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Getting to Stamford Bridge Stadium

Getting to Stamford Bridge Stadium

The great news about getting to Stamford Bridge Stadium is that Chelsea FC’s ground has the most central location of any in London. This makes Chelsea matchdays perfect for public transport, but not so great if you want to drive.

In this article we’ll pore over every option, from good to bad, and show you how to get to Stamford Bridge Stadium in time to hear The Liquidator. So without further ado, let’s set a course for Chelsea Football Club!

Tube and Train: The Easiest Way to Get to Stamford Bridge Stadium

Without doubt the fastest and most convenient transport option for Stamford Bridge is the Tube:

  • Fulham Broadway Station, on the District LIne (Green), is right outside the ground, about three minutes on foot from the West Stand.
  • The District Line serves 60 London stations from east to west, and stays close to the river from Tower Hill in the east to Victoria in the west.
  • This line has multiple branches on its west side, so you need to make sure that you’re on the correct one, which is the Wimbledon Branch, served by trains from Edgware Road and Upminster in East London.
  • If not you’re not on the right train, you can always change at Earl’s Court with no trouble.

London Overground and Rail Services for Chelsea Matchdays

Another rail option within close range of Stamford Bridge is London Overgound’s Midmay Line, which stops at:

  • Imperial Wharf Station
  • West Brompton Station (also on the District Line)

At almost equal distances from Chelsea FC’s ground, both are a 15-minute walk away. The Midmay Line snakes across West, North and East London, but the southern terminus is close by at Clapham Junction.

If you’re heading into the capital via Clapham Junction, London Overground is your best option for Stamford Bridge. It takes just six minutes to get to Imperial Wharf Station, stop to stop.

Both Imperial Wharf and West Brompton are also served by Southern Trains’ West London Line, linking Clapham Junction in the south with Willesden Junction in the north. 

Getting to Stamford Bridge from London Train Stations

So we’ve seen how to get to Stamford Bridge Stadium from Clapham Junction, but how about the other key London stations? Let’s take a look, and we’ll include total average journey times, including waiting and walking to the ground:

  • From Victoria Station: Catch the District Line Wimbledon Branch to Fulham Broadway Station (18 minutes total)
  • From Paddington: Catch the District Line (22 minutes)
  • From King’s Cross: Take the Victoria Line to Victoria, and switch to the District Line (35 minutes)
  • From Waterloo: Take the Jubilee Line to Westminster and change for the District Line (35 minutes)

How Much Does it Cost to Get the Tube to Stamford Bridge Stadium?

Assuming that you’re travelling on a Saturday matchday, a single adult ticket will cost £2.80 if you’re travelling from Zone 1.

If you continue to travel around Zone 1 and 2 in the same day your total fare will cap at £8.50. 

Getting to Stamford Bridge by Bus: Perfect for Local Journeys

Nine TfL bus routes stop within a ten-minute walk of Stamford Bridge on matchdays. If you’re willing to walk a little further then that number goes up considerably, but in this section we’ll stick with the buses that stop nearest to the stadium.

The bus is the cheapest mode of public transport in London, and Stamford Bridge connects directly with a host of interchanges in the capital.

It’s a stress-free, if slow-ish, way of getting to Chelsea FC games. So let’s take a look at a few London bus routes to Stamford Bridge:

  • C3: Clapham Junction-Earls Court Station
  • 11: Fulham Town Hall-Waterloo Station
  • 14: Putney Heath-Russell Square
  • 22: Putney Common-Oxford Circus
  • 28: Kensal Rise-Wandsworth
  • 211: Hammersmith Bus Station-Battersea Power Station
  • 306: Acton Park-Sands End
  • 328: Golders Green Station-Worlds End Estate
  • 414: Putney Bridge Station-Marble Arch

London Bus Ticket Information

A single trip on London buses will cost £1.75, and this is good for an hour of travel with multiple changes if necessary. The daily cap is £5.25.

Catching a Coach for Chelsea Matchdays

Stamford Bridge’s location pays off once again, because the city’s largest coach station for inter-city and international travel is at Victoria, just a few minutes away on the District Line.

More than 14 million people a year come through Victoria Coach Station. And unlike most other coach stations around the country, this stop is served by National Express and Megabus services.

Driving to Chelsea FC Matches: The Issue with Stamford Bridge Parking

For most people, the most direct driving route to Stamford Bridge will be via the M25 and the M4/A4 from Junction 3. From the south and south-east the main routes will be along the A3, A214 and A205.

Look For Alternatives to driving to Chelsea Matchdays. The club explicitly discourages Chelsea fans from driving to the ground. Not least because the stadium is embedded among business-heavy thoroughfares and residential streets with parking restrictions in place.

Making things even trickier are the safety measures in place for pedestrians. To ease foot traffic, Fulham Road between Harwood Road and Hortensia Road shuts down 90 minutes before kick-off. It will remain closed until an hour after full-time.

Don’t go through all the hassle of buying Stamford Bridge match tickets and risk missing the start of the game.

Where to Park for Chelsea Matchdays?

We should start by saying that you have no hope of finding a parking space near Stamford Bridge. Hunting for an on-street is a complete lottery, can be expensive, and isn’t the ideal way to get into the mood for the match.

Rates vary throughout the Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, but if you do find an on-street spot you can expect to pay upwards of £5 an hour.

Car Parks Near Stamford Bridge

All the same, there are occasions when you absolutely have to drive. In these circumstances it’s vital that you arrive early, at least two hours before the game starts.

You also need to be prepared to walk. Two speculative Stamford Bridge parking options within a reasonable distance are:

  • Riverside West Car Park (Smugglers Way, SW18 1DB): A 3-4 hour stay will cost £8.80
  • Chelsea and Westminster Hospital (369 Fulham Rd, SW10 9NH): A 3-4 hour stay will cost £15

Now, for a complete change of tack, let’s look into how to get to Stamford Bridge by bike.

Cycling to Stamford Bridge: Easy, Safe and Cheap

Another advantage of being close to the river is the Thames Path. On at least one side, the paved riverbanks are lined with a National Trail that is mostly open to cyclists.

This makes it easy to reach Stamford Bridge from any part of the city on the riverbank, and you will barely have to deal with traffic. Some approximate journey times:

  • 20 minutes from the Houses of Parliament
  • 40 minutes from the Tower of London
  • 25 minutes from Kew Gardens
  • 10 minutes from Clapham
  • 10 minutes from Putney
  • 20 minutes from Brentford
  • 30 minutes from Richmond

If you have match tickets for Stamford Bridge there’s a free bike shed that you can use at the Stamford Gate off Fulham Road.

London Cycleways for Stamford Bridge

On-road cycling is better than ever in London, thanks to TfL’s network of Cycleways, taking shape since the 2020s. These are signposted specifically for cyclists, allowing them to take the safest and most convenient routes between destinations, via segregated bike lanes, trails and quiet backroads.

Here are the Cycleways that will get you close to Stamford Bridge Stadium:

  • C9: Hounslow-Hammersmith
  • C8: Wandsworth High Street-Chelsea
  • C27: East Acton-Walthamstow Central
  • C34: North Acton-Fulham
  • C49: East Acton-Chiswick

Riding a Santander Bike to Stamford Bridge

Yet another of the many advantages of being so central is that Stamford Bridge is one of the few London stadiums to fall within TfL’s Santander Cycles scheme.

Offering traditional pedal bikes and powered e-bikes, this is by far the most affordable and convenient bikeshare system operating in London, with 800 stations across the centre of London.

Six of these docking stations sit within a ten-minute walk of the ground, so it will be no trouble dropping your bike off. Here are the approximate locations:

  • Hortensia Road
  • Thorndike Close
  • Fulham Broadway at Walham Green Court
  • Erin Close
  • Halford Road
  • Upcerne Road

Availability at each docking station is updated in real time both online and via the app.

Santander Bikeshare Pricing Information

  • Pedal Bikes: £1.65 for a single ride up to 30 minutes, and then £1.65 for each additional 30 minutes
  • E-Bikes: £3.30 for a single ride, and £3.30 for each additional 30 minutes

To save money on pedal bikes you can purchase a Day Pass for £3 allowing unlimited 30-minute rides.

Lime E-Bike Pricing Information

The dominant bikeshare scheme in London is Lime, and wherever you go in the capital you’ll come across stacks of these e-bikes on the pavement.

Prices can vary, and a subscription is available, but at the time of writing the basic tariff was: £1 to unlock and then 29p per minute (prices can vary).

This makes it ideal for journeys that won’t take more than ten minutes, but the price may quickly spiral if you’re just a casual user and not a subscriber.

In a pinch a Lime bike will get you to the stadium, and you don’t need to dock it.

Walking to Stamford Bridge Stadium: Possible from Parts of Central London

As the most central of all the London football stadiums, Stamford Bridge is within walking distance of a host of key landmarks, famous areas, transport hubs and tourist attractions.

If you’re unfortunate enough to have to deal with transport strikes or engineering works, it pays to know how quickly you can get to Stamford Bridge on your own two feet. So let’s look what is achievable:

  • Within 10 Minutes: North End Road, Thames Path
  • Within 15 Minutes: Parsons Green Station, West Brompton Station, Imperial Wharf Rail Station, Chelsea (King’s Road stretch)
  • Within 30 Minutes: Earl’s Court, West Kensington Station, South Kensington Museums, Craven Cottage, Olympia
  • Within 45 Minutes: Kensington Palace, Hyde Park, Knightsbridge, Battersea Power Station, Battersea Park, Hammersmith, Saatchi Gallery
  • Within 1 Hour: Clapham Junction, Victoria, Pimlico Station, Westfield London, Notting Hill

Did you know you can get a boat to Stamford Bridge? We’ll show how below.

How to Get to Stamford Bridge by Thames River Bus

At about 10 minutes on foot from Chelsea Harbour Pier, Stamford Bridge is a rare Premier League stadium that can be reached by boat.

With commuter services provided by Uber Boat and  by Thames Clippers, the river is a viable if pricey option for anyone setting off from one of the 21 piers on the Thames.

The drawback is that services to Chelsea Harbour Pier, with just one boat an hour docking on weekends, are less frequent than other stops like Battersea Power Station. Still, here’s a breakdown for journey times to the pier from other stops on the river:

  • Battersea Power Station: 11 Minutes
  • Embankment: 32 Minutes
  • Tower: 51 Minutes
  • Canary Wharf: 62 Minutes

River Bus Ticket Information

You can tap in and tap out on the pier with a smartphone, credit/debit card or Oyster Card like you would at any Transport for London stop. Tickets are marginally cheaper if you get them with an Oyster Card or the Uber or Thames Clippers app, as we’ll show below:

  • Single at Piers: £13.40 (From Central Zone)
  • Single with Online App/Oyster: £10.25 (From Central Zone)

Flying to Chelsea: What is the Best Airport for Stamford Bridge Stadium?

London Heathrow (LHR) is the best of the six London Airports for matchdays at Chelsea Football Club. Easily the busiest UK Airport, Heathrow stands out for its Transport for London connections.

From Terminal 5 you can hop on the Piccadilly Line, and stay on it for 39 minutes until you get to Earl’s Court. From there you may want to stretch your legs with a stroll to Stamford Bridge, or you can make the four minute trip to Fulham Broadway Station.

The entire journey can be done within an hour, including walking and waiting times.

Getting to Stamford Bridge from London Airports

As for the other major London Airports, here are the approximate journey times to Stamford Bridge using public transport:

  • London Gatwick (LGW): One hour via Southern Trains and the London Overground
  • London City Airport (LCY): One hour via the Docklands Light Railway, Jubilee Line and District Line
  • London Luton Airport (LTN): 90 minutes with Thameslink train and District Line
  • London Stansted Airport (STN): 90 minutes via the Stansted Express train, Victoria Line and District Line

In the next section we’ll look at the ideal transport options for Stamford Bridge, depending on your circumstances.

What is the Best Way to Get to Stamford Bridge?

If You’re Arriving at a London Terminal Station

Just get on the Tube.

For Accessible Transport

Again, get the Tube to Fulham Broadway. This station was updated in the early 2000s and has step-free access.

If You’re Coming from the West End

Consider riding a bike, especially if the weather is good.

For Local Journeys from West London

Get the bus. For instance, the 211 will get you from Hammersmith to Stamford Bridge faster than the Tube (20 minutes).

In the next section we’ll assess the various ways of getting to Stamford Bridge from some of London’s transport hubs.

Stamford Bridge Transport Comparison Tables

To show you what makes sense and what would be impractical, we’ll size up each method and calculate journey times and prices.

Clapham Junction to Stamford Bridge

Mode of TransportTotal Price (£)Estimated Journey Time (Minutes)
Tube2.8020
Bus1.7525
Taxi1515

Victoria Station to Stamford Bridge

Mode of TransportTotal Price (£)Estimated Journey Time (Minutes)
Tube2.8018
Bus1.7530
Taxi1515

Paddington to Stamford Bridge

Mode of TransportTotal Price (£)Estimated Journey Time (Minutes)
Tube2.8022
Bus1.7550
Taxi2221

Waterloo to Stamford Bridge

Mode of TransportTotal Price (£)Estimated Journey Time (Minutes)
Tube2.8035
Bus1.7555
Taxi2625

Euston to Stamford Bridge

Mode of TransportTotal Price (£)Estimated Journey Time (Minutes)
Tube2.8030
Bus1.7560
Taxi4030

King’s Cross to Stamford Bridge

Mode of TransportTotal Price (£)Estimated Journey Time (Minutes)
Tube2.8035
Bus1.7575
Taxi4332

Liverpool Street to Stamford Bridge

Mode of TransportTotal Price (£)Estimated Journey Time (Minutes)
Tube2.8040
Bus1.7580
Taxi7045

Stratford to Stamford Bridge

Mode of TransportTotal Price (£)Estimated Journey Time (Minutes)
Tube2.8045
Bus1.7590+
Taxi75+50

All journey times are approximations, and include waiting, queuing and walking to the ground.

Below, we’ll answer a few questions that come up about getting to Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea Matchday Transport FAQs

How Early Should I Get to Stamford Bridge?

At least an hour before kick-off. Turnstiles are open from 90 minutes before the game, and you can treat yourself to early-bird offers on the concourse for the first half-hour after opening.

What Side of London Is Stamford Bridge?

West London, and the London Assembly Constituency is West Central London.

Is Stamford Bridge Inside the Congestion Zone?

No, the western boundary Congestion Charge Zone cuts off about three miles east of Stamford Bridge along Vauxhall Bridge Road.

What Zone is Stamford Bridge on the Tube?

Zone 2. All of the nearby stations serving the stadium are in this Zone, while Earl’s Court is 1 & 2. Changing zones will increase the price of a Tube fare.

How Far is Chelsea Football Club from London City Centre?

About 2.5 miles to the south-west, taking Hyde Park as the western limit of Central London. 

Parking the Bus: The End of Our Stamford Bridge Journey

The train is pulling into the station and “Blue is the Colour” is booming out around the platform. You’re almost at the ground, and we hope we showed you some new things about getting to Stamford Bridge Stadium.

If you haven’t got tickets then Ticket Compare is here for you. We source tickets from a selection of tried and tested secondary vendors, as well as official hospitality resellers. So you can buy Premier League tickets with confidence, even for sold-out games.

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