Windsor: an honest guide to the castle, the river and the old town
Most visitors come for two hours, see the castle and rush back to London. That is a mistake. Windsor is a whole day: a thousand-year-old fortress that is still a royal home, a boat trip up the Thames to the lock, swans on the river, Eton across the bridge, crooked old streets and a three-mile avenue of trees. Here is how to do it properly, including the day of the week that ruins most people's plans.
Key facts
- Castle tickets: adult £32 booked in advance, £36 on the day; under 18s £16 / £18; under 5s free; £1 tickets for people on Universal Credit and other named benefits in some months
- Closed: every Tuesday and Wednesday, and at short notice for royal events. Always check the Royal Collection Trust website before you travel
- Opening hours: March to October 10:00–17:15 (last admission 16:00); November to February 10:00–16:15 (last admission 15:00)
- Included: the State Apartments, St George's Chapel (closed to visitors on Sundays for worship), Queen Mary's Dolls' House and the castle precincts
- Getting there: from London Paddington, change at Slough for Windsor & Eton Central (about 40 minutes); or a direct train from London Waterloo to Windsor & Eton Riverside (about an hour)
- Boat trip: 40 minutes, from the Promenade to Boveney Lock and back, adult from about £13.50
Photo walk: from the station to the castle walls
Follow our route through Windsor, from the railway station through the old town to the castle and along its walls. Use the arrows, swipe on a phone, or tap a thumbnail.
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The castle: what you see and how long it takes
A Windsor ticket gets you the State Apartments, St George's Chapel, Queen Mary's Dolls' House and the castle precincts. In winter the Semi-State Rooms usually open as well. Allow three hours, more if you time it with the Changing of the Guard. The castle is busiest from opening and through the morning; mid-afternoon is calmer, but leaves less time before last admission.
Changing the Guard: the honest timetable
The Windsor Castle Guard usually changes at 11:00 on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, with extra days in spring and early summer. The New Guard marches with a band from Victoria Barracks up the High Street a little before 11:00. Watching the march in the street is free; the ceremony itself takes place inside the castle, in the Lower Ward, and needs a castle ticket.
The catch nobody tells you: the castle is closed to visitors on Tuesdays. On a Tuesday you can see the soldiers march through town, but not the ceremony. Thursday and Saturday are the days to combine both. Ceremonies can be cancelled in heavy rain or for state events, so check the Household Division calendar the day before.
The Ethiopian prince in St George's Chapel
In 1868 a British army stormed Maqdala, the mountain fortress of Emperor Tewodros II of Ethiopia. The Emperor took his own life rather than surrender, the fortress was looted, and his seven-year-old son Alemayehu was taken to Britain. His mother died on the journey.
Queen Victoria took an interest in the boy and paid for his education, but he was moved from school to school, unhappy and far from home. He died in 1879, aged 18, and at Victoria's request was buried in the catacombs of St George's Chapel, inside Windsor Castle.
Ethiopia has asked for him back. President Girma Wolde-Giorgis wrote to Queen Elizabeth II in 2007, and in 2023 his descendants asked again. Buckingham Palace refused, saying his remains could not be exhumed without disturbing many others buried nearby, and that Ethiopian delegations are welcome to visit. Many Ethiopians see it differently: a child taken as spoils of war, still kept in the conqueror's castle.
Treasures looted at Maqdala are still in British museums today. Read more in Benin Bronzes, Asante gold and African treasures in British museums.
The boat trip to Boveney Lock
The best view of Windsor Castle is not from the town but from the river. Boats run by the French Brothers company leave from the Promenade on Barry Avenue, below the castle, for a 40-minute round trip upstream. You pass Eton College, the Brocas meadows and Windsor Racecourse, then the boat turns at Boveney Lock and Weir, where the Thames drops from one level to the next. Look out for the salmon ladder, built to help fish get past the weir. A recorded commentary explains the sights.
- Price: adult from about £13.50, child about £9, with family tickets.
- Season: every 30 minutes in the main season; only at weekends in late autumn, and depending on river conditions.
- Longer trips: a two-hour cruise goes through the lock towards Bray, and some afternoon trips go downstream through Romney Lock past the castle's private Home Park.
The swans of the Thames
On the riverbank by the Promenade and Windsor Bridge you will find dozens of mute swans, often with geese and ducks. The Crown has the right to claim ownership of unmarked mute swans on open water, and every July the "Swan Upping" boats travel up this stretch of the Thames to count and check the birds and their young.
Honest advice: the swans are used to people and can be pushy. Do not feed them bread, which is bad for them, and keep small children back in spring, when the parents guard their cygnets.
The old town, Eton and the Long Walk
- The old town: wander the lanes around Church Street and Castle Hill, below the walls, for old houses, pubs and tea rooms.
- Eton: walk over Windsor Bridge, now for pedestrians only, to Eton High Street and Eton College, the school that has produced twenty British prime ministers.
- The Long Walk: a 2.65-mile (4.26 km) avenue of trees running from the castle to the Copper Horse, a statue of George III on Snow Hill in Windsor Great Park. It is free, and the classic photo of the castle is taken from here. The full walk and back takes about two hours.
Plan your Windsor day
- Morning: arrive by train before 10:00. Be at the castle when it opens, or on Thursday and Saturday watch the Guard march up the High Street just before 11:00 and then see the ceremony inside.
- Midday: the castle, for three hours.
- Afternoon: lunch in the old town, then down to the river for the 40-minute boat trip and the swans.
- Late afternoon: cross the bridge to Eton, or walk part of the Long Walk for the evening light on the castle.
The verdict
Windsor Castle is cheaper than the Tower of London, less crowded at the right time, and still lived in, which gives it something the Tower has lost. Give the town the whole day and it is one of the best day trips from London. Come on a Tuesday without checking and you will stand outside a closed gate.
Tours and day trips to Windsor
If you would rather not organise trains and tickets, many day trips from London combine Windsor with Stonehenge and Bath, such as this Stonehenge, Windsor Castle and Bath day trip. Entrance fees are included in the tour price; tips are not included but are always welcome.
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