Park and ride, or park and walk, from further out
The event zone stretches about a mile around the ground. Plenty of drivers never go inside it: they park in the next town and finish by train, shuttle or on foot.
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Why park further out at all?
Three reasons. The car parks inside the event zone sell out first and cost the most. You skip the slowest mile of the drive, the queue for the Whitton Road roundabout. And at full time you are walking away from 80,000 people instead of sitting in a car park waiting for them to clear.
The trade is time on your feet. A 30 to 45 minute walk is fine on a dry autumn afternoon with a pint at the end of it. It is less fun in February sleet with kids, so read the options below with the weather and the kick-off time in mind.
The four ways to finish the journey
- Walk. Whitton, St Margarets and Twickenham town centre are all 15 to 25 minutes on foot. Hounslow is about 30. Richmond is about 45.
- One stop on the train. Whitton, St Margarets and Richmond are each one stop from Twickenham station, which is a 10 to 15 minute walk from the ground. Trains run every few minutes on match days. Going home, the queue at Twickenham station is the thing to avoid: walk back to the station you came from instead.
- The RFU shuttle bus. On the biggest match days (attendances over about 35,000) electric shuttle buses run from Richmond (picking up at Pools on the Park on the A316, a short walk from the station) and from Hounslow East station. About £5 before the match, free after it. They run from about three hours before kick-off to three hours after the final whistle, and drop you on Rugby Road, right by the stadium. Check the fixture page on the stadium website: they don't run for every match.
- Local buses. The 281, 481 and 681 stop a minute from the stadium (stops C and N), and the H20 and 267 are 5 to 8 minutes away. They divert once the roads close, so they are better for arriving early than for leaving.
Where to park, by direction
From the M3 and the M25 (south and west): Whitton or Feltham
If you are coming up the A316 you reach Whitton before the stadium traffic. The school, scout and church car parks along Nelson Road, Kneller Road and Hospital Bridge Road are 15 to 30 minutes on foot and are the cheapest organised parking around: this is the classic park and walk. Whitton station is one stop from Twickenham if your legs give up.
Further out, Feltham has a station car park and town centre parking, and Feltham to Twickenham is a 10 to 15 minute train ride. Handy if you are coming off the M25 at junction 13 or 14 rather than 12.
From the M4 and Heathrow (north and west): Hounslow
Hounslow town centre has council and shopping-centre car parks outside the event zone, and Hounslow East is an RFU shuttle stop on the big days. If the shuttle isn't running, the walk is about 30 minutes: south down Whitton Road, past the Cardinal Vaughan and North car park entrances on Whitton Dene. Hounslow station (the South Western one, not the tube) also has a car park and is two stops from Twickenham.
From central and south London (east): Richmond or Kew
Richmond is the pick if you want to make an evening of it. Council car parks at Paradise Road (multi-storey, open until midnight, 6'4" height limit), Old Deer Park and Friars Lane are close to the station. Richmond to Twickenham is one stop on the train, or a 45 minute walk along the A316 and through St Margarets, or the shuttle from Pools on the Park. Two warnings: Old Deer Park and Friars Lane close early on Sundays, and Richmond station itself gets busy after the match, though far less than Twickenham.
Kew and Kew Bridge are a step further out with the same one-line train ride, useful if you are coming down the A4 or over Chiswick Bridge.
From Surrey and the south (Kingston, A3): Kingston or Strawberry Hill
Kingston has big town centre car parks and trains via the Teddington loop to Twickenham (about 20 minutes, two an hour off-peak, so check the times). Strawberry Hill and Teddington stations on the same loop are closer, but their surrounding streets are permit-only on match days, so only use an actual car park.
The comparison
| Park at | To the ground | Best from | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whitton (school and scout car parks) | 15–30 min walk, or 1 stop | M3, A316 | Sells out for big internationals; book |
| Twickenham town centre (Arragon Road) | 25 min walk | Anywhere | First come, first served; slow to leave |
| Richmond (council car parks) | 1 stop, shuttle, or 45 min walk | Central and south London | Early closing on Sundays; height limits |
| Hounslow | Shuttle (big days) or 30 min walk | M4, Heathrow | Shuttle not on every match day |
| Feltham | 10–15 min train | M25 J13/J14 | Small station car park |
| Kingston | About 20 min train (Teddington loop) | A3, Surrey | Two trains an hour off-peak |
Make it work
- Check the car park's closing time against the final whistle plus a drink. Council car parks in Richmond are the ones that catch people.
- Buy your train ticket before you leave home. The station queues are for the platforms, not the machines, but a ticket in your phone is one less thing.
- Going home, walk back to where you came from. Twickenham station runs a queuing system after big matches. Whitton and St Margarets are a 20 minute walk and usually have a fraction of the queue.
- Sundays are different. Fewer trains, shorter car park hours. Look at the timetable, not just the map.
If you would rather just park and walk from the nearest gate, compare every car park by walk time.
Questions drivers ask
- Is there an official park and ride for Twickenham Stadium?
- Not a dedicated one. The RFU runs shuttle buses from Richmond station (picking up at Pools on the Park on the A316) and Hounslow East station to the stadium on the biggest match days, about £5 before the match and free afterwards. Park near either station and you have made your own park and ride.
- Where is the best place to park and walk to Twickenham?
- Whitton for the shortest walk (about 20 minutes), Twickenham town centre for the biggest car parks (about 25 minutes), and Richmond if you want a proper town to eat and drink in afterwards (about 45 minutes, or one stop on the train).
- Can I park at Richmond and get the train to Twickenham?
- Yes. Richmond to Twickenham is one stop, a few minutes on the train, with services every few minutes on match days. Richmond council car parks such as Paradise Road and Old Deer Park are a short walk from the station. Check the closing time before you leave the car: Old Deer Park shuts in the early evening.
- Is Hounslow a good place to park for Twickenham?
- It works well from the M4 and the west. Hounslow East is one of the two RFU shuttle pick-up points, and Hounslow town centre car parks are outside the event zone. The walk from Hounslow to the stadium is about 30 minutes down Whitton Road.
Sources: England Rugby (event day shuttle buses); Allianz Stadium, Twickenham (getting here); London Borough of Richmond upon Thames (car parks and the Twickenham event zone); South Western Railway.
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