Craven Cottage sits on the north bank of the Thames in Fulham, at Stevenage Road, London SW6 6HH. It has been Fulham’s home since 1896 and still feels like a proper football ground rather than a bowl dropped beside a retail park. For a visiting supporter the useful fact is simple: you are in the Putney End, behind the southern goal. The Hammersmith End, behind the northern goal, is home only. The two side stands — the Johnny Haynes Stand on Stevenage Road and the newer Riverside Stand on the river — are also home areas.
The pitch runs roughly north to south and measures about 100 metres by 65. If you are in the away seats you are looking up the length of the pitch toward the Hammersmith End. Fulham have a habit of attacking that end in the second half, so the goal in front of you is often the one they are defending after the interval. The away allocation is the riverside portion of the Putney End, usually blocks P5, P6 and P7, beside the new Riverside Stand. That is typically around 1,600 to 1,800 seats, depending on the competition. The rest of the Putney End, toward Stevenage Road and the old Cottage pavilion, is for home supporters. There is no longer a mixed zone. You share a concourse with home fans, with seating separated inside the stand, so keep colours sensible until you are in your block.
The Cottage itself is the small 1905 pavilion in the corner between the Johnny Haynes Stand and the Putney End. It is the best-known corner of the ground and sits on the Stevenage Road side, not in the away section. Opposite you, the Hammersmith End is the loud end: single tier, steep, and full of Fulham’s more vocal support. The Johnny Haynes Stand, designed by Archibald Leitch and Grade II listed, still has wooden seats and a handful of pillars, so it is historic rather than perfect for sightlines. The Riverside Stand, finished after a long rebuild and open in its new form from 2025, is the modern face of the ground: deeper, with hospitality and a deck looking over the Thames. You will see that stand side-on from the away end. You will not be sitting in it.
Putney Bridge on the District line is the simplest arrival, about a ten-minute walk through Bishop’s Park to the Putney End turnstiles. Hammersmith is the other useful Underground stop if you are coming from the north, with a longer walk along the river. Buses serve both bridges. There is no general public car park at the ground, and matchday restrictions cover the surrounding streets, so do not plan on driving to the door. The away entrance is on the Stevenage Road side of the Putney End, toward the park rather than deep into the home turnstiles. Give yourself time: the paths through the park are pleasant and get busy close to kick-off.
Tickets for league games are sold through your own club, not on the gate. Check your club’s notes for the exact block split, because the cut-off inside the Putney End can move slightly. Bags should be small; large rucksacks are a problem at most Premier League grounds and this one is no exception. Food and drink are on the concourse behind the stand. The view from the away section is a proper end-on view of both goals, with the river just beyond the stand to your right as you look toward the Hammersmith End. It is close, a bit tight, and one of the better away days in London if the weather holds.
After the whistle, the park exit toward Putney Bridge is the least messy way back to the Tube. The Hammersmith End and Stevenage Road side stay busy with home supporters, so there is no reason to wander that way. If you want one photograph before you go in, the Cottage pavilion and the listed Johnny Haynes façade on Stevenage Road are the two that look like Craven Cottage and nowhere else.