Where is Twickenham?
Twickenham is a suburb in south west London and the stadium is here
Address is: Twickenham Stadium, Whitton Road, Twickenham, TW2 7BA
How to get there?
Train
The train is generally the best way of getting to Twickenham and the stadium is about half a mile, or about 15-20 minutes walk from Twickenham train station, depending where you are in the ground. Twickenham is served by South West Trains out of Waterloo station. There are about 8 trains an hour out of Waterloo. Fast trains take about 20 mins, stopping at Clapham Junction and Richmond. Slow trains take about 30 mins with more stops.
The tube network connects with the train service to Twickenham at the following stations:
- Waterloo (Northern, Jubilee, Bakerloo, Waterloo & City)
- Vauxhall (Victoria)
- Clapham Junction (Overground)
- Richmond (District and Overground)
See the Transport for London website for timetables and journey planner.
Beyond Twickenham, the train service goes to Feltham, Staines, then on to either Windsor or Reading, so if you are stuck for accommodation in London, it could be worthwhile looking at a location further out than Twickenham and travel in.
The trains coming out of London to Twickenham can get very crowded.
There are usually big queues for the trains going back into London at Twickenham station immediately after the game. One tip to avoid this is to go to Whitton station instead (see map above) which is the station before Twickenham for London bound trains, so you get on before the crowds.
Oyster Card
If you are taking a number of journeys on public transport, it is well worth getting a pay-as-you-go Oyster travel card. These can be ordered here.
An Oyster card will save time faffing with cash or queuing to get a ticket. Oyster fares are cheaper than paying cash and fares on the underground are capped at a maximum per day, although bus and trains have a per journey charge.
You need to remember to swipe in and out for each journey otherwise you get charged the maximum fare.
You can top up the Oyster card at most stations, some shops or set an auto top-up from a credit card or bank account.
Bus
Twickenham is served by the following bus routes:
33: from Hammersmith
110: from Isleworth
267: from Hammersmith
281: from Hounslow
290: from Staines
481: from Isleworth and Kingston
490: from Heathrow T5 and T4 and Richmond
H20: from Hounslow
H22: from Hounslow and Richmond
R68: from Hampton Court and Kew
R70: from Hampton and Richmond
Local bus maps are here and here
There are also sometimes shuttle buses laid on from Richmond and Twickenham before and after games - I'll update this post if this is happening.
Buses can be disrupted by the crowds going to the game so definitely don't leave it to the last minute if you are taking the bus.
Car
The area around the stadium is controlled parking for residents and this is rigorously enforced. Some places rent out places for parking (Quins usually do this at their ground)
Some enterprising local residents sell parking spaces at their house - see http://www.parkatmyhouse.com/uk/parking/twickenham but I have no knowledge if this is above board.
Accommodation
Hotel rooms in the immediate area seem to be pretty heavily booked so you may need to look for somewhere more central or further out.
At the time I looked, there still seemed to be some accommodation in these places in West London, but some seem to have jacked their prices up so places further away may be better value
Travelodge Kew Bridge: it isn't in Kew, its in Brentford, which doesn't have a lot to see and do but is handy for Twickenham by train or bus
Holiday Inn Brentford
Novotel Hammersmith: typical business hotel
K West Shepherds Bush: boutique hotel, meant to be popular with celebs but situated behind a multi-story car park and down-at-heel shopping centre
Pubs
There are a couple of pubs right by Twickenham station that are popular place before heading to the stadium. The pubs themselves are nothing special, but are convenient if you are arriving by train. They usually lay on additional facilities for the crowds but still get very busy.
The Cabbage Patch 67 London Rd, Twickenham, TW1 3SZ
The Garryowen 68 London Rd, Twickenham, TW1 3QS
These pubs in Twickenham town are a bit better but are a further walk to the stadium.
The Barmy Arms The Embankment, Twickenham, TW1 3DU - Riverside pub with space outside for drinking if the weather is fine
The Eel Pie 9 Church St, Twickenham, TW1 3NJ
Richmond is a popular place before and after a game as there is a bigger selection of places to eat and drink here. Riverside pubs can get very busy when the weather is good.
The White Cross Water Lane, Riverside, Richmond, TW9 1TH - Can get flooded during a high tide!
The Sun 17 Parkshot, Richmond, TW9 2RG - Rugby pub with lots of rugby memorabilia around the bar
The Orange Tree 45 Kew Road, Richmond, TW9 2NQ - Another place popular on match days. Close to Richmond station.
Other stuff to do in London
ACC final: Toulon, sorry, Jonny Wilkinson's Toulon ( © Sky Sports) v Fat Serge's Biarritz at 8pm on Friday 18th at The Stoop, Twickenham (Quins ground)
Additions
Trains from Waterloo(central london) to Twickenham regular on game days, district line underground to richmond, then twichenham run shuttle buses every 10 minutes, public transport is good, you will have no problem.(see link)
Best Atmosphere will be in the west end, were fans usually converge on for most major games, big travelodge in Covent Garden/Holborn which is very handy, great pub around the corner from this hotel, owned , managed and staffed by people from Ulster, who all sport their Ulster jerseys on match days, it has a big area to the front of the bar for many to gather, it is called O'Neills, open the latest of all pubs in the area, 1.30am weekends.
Links below for TFL( transport for london), just key in where you want to go from, destination and time , it will give you all the info you need, like I said no biggie, easy to get there, also links to the hotel and pub I suggested.
If i can assist in anyway by answering questions about London, I will, fire away.
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/place?hl= ... kQnwIoADAE
http://www.travelodge.co.uk/hotels/318/ ... rden-hotel
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/
Richmond looks to be a recommended choice. Pub guide on the TotallyRichmond site on the link below.
http://www.totallyrichmond.co.uk/pubs.html
Last District line train from Richmond to central London is 00:03 on Sunday.fermain wrote:How easy is it to get back to central London late at night from twickenham/Richmond should we care to dine/drink there following the match? What's the latest for trains/buses/tube etc?
Last Overground train from Richmond is 23:00 on Saturday (this doesn't go to central London but loops around north London)
Last SouthWest trains from Richmond to Waterloo is 00:15 on Sunday.
Last SouthWest trains from Twickenham to Waterloo is 00:11 on Sunday.
To check the tube situation when you arrive in Waterloo, first and last times are here:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/gettingaround/1129.aspx
Night buses run through the night. N22 goes through Twickenham and Richmond to Piccadilly Circus, 33 through Twickenham and Richmond to Hammersmith.
Map here: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/gettingaround ... -13833.pdf
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/gettingaround ... ough=night
Then there is the black taxi or mini cab option - more likely to be mini cabs the later it gets. Mini cabs are meant to be booked and aren't meant to pick people off the street, but they do, and you'll get drivers loitering around outside busy pubs looking for fares. You agree a fare with the minicab driver before you go - you can try haggling to get a bit off. Definitely don't get a minicab off the street if you are a woman on your own but a group is fine.[/tag]