Twickenham Stadium

You would get 5 except your security was lax at best. Backpacks on peoples backs allowed with no checking? No one and I mean no one should have to endure this in 2021...

The stadium is great, everything you want in a European Futbol stadium. The shape, the size and the massive crowds. Getting a drink was pretty easy and the sound in here was amazing. Again, did I feel safe? Not really!

Hooligans abound and once off the train which was about a 10-15 minute walk through the neighborhood we were offered Cocaine and other drugs. Apparently this isn't the safest neighborhood either, that said massive crowds all walking the same place felt pretty safe. Oh and if you want to score coke of a plug in a foreign neighborhood I wish you and most likely your fetanly laced purchase well. :)

Buy a shirt, support who you are seeing and if you want to catch a train leave early. We waited quite a long time to get back to the city (HydePark) area for a train once the event was over.

London, I love you and will see you again very very soon....

Twickenham Stadium, the home of British Rugby stadium and the second-largest stadium by capacity in the United Kingdom after Wembley, with the capacity reaching 82,000 for rugby games, or slightly less for American Football.

The stadium as suggested by the name is located in Twickenham, which is in South-West London, around 40 minutes to an hour away from Central London meaning it is slightly harder than the average stadium to get to, and that's on a regular day too on a matchday when of course it's much more hectic it can take perhaps even double that if you're lucky, which is a huge con.

Being built in 1909, the stadium is pretty old for a stadium in the modern era, but still, it remains a nice stadium with modern features including a Marriott hotel and is arguably one of the best rugby built stadiums in the UK (it is the largest rugby purpose-built stadium in Europe).

The bespoke green seats make Twickenham feel unique, as far as I'm aware with many stadiums opting for blue, black, red or white seats this is one of the only major stadiums in the UK with seats that are green, as well as the size that helps the stadium to stand out.

The tour inside is well worth doing if you're a rugby fan, I'm not a big fan of rugby but still found it interesting to see the "behind the scenes" areas.

The stadium does appear to be slightly isolated to the rest of London, and despite being one of the best rugby stadiums, I'd even go as far to say I've seen better stadiums with their own unique and cool features in the Championship (second division of English football) such as Villa Park, home to Aston Villa.

3*

A surreal sports experience...

Coming to London as part of the NFL's International series 2016 was something that, as a fan I'll never forgot. In this hallowed ground for British rugby today was the first American football game ever held at Twickenham Stadium.

Fans coming from far and away to see the experience. Met up with folks from Northern Ireland & Switzerland who attended the game. Back in the States, fans usually route for one team or another at a stadium. Definitely not that way here. Fans wearing caps & or jerseys from almost all teams were spotted during the game. They are American football fans, with no real favorite team.

As is my way, always try to get the lay of the land before game time starts. Today was no exception. For foodies out there,we sampled grub from the Mac factory London and ordered a classic Mac & cheese. Also of some note we passed The Rugby hall of fame, and that seems like a popular stop while your here. As the line was out the door almost 2 hours prior to the game.

The best part for me, was my team won & taking a double decker bus to get here.
(Bucket list in London)

Another stadium bites the dust.

"Swing low, sweet chariot
Coming for to carry me home,
Swing low, sweet chariot,
Coming for to carry me home."

now that i have sung this iconic anthem with 81,080 rugby fans in twickenham, i can't help but upgrade it to 5 stars!

the crowd was fantastic!
the atmosphere electric!
true, it was after all england vs australia, a match that pitted two traditional rugby powerhouses in a win or go home, group stage scenario but little did i foresee how enjoyable the whole experience will be despite the less than desired result for them english rose!

first and foremost, i must thank my brother for securing prestige hospitality tickets at the east stand level 3 wakefield's restaurant.
without him, this review would not have been possible!

the train to twickenham at 5ish was already packed like sardines for a match scheduled to kick off at 8pm.
the mood among fans was surprisingly friendly and very orderly, with plentiful stewards to guide you along the way.
it's about a 15mins walk from over land twickenham station via a route lined with temporary stalls selling f&b and rugby world cup 2015 merchandise.

a quick security screening(don't bring bags!) at the gate and up to the hospitality suites we go!
the hospitality staff were super helpful and faultlessly friendly, don't be afraid to approach them if you have any questions at all.
if they can't help, they will seek out someone who can!
a full sit down three course delicious dinner with free flow drinks ensued.

it didn't hurt that ex-english and oz rugby players/legends were at hand to give us a live analysis of the match, pregame.
need some souvenirs to bring home?
ipad touting sales people will come to your table to take orders and deliver to you after the match, hassle free.

do step out of your hospitality suite, if you so wish, just to soak in the pure adrenaline that's in the air!
and feel the goose bumps, as the swing low, sweet chariot anthem rings out around the stadium.
you can return to your suite anytime with additional f&b treats awaiting at half time and the final whistle.
hospitality continues for another 45mins after full time, so do not rush off before!

the egress is also rather orderly with the free and frequent shuttle buses that takes you to hounslow central station on the piccadilly line a god send.

yes, i have finally paid proper homage, after my pilgrimage, to the home of english rugby!
now, the sweet chariot can come for to carry me home!

Nice looking stadium. Mostly for rugby sports. The stadium is set in southwestern London in a residential neighborhood. The getting too and from this venue is a nightmare. Primarily, the South West Trains is your in and out from southern England or from London. It is behind the times for lack of Wi-Fi access. Tailgaiting around the stadium can be crowded. Inside is decent with partial stadium covering from weather & precipitation. Ok place but have seen better sports stadiums in my lifetime.


Grade: D

The first time I went to Twickenham Stadium was for the Chime for Change concert in 2013. The concert was amazing.

The stadium is somewhat hard to get to. National Rail- one change. It's still fairly cheap. On the way home, there was an emergency with the trains, so that was difficult. Took about five hours on busses to get home. Had to wait forever to get on a bus!

Stadium has typical offerings of food in stadiums.

I attended the Rugby World Cup final in 2015. I had an awesome time.Great Stadium, plenty of everything...food, toilets, short lines, great transportation, no lines at the gates getting in. Of one the best Rugby Stadiums except for the artificial turf right next to the rugby pitch. I had a nice 30min stroll from the tube station not too far away.

If you go out into the woods and have a sandwich, you may find bits of bark or tree in your ham, especially if you put it down on the ground. This happened to me. I found a Twig in my Ham. Because of this Twig-in-ham I decided to build a stadium named after this experience.

By most stretches of the imagination, this is a 5 star stadium. It's the largest rugby-specific stadium in the world. It has some caveats... firstly it's used for rugby (what a waste)... secondly it's hard to get to compare to a lot of other local stadiums... and thirdly it didn't used to be a complete bowl, and wasn't as good when it wasn't.

However now that they have jazzed it up and made it a full bowl, it's one of Britain's best stadiums, holding 82k people and more for concerts, including the Stones, U2, Rod Stewart, Genesis, Bon Jovi, REM, The Police, Gaga and Rihanna.

It was built in 1907 and is in the leaft rich south west suburbs of London.

First-Hand Experience: Yelp asked me to include more information about my personal experience at this stadium, so here it is. I've seen one Rugby match here and one concert here. I thought it was brilliant both times, but the atmosphere was particularly amazing for the rugby... and I don't even like rugby.

I've been to virtually every significant stadium in the UK & US, due to a lifelong obsession with travel, sport & especially footy (soccer to Americans). Born and raised in England, I followed Oxford United (my hometown team) to many stadiums all over the country at away games, and later followed Liverpool (my fave team) around. Every stadium review - like all my reviews - are from personal experience at these stadiums from multiple visits. In 2011, I was on music tour in the UK, and visited these stadiums then, also. As recently as Fall 2014, when I was "stuck" in the UK for 3 months, I visited all of the stadiums as I travelled around the country. I have pictures of many of them which I will post in future. Also, when I'm back in the UK I plan to take more pictures, and add more stadiums too! So watch this space!

Average due to the loo situation, coming into the car park once over the bridge, first set was urinals in a block, next was 5 separate cubicles, must admit did not attempt inside the stadium this year, they are usually bad for queues.
Enough of that, the game, Fleur, Ross Kemp, RM Band, atmosphere & the sunshine (few cloud overs, with a hint of rain) was GREAT. Even with an early start this year.
£7.00 a pint, however if you returned your plastic cups you received a £1, kept mine for the memory. All bars taking cards & I think most of the food, merchandise trailers were also. There are coaches from all over uk & Europe, couples, kids, etc, it is something to experience.

Built for rugby , Twickenham is also a great venue for concerts. There are several food option on the ground level. The only downside is leaving the venue ... it takes a good 2 hours to get back to London.