Frommer's EasyGuide to London 2018 by Jason Cochran

Author:Jason Cochran
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: FrommerMedia
Published: 2017-11-17T05:00:00+00:00

Overrated Attractions

In every city, you invariably find attractions that are heavily publicized but, once seen, are revealed to be time poorly spent. London provides a variety of overpriced pursuits catering to people who seem content to ignore its true treasures—there’s even an elaborate attraction by the London Eye devoted to the movie Shrek, which needless to say you can safely skip. Take our advice: Don’t be suckered by the hype.

Netting Wimbledon Tickets

It’s easy watching the Wimbledon Championships on TV for 2 weeks in late June and early July, but seeing it in person is a trickier matter. High hotel prices are just the beginning. Because tickets for the final matches go to VIPs, you’re more likely to catch famous players during the early rounds, when the club’s 19 grass courts are all in use. For the price of a “ground pass” (£15–£25, cash only) you can get roaming access to all but three courts (surcharges of £29–£175 are levied for Centre, No. 1, and No. 2 courts, and those tickets are distributed by lottery the previous summer). Around 6,000 ground passes are distributed each morning starting at 7:30am, so arrive many hours before that to camp in Wimbledon Park, Church Road side (no large luggage allowed). If you snag one, you’ll probably be inside by noon, before matches begin. You can wander around to your heart’s content, drinking Pimm’s Cup and eating strawberries and cream, and watching matches on giant screens, but you’ll still need to get into the three most important courts. You can try by ballot, but that closes in December. Meanwhile, Ticketmaster (and no one else; ticketmaster.co.uk) may release several hundred tickets for Centre Court and Court 3 the day before play. Another clever way to get in is to bum tickets off people as they get tired and leave for the day; just don’t offer money—the organizers hate that because they sell unused tickets, too, for charity. Those are resold after 3pm to those already on the grounds (£5–£10). On weekdays and rainy days, your chances of getting unfilled seats for the best courts are better, since people are working or huddling indoors. And after 5pm, ground-pass rates dip to, at most, £18, which isn’t such a bad deal since matches continue until 9pm. It’s all ridiculously complicated—the English love complicated admission schemes—so check ahead on Wimbledon.com to ensure rules remain the same.

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