but drops you closer to Westminster and Kensington without changing.
Southfields, one stop north-east on the District line, is the station for the All England Club. It is about 15 minutes' walk from the Church Road gates, and during the Championships it is the one the stewards funnel everyone through. Wimbledon Park, the next station along, is closer to the Queue site but is normally exit-only at peak times during the tournament.
Pay as you go with contactless or Oyster works on all of it, including the tram, and all of it counts towards the daily cap. A Zones 1 to 3 daily cap is £10.50 (September 2026). Our guides to how the zones work and using the Underground explain the caps, and buying UK train tickets covers the National Rail side.
Southfields, not Wimbledon, is the tennis station. Getting off at Wimbledon during the Championships means either a 25-minute uphill walk or a long shuttle bus queue. The District line to Southfields and a level 15-minute walk down Wimbledon Park Road is faster and less crowded.
Photo: Michael Coppins · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized
Wimbledon town: what is at the bottom of the hill
The Broadway is the town's main street: a covered shopping centre, chain shops, supermarkets, a multiplex cinema and a long run of restaurants and cafés. It is functional rather than charming, and there is no reason to plan a trip around it.
Two things do stand out. The New Wimbledon Theatre on the Broadway is an Edwardian playhouse of 1910 with a domed roof and a big auditorium, and it takes touring productions, pantomime and pre-West End runs throughout the year. And the Polka Theatre on the Broadway makes theatre specifically for children, from babies upwards, which is unusual and useful if you are travelling with young ones. Both sell tickets on their own websites.
The charity shops here are better stocked than in poorer parts of London, for obvious reasons, and are worth a look if you are hunting for clothes or books; see our guide to charity shops in London.
North-east of the station, Wimbledon Park is a separate and much smaller green space from the common: a lake laid out by Capability Brown in the 1760s, a playground, a café and the athletics track. Part of it is used for the Queue during the Championships. It is free, and it is the nearest open ground if you do not want to climb the hill.
The tram is the other thing worth knowing about Wimbledon station. London Trams run from here through Mitcham and Beckenham to Croydon, a 40-minute ride through parts of south London that no Underground line reaches, for a flat fare of £1.75 with the same Hopper rules as a bus. It is not a tourist route, and that is why it is interesting.
Walking up to the village
Wimbledon Hill Road climbs steadily for about 15 minutes from the station to the village. It is a real hill, and it will make you warm. Buses 93 and 200 run the same route for £1.75 (rising to £1.85 on 1 November 2026) if you would rather not walk it.
At the top, the atmosphere changes within a hundred metres. The High Street is narrow, mostly Georgian and Victorian, and lined with clothing boutiques, a bookshop, delicatessens, estate agents and more pubs per metre than anywhere else in south-west London. Riding stables back on to the common, so it is normal to stop at a zebra crossing for a horse.
Several of the pubs have proper gardens and serve a full Sunday lunch; our pages on the Sunday roast and historic pubs explain what to expect and when to book. Sunday lunch in the village fills up from about 12.30pm, so reserve.
The common, the windmill and Cannizaro Park
Wimbledon Common begins at the end of the High Street and runs for kilometres: rough grass, woodland, ponds, bridle paths and golf courses. It joins Putney Heath and Richmond Park to form one of the largest stretches of open land in London. There are no gates and no closing time.
The Windmill on the common, built in 1817, is the obvious landmark and holds a small museum about milling and about Lord Baden-Powell, who wrote part of Scouting for Boys in the mill house. It opens on limited days and has a modest admission charge, so check the windmill's own site before you set out. There is a café beside it.
Cannizaro Park, on the west side of the village, is a walled 14-hectare garden with azaleas, a sunken garden and old trees, attached to a hotel but open to the public and free. It is the best thing in Wimbledon that nobody tells you about, and it is at its best in May.
Our fuller guide to Wimbledon Common and Putney Heath has the walking routes, and Richmond Park, the next stretch of open land west, is a 40-minute walk or a short bus ride away.
Wimbledon Common is big enough to get lost in, and phone signal is patchy. The paths are unsigned in the wooded middle and look alike. Note which road you came in on, keep the windmill in mind as a landmark, and download the area map before you leave the High Street.
The All England Club when the tennis is not on
The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club is on Church Road, halfway between the village and Southfields. Outside the Championships it runs a museum and a guided tour of the grounds, which normally takes in Centre Court, the press areas and the outside courts, though the route changes when courts are in use or being prepared. Tickets are sold through the club, and both the price and the tour content change through the year, so book on the club's official website rather than through a reseller.
The 2027 Championships run from 28 June to 11 July 2027, the 150th anniversary. The public ballot for 2027 has already closed. The Queue remains open to anyone: a limited number of Show Court and Grounds tickets are sold each morning to people who queue in person in Wimbledon Park, one ticket per person, starting about five minutes from Southfields station. Overnight camping is allowed in two-person tents.
If you are in London during the fortnight but not going in, the village and the common are worth avoiding in the middle of the day: the pavements are full, the pubs are three deep and the roads are closed to parking. Early morning and after 8pm are fine. Our page on London in July covers what else is on in the same weeks.
How the two halves compare
| Wimbledon town | Wimbledon Village | |
|---|---|---|
| Getting there | Straight out of the station | 15-minute uphill walk or bus 93/200 |
| Shops | Chains, shopping centre, supermarkets | Boutiques, delicatessens, a bookshop |
| Eating | Wide choice, most price levels | Pubs and restaurants, more expensive |
| Green space | Wimbledon Park, with a lake | The common, straight off the High Street |
| Worth a special trip? | No | Yes, on a fine day |
Staying in Wimbledon
There are hotels in the town centre and a handful of small hotels and inns in the village. Prices during the Championships rise sharply and rooms are taken months ahead; outside those two weeks Wimbledon is one of the cheaper places within half an hour of Waterloo. It suits people visiting family, people attending an event at the club, and anyone who wants a suburb with a common on the doorstep rather than a central base. Our page on staying outside central London to save money sets out the trade-offs.
For other comfortable south-west London districts with a similar feel, see Richmond further west and Chelsea back towards the centre. If you want cheap rooms with a fast link to the museums instead, Earl's Court and West Brompton is on the same District line, and Battersea and Nine Elms is a few stops east. Our guide to the best time to visit London covers the weeks to avoid if you dislike crowds.
Frequently asked questions
Which station do I use for the Wimbledon tennis?
Southfields, on the District line, is the official station for the Championships and is about 15 minutes' walk from the grounds on level ground. Wimbledon station is further away and uphill. Both take contactless and Oyster, and both count towards the daily cap.
Can I visit Centre Court outside the Championships?
Yes. The All England Club runs a museum and guided tours of the grounds for most of the year, though the route varies when courts are in use. Book through the club's own website, where the current price and available dates are listed.
How far is Wimbledon Village from Wimbledon station?
About 1.2 kilometres, up a steady hill, which takes 15 to 20 minutes on foot. Buses 93 and 200 make the same journey in a few minutes for a single fare of £1.75, rising to £1.85 on 1 November 2026.
Is Wimbledon Common free?
Yes, and it has no gates or closing time. The Windmill Museum on the common charges a small admission and opens on limited days, so check its website first. Cannizaro Park, on the edge of the village, is also free.
When are the 2027 Championships?
From 28 June to 11 July 2027, the 150th anniversary of the tournament. The public ballot for 2027 has closed, but the Queue is open to anyone on the day, with a limited number of tickets sold each morning.
Sources
- The Championships, Wimbledon - The Queue (checked September 2026)
- The Championships, Wimbledon - Public Ballot and 2027 dates (checked September 2026)
- Transport for London - Daily and weekly caps (checked September 2026)
- Transport for London - Bus and tram fares (checked September 2026)
- Wimbledon Windmill Museum - Visitor information (checked September 2026)