Although I am not a huge tennis fan, I was lucky enough to be in London during Wimbledon, which takes place during the end of June to early July.

With Wimbledon coming up in a few weeks, I thought I would share my experience. Wimbledon will be held June 27 – July 10 this year. Here's a list of things you need to know before heading to Wimbledon! 

1. There’s more than one Wimbledon

Surprise! Wimbledon may be known as the name of the tennis tournament that occurs in London every year, but it also takes place in a town called Wimbledon. This was something I didn’t realize until I walked out of the tube station and “Wimbledon” was everywhere. It is the name of streets, schools, businesses, etc. The small oversight is what made the rest of my experience, an experience. 

2. How to get to Wimbledon

As I’ve said, there is more than one Wimbledon. This also includes tube stations. My closest tube station was Lambeth North (gold star), so when I saw Wimbledon South (orange circle) just a little further down the tube map, I just assumed it was that easy. Little did I know, I should have been on a different line going to the Southfields tube station (green triangle). I didn’t realize this until afterwards. I ended up walking around for about 30 mins before I came to the Wimbledon tube station. Luckily, there is a special bus service that was running between there and the tennis courts. 

Wimbledon is outside of central London in Boundary 3, so you may need to buy a special pass. I normally traveled in Boundary 1 and 2. I would recommend using the District tube line and get off at Southfields. You’ll then walk about 15 mins down Wimbledon Park Road. You’ll start to see a large number of people, so you can’t miss it. 

3. Watching Wimbledon without seeing Wimbledon 

Known as Henman Hill, across the street from the courts there is a grass hill where people can watch the matches on a giant television. So you can be at Wimbledon, watch Wimbledon, but still not actually see Wimbledon. Of course, I didn’t do enough research to learn more about this. I knew about the hill and originally planned to check it out. But after arriving, I saw the really long queue (aka line), and learned that it costs £20 (roughly $30). After learning about the cost, I went and checked out the actual tickets, of which some were reasonably priced, but there was still a queue. I quickly came to learn everything involving Wimbledon was about the queue. In one instance, there was a queue for the queue. If you are willing to wait, you can still purchase tickets on the day of the match.

4. Lawn Tennis Museum

During Wimbledon, you won’t be able to get into the Lawn Tennis museum, but I would recommend going back after the tournament concludes to check it out. You’ll have the opportunity to see one of the courts, which was quite interesting. The museum itself has a lot of history and some great features. I really enjoyed returning and taking the time to check it out.  

5. Know where you’re going before you go

Hopefully, I am a great example of why you need to research before you go to Wimbledon (or anywhere) during your London adventure. It would have been beneficial if I had used Google Maps (Earth view) to see what the surrounding area looked like and figured out what tube station is the closest.  This can help make for a much better experience and is much less stressful, of course! The Wimbledon website is a great resource to use when planning your trip. 

I hope this information is able to give you some insight into what to expect when you plan a trip to Wimbledon. These 5 things can help make your first Wimbledon experience less stressful and provide a great story for your study abroad adventure! Just make sure you do your research! 

Heather Robinette is the London Study Abroad Editor for Wandering Educators. She notes, "During the summer of 2011, I studied abroad for six weeks in London at the University of Westminster with Academics Programs International. I graduated from Kansas State University in Manhattan, KS in December 2012 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. I currently work as a marketing analyst for a small company in central Texas. I currently work as a marketing coordinator for a real estate firm in Las Vegas, NV. I am also pursuing my MBA. While I was abroad in London, I was able to create many unforgettable memories that I will never forget! My study abroad experience helped me gain various skills, but above all else, it helped me to learn more about myself and the world around me." You can find her online at http://www.heatherrobinette.com/

All photos and video courtesy and copyright Heather Robinette except word photo. 

Note: this article was originally published in 2016 and updated in 2018.