A day out at Wimbledon: flights, tickets, strawberries and cream

Can Roger Federer win a ninth Wimbledon title and a 21st singles Grand Slam? Can Serena Williams claim an eighth title and a 24th singles Grand Slam? The answers to those questions and more will be revealed at the All England Club on July 1st-14th as the world's best players congregate in London's SW19 for the third Slam of 2019. It's a bucket list sporting ticket and the trappings around the tennis, strawberries and cream and the whole ambience of the venue make for a very enjoyable day out.

Flights

Getting to London is straightforward, although the prices for early morning flights can be eye-watering. It makes sense to travel on a late flight to London the night before attending Wimbledon and opting for the last flight home on the day in question. Using those parameters and flying midweek, it's possible to get a return flight with Ryanair for €67.60 – by far the cheapest option. Taking the red-eye on a weekday is very expensive, less so at weekends.

Those camping in Wimbledon Park overnight can only use tents with a maximum two-person capacity

Gatwick: From a public transport perspective this is the simplest option. Trains from the airport to Clapham Junction go every 15 minutes and there is a train straight to Wimbledon, the whole process taking less than an hour and costing €14-€28.

Heathrow: Grab the Heathrow Express to Paddington and from there take the Circle line on the Tube to High Street Kensington, switching to the District Line and getting off at Southfields. It's about a 15-minute walk to the entrance of the All England club. Buying an Oyster card, which can be used on the Tube and some trains, will save money.

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London City: Take the DLR from the airport to Canning Town, switch to the Tube and head for Waterloo station from which you can take a train straight to Wimbledon. It's a 2km walk from Wimbledon tube station to the All England club with some steep climbs but bus transfers and the option to share taxis make more sense.

Hotels

For those staying a night or two, expect to pay about €175 per night for a hotel room in central London during July for a modest three-star hotel.

Tickets

If you wanted to buy two tickets from a Debenture holder for the men's final it would set you back €8,758. The All Ireland Club organises a ballot during the year in which they accept applications for tickets providing the lucky few with access to the championships. You can queue for tickets but if you're after those for Centre Court, No 1 Court and No 2 Court, prepare to camp out overnight.

A limited number of tickets are released every day of the championship except for the last four days during which all tickets are sold in advance. If you do choose to camp overnight or join the queue in the early hours of the morning, there are some rules you need to adhere to.

If you want to get your hands on a Ground Pass join the queue a few hours prior to opening at 10.30am

Those camping in Wimbledon Park overnight can only use tents with a maximum two-person capacity. At 7.30am, the stewards give wristbands to those at the front of the queue. Tickets for Centre Court range in price from £64 to £225 depending on the day, from £33 to £135 for No 1 Court, and from £40 to £85 for No 2 Court.

The queue for Wimbledon is located in the middle of Wimbledon Park, in SW19. The entrance for the queue is situated on Wimbledon Park Road, just off of Woodspring Road. To get to the entrance, you can take the London Underground to Southfields station, where it’s then approximately a 10-minute walk.

If you want to get your hands on a Ground Pass join the queue a few hours prior to opening at 10.30am. Don’t turn up at 10.0am and expect to get in. A Ground Pass will grant you access to Murray Mount in addition to 15 of the 18 championship courts. Ticket prices vary depending on the day at €11-€33.