London has two Test cricket grounds and they do not charge remotely the same for a look round.
The Kia Oval advertises its ground tour from 5 pounds. Lord’s charges 32.95 pounds for an adult.
Both take you behind the scenes at a ground that has staged Test cricket for well over a century. One of them costs about as much as a sandwich.
What the tour covers
The Oval’s own description of the ground tour lists the Museum, the Committee Room, the Media Suites and the Away Dressing Room, along with panoramic views across London from the stands.
That is a comparable list to the one at Lord’s, which covers the Long Room, the Media Centre and the MCC Museum. The difference between the two grounds is history and grandeur rather than access.
The prices, as published
Ground Tour: from 5 pounds. Ticket types are adult, child, student, family and senior, with a family ticket covering two adults and two children.
Match-day Ground Tour runs with its own ticket types: adult, child, under 3 and senior.
Match Day Afternoon Tea and Tour: from 75 pounds. That combines a Surrey match, a behind-the-scenes tour and a full afternoon tea, which for the price of a decent dinner is a complete day out.
One honest note on the research: the Oval’s price page requires you to choose a ticket type before it shows a figure, so the only headline number it publishes openly is the 5 pound starting price. Treat 5 pounds as the floor rather than the adult rate, and confirm your own category when booking.
Which of the two to do
On price, the Oval, comfortably. There is no version of this where 5 pounds is not better value than 32.95.
On the building, Lord’s. The Long Room and the Media Centre are more famous than anything at the Oval, and the MCC Museum is the larger collection.
For a full day, the Oval’s afternoon tea and tour at 75 pounds, which has no equivalent at the same price across the river.
If you only want the cricket history and not the architecture, the Oval does the job for a sixth of the money. If you want to stand in the Long Room, there is only one place to do that.
Where it is
Kennington, south London, with Oval station on the Northern line immediately outside. That is a genuine advantage over Lord’s, which is a walk from St John’s Wood.
Gift vouchers and group bookings are both available through the tours site, which is run by Surrey County Cricket Club.
The South Bank is twenty minutes north and Borough Market is the obvious lunch before or after.
How to plan it
Cheapest cricket history in London: the Oval ground tour, from 5 pounds.
A proper day: the match day afternoon tea and tour, from 75 pounds.
Booking: check your ticket type on the price page, because only the starting price is published openly.
Getting there: Oval station is at the gate, which makes it the easier of the two grounds to reach.
The Kia Oval
- Address
- The Kia Oval, Kennington, London SE11
- Nearest
- Oval, on the Northern line, immediately outside
- Booking
- Online through the Surrey County Cricket Club tours site. Gift vouchers and group bookings available
- Price
- Ground tour from 5 pounds. Match Day Afternoon Tea and Tour from 75 pounds. Ticket types are adult, child, student, family and senior, with a family ticket covering two adults and two children
- Standing
- One of London’s two Test grounds, and far the cheaper of the pair to tour
How to get in
The ground tour covers the Museum, Committee Room, Media Suites and Away Dressing Room, with panoramic views over London. The price page shows a figure only once a ticket type is selected, so 5 pounds is the published starting price rather than a stated adult rate.
Where to go next
Lord’s is the other London cricket ground and the more expensive tour by a factor of six.
The South Bank is twenty minutes north, and Borough Market is the obvious lunch.
Questions we get asked
How much is a tour of the Oval?
The ground tour is advertised from 5 pounds, with ticket types for adults, children, students, families and seniors. The Match Day Afternoon Tea and Tour starts at 75 pounds. The price page only shows a figure once you select a ticket type, so 5 pounds is the published floor.
Is the Oval tour cheaper than Lord's?
By a wide margin. The Oval advertises its ground tour from 5 pounds and Lord's charges 32.95 pounds for an adult. Both cover comparable behind-the-scenes areas, so the difference is grandeur rather than access.
What do you see on an Oval tour?
The Museum, the Committee Room, the Media Suites and the Away Dressing Room, along with panoramic views across London from the stands.
Can you tour the Oval on a match day?
Yes. There is a separate Match-day Ground Tour with its own ticket types, and a Match Day Afternoon Tea and Tour from 75 pounds that combines watching Surrey play with a tour and a full afternoon tea.
What is the nearest station to the Oval?
Oval, on the Northern line, which is immediately outside the ground. That makes it noticeably easier to reach than Lord's.
Written by Robert J Wills, no. 251 in the guide.
Last checked 5 October 2026 against the venues' own published information. Nobody pays to appear here and we take no bookings.
