Parking at Richmond, St Margarets, Whitton and other stations
A station car park a stop or two out is the cheapest way to skip the event zone, if you pick one that's open late enough and actually outside the zone.
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Stations inside the event zone (don't park, do leave from)
Twickenham
No car park, closed road outside, event zone all round. Its job on a match day is to bring in the train crowd and, an hour after the whistle, take them away again through a queuing system. If you drove, you have no reason to go near it.
Whitton
A tiny station car park and permit-only streets from 11am. The way to park in Whitton is the school and scout car parks (parking in Whitton), then use the station to get home if the walk doesn't appeal: one stop to Twickenham towards London, or direct to Feltham, Staines and Windsor going west. The platform queue at Whitton after a match is a fraction of Twickenham's, which is the real reason to know about it.
St Margarets
No car park, and the streets are permit-only. The school and church car parks in St Margarets are the parking; the station is the escape route towards Richmond and Waterloo, 15 minutes' walk from the ground.
Strawberry Hill and Teddington
On the Teddington loop, south of Twickenham. Small station car parks and residential streets that fill on match days; Strawberry Hill's surroundings are in a controlled zone. Possible on a quiet fixture, not a plan for an international.
Stations outside the zone (park here)
| Station | To Twickenham | Parking | Best from | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond | 1 stop, a few minutes; or RFU shuttle from Pools on the Park; or 45 min walk | Council: Paradise Road multi-storey (337 spaces, to midnight, 6'4" limit), Old Deer Park (285 spaces), Friars Lane (50) | Central and south London, A316 eastbound | Old Deer Park and Friars Lane close early, earlier on Sundays; Richmond station is busy after the match, though nothing like Twickenham |
| Feltham | 2 stops west, 10–15 min | Small station car park on the south side; town centre car parks nearby | M25 J13/J14, Staines, Ashford | Station car park is small; check the last train back on evening kick-offs |
| Hounslow | 2 stops west, about 10 min; or RFU shuttle from Hounslow East on big days; or 30 min walk | Station car park; large town centre and shopping-centre car parks | M4, Heathrow, A4 | The shuttle is not on every match day; Hounslow station (rail) and Hounslow East (tube) are different places |
| Kingston | Teddington loop, 15–25 min, 2 an hour | Large town centre car parks (council and shopping centre) | A3, Surbiton, Surrey | Two trains an hour off-peak, so plan the return around the timetable |
| Kew Bridge / Kew Gardens | Kew Bridge: 2 stops (via Richmond) on the Waterloo line; Kew Gardens: District line to Richmond then 1 stop | Kew Retail Park and street parking outside the zone | A4, Chiswick | Retail park time limits; check before you leave the car for six hours |
Prices at the council car parks are their normal tariffs (a full day at Richmond works out around £20 to £30), which is about the same as a school car park nearer the ground. The saving is time and the queue, not money: see parking prices.
How to do it
- Check the closing time against kick-off plus 100 minutes plus your drink. This is the single thing that goes wrong with Richmond's car parks on a 4.40pm kick-off.
- Buy the train ticket in the app before you leave the car park; the queues at Twickenham are for the platform, not the machines, but a ticket ready is one less thing.
- Going home, walk to a quieter station. From the stadium, St Margarets is 15 minutes towards Richmond and Whitton 20 minutes towards Feltham and Hounslow. Both are usually quicker than the Twickenham queue.
- Sundays: fewer trains and earlier car park closing. Read the timetable for the actual date.
The full picture, including the shuttle buses and walking routes, is in park and ride. If you would rather just walk from the car, compare every matchday car park.
Questions drivers ask
- Can I park at Twickenham station on a match day?
- No. Twickenham station has no public car park, London Road outside it closes on match days, and every street around it is inside the event-day parking zone. Park at a station one or two stops away and ride in, or use one of the matchday car parks.
- Does Richmond station have a car park?
- Not a station car park as such, but Richmond council’s Paradise Road multi-storey, Old Deer Park and Friars Lane car parks are all a short walk from the station, and Richmond to Twickenham is one stop. Paradise Road is open until midnight; Old Deer Park and Friars Lane close early in the evening and earlier still on Sundays.
- Does Whitton station have a car park?
- Only a very small one, and Whitton is inside the Twickenham event zone, so the streets around it are permit-only from 11am. Whitton’s school and scout matchday car parks are the way to park there; the station is then your quiet way home (one stop, or a 20 minute walk).
- Which station car park is best for Twickenham?
- Feltham and Hounslow from the M4 and the west (two stops, outside the zone, and Hounslow East has the RFU shuttle on big days); Richmond from London (one stop, big council car parks, a town to eat in afterwards); Kingston from the south (Teddington loop trains, big town centre car parks).
Sources: London Borough of Richmond upon Thames (car parks and the Twickenham event zone); South Western Railway; England Rugby (event day shuttle buses); Allianz Stadium, Twickenham.
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