Alexandra Palace Way · Wood Green · London N22 7AY
Alexandra Palace transfers, or: the hill nobody mentions
Ally Pally sits on top of a genuinely steep hill in the middle of a park. The station is at the bottom. Every year, thousands of people in fancy dress discover this in December, in the dark, in the rain. We drop at the top.
Roughly the climb from Wood Green station to the palace entrance, spread over a fifteen to twenty minute walk through a park. It is not dangerous, it is just a great deal steeper than anyone expects, and it is the single most complained-about part of a night at this venue.
Everything about this venue comes back to the hill
Alexandra Palace is a Victorian building placed on a summit for the view. That decision, made in the 1870s, is still shaping how your evening goes, and it is the reason a car to the door is worth more here than at almost any comparable venue.
Wood Green to the palace
Fifteen to twenty minutes uphill through Alexandra Park, unlit in places, and slower than the map suggests. In December, in costume, after a few drinks, it is a genuinely miserable walk.
Straight to the entrance
We set down on Alexandra Palace Way at the top, next to the doors. No climb, no park, no wondering whether you took the right path at the fork.
Where we wait
Held on the approach road at the top rather than down in Wood Green. You walk out of the venue and get in, which after a nine-hour darts session is the entire point.
Exposed on all sides
It is the highest point for miles and it feels like it. Wind and rain hit harder up there than the forecast suggests, which is worth knowing before deciding to walk it.
What fills the palace, and how it ends
Ally Pally has several rooms and an enormous outdoor site, so the same address can mean a seated concert, a fifteen-hour darts session or a summer festival on the grass. Finish times vary more than at any venue we cover.
| Event | Room or space | Typical finish | What it means for the return |
|---|---|---|---|
| PDC World Darts Championship | West Hall | Afternoon and evening sessions | December, fancy dress, long sessions and a lot of drinking. The busiest and rowdiest fortnight of the palace year. |
| Concerts and live music | Great Hall | 22:30–23:00 | Ten thousand people down one hill towards one station. The return is worth booking on its own. |
| Festivals and outdoor events | Park and terrace | Varies, often late | Summer crowds spread across the whole site. We agree a specific meeting point rather than 'the entrance'. |
| Exhibitions, fairs and markets | Palm Court and halls | Daytime | Easy access, easy exit, and often a lot to carry back to the car. |
| Ice rink, film and family events | Various | Daytime and early evening | Children, kit and cold. The walk is the deciding factor. |
| Conferences and corporate days | Various | Late afternoon | Multiple pick-ups on the way in, invoiced on account. |
Getting to N22 from Kent
North London from Kent means the river first and the North Circular second. Alexandra Palace is further out than it looks on a tube map, and December traffic makes the darts run the longest version of this journey.
| Pick-up area | Distance | Event-day journey |
|---|---|---|
| Gravesend & Northfleet | 34 miles | 75–105 min |
| Dartford & Bluewater | 30 miles | 70–100 min |
| Bexleyheath, Welling & Erith | 22 miles | 60–90 min |
| Sidcup & Bexley | 23 miles | 60–90 min |
| Bromley & Orpington | 24 miles | 65–95 min |
| Swanley & Swanscombe | 28 miles | 70–100 min |
| Sevenoaks & Tonbridge | 36 miles | 75–105 min |
| Rochester, Chatham & Gillingham | 43 miles | 85–115 min |
| Maidstone & Aylesford | 45 miles | 90–120 min |
| Sittingbourne & Faversham | 55 miles | 100–130 min |
| Canterbury & Ashford | 70 miles | 110–145 min |
| Central London hotels | 8 miles | 35–60 min |
December at the palace, and the rest of the year
The darts is a fortnight unlike anything else
For a couple of weeks around Christmas and New Year, Alexandra Palace becomes the most photographed room in British sport. Sessions run afternoon and evening, the crowd is in costume, the beer flows steadily and nobody is in a state to drive. Add freezing weather and a steep park path and you have the clearest case for a booked car anywhere in our diary. We take these bookings from October onwards and the popular sessions go early, so if you have tickets, sort the transport now rather than in December.
Concerts are the volume business
The Great Hall holds around ten thousand, and when it empties at eleven, the entire crowd heads for the same downhill path and the same two stations. The queue at Wood Green is a known quantity to anyone who has done it. Our collection sits at the top of the hill, which means you are in a warm vehicle before most of the crowd has reached the bottom.
Summer changes the whole site
Outdoor events use the park and the terrace, and the site becomes much larger and less obviously navigable. A meeting point described as 'by the entrance' is meaningless when there are several. For summer bookings we agree a specific, named spot and send a walking direction, because at eleven at night in a dark park, precision matters more than proximity.
Accessibility and the walk
If anyone in your party has limited mobility, this venue rewards planning more than most. The hill is significant, the paths are long and the drop-off arrangements differ by event. Tell us at the point of booking and we will work out the closest reachable point for your particular date rather than applying a general rule. This needs notice rather than a call on the night.
Alexandra Palace travel questions
Mostly about the hill, and rightly so.
How steep is the walk to Alexandra Palace?
Steep enough that it is the main thing people remember. From Wood Green station it is roughly fifteen to twenty minutes uphill through the park, climbing close to two hundred feet. It is manageable in daylight in good weather and considerably less pleasant in December after a darts session. We drop at the top so it does not apply to you.
Can you drop us right at the entrance?
Yes. Set-down is on the approach road at the top of the hill, next to the doors. That is the entire reason most of our Ally Pally passengers book, and it makes the biggest practical difference of any venue on our list.
Do you cover the World Darts Championship?
Every session, across the whole tournament. It is one of our busiest fortnights of the year. Book early, because the popular evening sessions and anything falling near Christmas fill our diary well in advance.
Where will you collect us after a concert?
At the top, on the approach road, rather than down at the station. Ten thousand people leave the Great Hall at once and all head downhill, so waiting at the top means you are moving while the path is still full. The exact spot and vehicle details are sent to your phone during the show.
Is there parking at Alexandra Palace?
There is on-site parking, and on a quiet weekday it is fine. On a major event day it fills early and the exit queue afterwards is slow, because everyone is leaving at once down a limited number of routes. For a darts session or a sold-out concert, being collected is markedly quicker than driving.
How long does it take from Kent?
Between an hour and a quarter and two hours depending on where you start and what the North Circular is doing. Gravesend and Dartford are usually around an hour and a half on an event evening. The table above breaks it down by area.
Can you take a big group in fancy dress?
Yes, and we have seen most of it. Sixteen-seat minibuses are the most-booked vehicle for darts sessions, with twenty-four and forty-nine-seat coaches for larger parties. One price, one meeting point, everyone leaves together.
What if someone in our group can't manage the hill?
Tell us when you book. Drop-off arrangements vary by event and the closest reachable point changes, so we plan that individually rather than applying the standard answer. Please raise it in advance rather than on the day.
Is the fare fixed?
Yes, set when you book on postcode, vehicle and timings. A session running long, weather, or a slow exit from the site do not change it. No meter, no surge on darts nights.
Do you cover exhibitions and daytime events too?
Yes, including fairs, markets, conferences and the family events. Daytime jobs are simpler and cheaper than evening ones, and if you are carrying stock or equipment we will size the vehicle for it.
North London venues and guides
The other side of the river, covered the same way.