Windsor Castle: Planning a Visit, Access and the Wider Town

A working royal residence, not a museum

The single most useful thing to understand about Windsor is that it remains in use. State visits, ceremonial occasions and services in St George's Chapel can close parts of the castle, or all of it, at short notice. Announcements are published in advance where possible, but the castle's own calendar always takes precedence over a visitor itinerary. That argues for checking availability close to the date and keeping a fallback in mind. Windsor Great Park, Eton across the bridge and the town itself all give you a worthwhile day even if the State Apartments happen to be shut.

What you actually see inside

A standard visit takes in the Precincts, the State Apartments and, on most days, St George's Chapel. The chapel is a working place of worship and is closed to sightseeing on Sundays, when visitors are welcome at services instead. In the colder months the Semi-State Rooms, created for George IV and among the most richly decorated interiors in the country, are usually added to the route. Queen Mary's Dolls' House is a small thing that people remember longest, and the queue for it can be the slowest part of the circuit. Allow two to three hours inside if you want to look properly rather than walk through.

Guard changes and the town on a busy day

The guard change draws a crowd into a small number of streets and the timing varies by season and weather. When it happens, movement around the castle approach becomes difficult for perhaps half an hour either side. Arriving before it, or deliberately after it, is more comfortable than trying to work around it. Windsor town centre is compact, partly pedestrianised and busy at weekends. Peascod Street and the area by the Guildhall are walking territory. A car works best delivering you close to the castle approach and then repositioning rather than circling.

The Long Walk and the Great Park

Behind the castle the Long Walk runs south in a dead straight line towards the Copper Horse statue on Snow Hill, and the view back towards the castle from partway up is one of the finest in southern England. It is a proper walk rather than a stroll, so people short of time often drive into the Great Park instead. The park also holds Savill Garden and the Valley Gardens, at their best in late spring for rhododendrons and again in October for autumn colour. Virginia Water, at the southern end, gives an easy circuit on level paths.

• Savill Garden for planting partly under cover in poor weather
• The Valley Gardens in May and again in autumn
• Virginia Water for a flat, well-surfaced lakeside walk
• Eton High Street and the college chapel, over the bridge

Making the day flow

Windsor sits close enough to Heathrow to be a natural first or last stop for anyone flying in or out, and close enough to London that a half day is realistic. If you are combining it with anything, Ascot, Runnymede and the Chiltern villages are all within a short run. Confirm castle opening for your date before locking the rest of the itinerary, since everything else is flexible and the castle is not.

Plan your chauffeur journey

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