Windsor Castle: Still Working, Still Worth the Trip

Windsor Castle is the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world, and the Royal Family uses it regularly, which creates a planning headache visitors often underestimate. The State Apartments close when the King is in residence, which happens without much advance notice. Check the official Royal Collection Trust website the day before you visit, not a week before.

Getting There

Forty minutes from London Waterloo direct to Windsor & Eton Riverside, or 35 minutes from London Paddington with a change at Slough. The Waterloo route deposits you slightly closer to the castle. Return tickets from London run about £12-15. There is no realistic need to drive; parking in Windsor town centre costs roughly £4 per hour.

Tickets

In 2026, adult tickets are £32 booked in advance, £36 on the day; under-18s £16 advance, £18 on the day; under-5s free. Book online at rct.uk/visit/windsor-castle to save money and guarantee entry with a timed slot. Open Thursday through Monday (closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays); March through October 10am to 5:15pm (last admission 4pm); November through February 10am to 4:15pm (last admission 3pm). Photography is prohibited inside the State Apartments and St George’s Chapel.

New for summer 2026: The Venus Garden, a newly designed royal garden beneath the castle’s east façade, opens July 16 through September 13, 2026, included in standard admission.

What to See

The State Apartments contain works from the Royal Collection including Van Dyck, Rembrandt, Canaletto, and Holbein; the Grand Reception Room is a theatrical piece of 19th-century gilded excess. The midday rush between 11am and 2pm makes the Apartments crowded; arrive at opening (10am) or book an afternoon slot after 2pm.

St George’s Chapel is architecturally the best thing in the complex. Built in the late 15th century in Perpendicular Gothic style, it contains the tombs of ten monarchs including Henry VIII, Jane Seymour, and George VI. The wooden choir stalls with their heraldic banners above are specific and moving in a way that the general grandeur of the Apartments is not. The chapel closes to visitors before 2pm on Sundays due to services.

Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House sounds like it should be for children. Built in the 1920s to 1:12 scale by architect Edwin Lutyens, it has working running hot and cold water, functioning lifts, and miniature books written specifically for it by authors including Rudyard Kipling. It is genuinely strange and meticulous and most adults find it more interesting than expected.

The Long Walk

Three miles of straight avenue stretching south from the castle toward the Copper Horse statue of George III – free, open daily. Most visitors turn around after a few hundred metres. Walk the whole thing; the view back toward the castle from the statue is the best photograph you will take in Windsor.

Where to Eat

The Two Brewers on Park Street is a proper pub with reasonable food and reliably less hectic than the restaurants directly below the castle walls. A main course runs £14-18. Eton High Street, a ten-minute walk across Windsor Bridge, has a Waitrose and several sandwich shops at half the Windsor town-centre restaurant price.

Practical Notes

Wear comfortable shoes; the grounds involve significant walking on uneven cobblestones. Allow a full day. The single most common mistake is treating Windsor as a half-day trip and arriving at 1pm.