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Windsor Castle Half Day Trip From London – Exploring One Of Britain’s Most Famous Royal Residences

May 1st, 2020 by | Tagged in: , ,

A half day trip to Windsor Castle from London is a very popular activity with tourists. I visited this famous castle during my London holiday and this is everything I did on my trip!

Table of Contents

Windsor Castle


Windsor Castle is a majestic castle that serves as the royal residence of the Queen of England.

It is located at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, just around 40km away from central London.

The fortress was founded by William the Conqueror in the 11th century to defend against aggressors, and has since been the home of 39 monarchs.

It originally had wooden walls but underwent a Gothic transformation in the early 19th century under George IV.

Nowadays, the Queen spends many of her private weekends at the castle, though you probably won’t get to see her during your visit.

Windsor Castle Half Day Trip Itinerary

Time Activity
9am Train from London Paddington Station to Windsor Station
9.30am Windsor Castle
11.30am The Long Walk
12.30pm Explore Windsor Town
1.30pm Alexandra Gardens
2pm Train from Windsor Station to London Paddington Station
2.30pm Arrive back in London

Entry Fee


I bought my entrance ticket from Klook for £19.50, which is cheaper by £1 than the official Windsor Castle ticketing site.

Getting To Windsor Castle From London


The best way to get to Windsor Castle is to take the train from London Paddington Station to Windsor & Eton Central Station (transferring train once at Slough Station).

I used this method and my train ride from London to Windsor took less than 30 minutes. I bought the return ticket in advance for £15 from the Great Western Railway website.

Note that it is possible to buy tickets on the day itself because the train tickets will not run out.


On the day of my trip, I took the metro to Paddington Station and went to one of the machines labelled “Pre-paid ticket collection only”.

To collect my train ticket, I entered my ticket reference and inserted the credit card I used for my booking. Note that you will NOT be able to collect the ticket if you do not have the credit card.

After that, I boarded the train. It departed punctually at 8.50am and reached Slough Station at 9.06am.


I alighted here and quickly went to Platform 1 to board the Windsor-bound train after checking the digital departure board.

The train left Slough Station at 9.10am and reached Windsor & Eton Central Station at 9.16am. Therefore, my entire train ride from London to Windsor took just 26 minutes!

I guess the journey was so fast because it was an early morning train. On average the journey time is usually around 40 minutes.

There are other methods for getting to Windsor Castle, but I feel that taking the train is the most affordable and efficient way.


At the train station, I was greeted with a mosaic picture of Prince Harry and Miss Meghan Markle, who had recently gotten married at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle.


I exited the station and walked for about 5 minutes along the lofty stone walls towards the castle gates.

Collecting My Ticket


I walked through the castle gates and entered the ticketing lobby.

As you can tell from the picture above, there were two lines: the line on the left was for online bookings while the line on the right was for buying tickets at the door.

I was really glad I had bought my ticket online because as you can tell, the “online bookings” queue was MUCH shorter.


I presented my Klook printed voucher at the counter to redeem my ticket. Please note that a printed voucher is required and you will NOT be allowed to enter with a mobile voucher.

I also collected a free audio guide.


After exiting the ticketing lobby, I walked along a path towards the inner castle gates, feeling excited that I was about to explore this majestic medieval palace.

Moat Room


My first stop in Windsor Castle was the Moat Room, which features three bronze models of Windsor Castle in 1080, 1216, and 1377 respectively.

These models show the evolution of the castle from a simple fort to one of the grandest castles in the medieval world.

Round Tower


After coming out of the Moat Room, I saw the majestic Round Tower.

Back in medieval days, this imposing tower served as a fortified residence that provided refuge if the rest of the castle fell to an adversary.

When I visited in April the tower was closed for tours. It is only opened in August and September.

State Apartments


I continued walking towards the North Terrace, which led to the State Apartments.

Along the way, I came across a flower garden lined with benches. This was a pretty photo op and I took some nice photos here.


The State Apartments refer to a lavish series of rooms, suites, and halls that were built under past monarchs. Today, the Queen uses some of these rooms for official entertaining.

First, I walked through St George’s Hall, which is used to host state banquets. This elegant vaulted hall is lined with portraits and busts of monarchs and other British royalty.


After that, I entered one of the most striking rooms in the State Apartments: the Grand Reception Room.

This opulent room was once used as the castle’s main ballroom, and is decorated with resplendent gold chandeliers and gilding.


My next stop was the stately Waterloo Chamber, which was built by George IV to celebrate the defeat of Napoleon in 1815.

The walls are lined with large portraits of allied monarchs, statesmen and commanders involved in the victory over Napoleon.

I took some time to admire the Indian carpet, which is thought to be the biggest seamless carpet in existence. It actually required 40 people to move it into the castle!


After that, I began touring the historic route, which is a series of beautiful rooms that were built for Charles II and his Queen, Catherine of Braganza.


They are considered to be the finest Baroque State Apartments in Britain, boasting intricate carvings by Grinling Gibbons and magnificent painted ceilings from Antonio Verrio.


The first room I visited on this route was the Queen’s Presence Chamber, built for Catherine of Braganza. It boasts a beautiful painted ceiling, tapestries, busts, and a gorgeous marble fireplace.


Next, I entered the King’s Dining Room, which served as the dining room of Charles II. It is notable for its magnificent painted ceiling and intricate carvings on the walls.


The King’s Bedchamber was probably where Charles II met his ministers to discuss secret affairs of state.

The walls are hung with views of Venice and Rome by Canaletto, and portraits by Reynolds and Gainsborough.


Finally, I toured the luxurious King’s Drawing Room, which was where Charles II would entertain important guests and hold court assemblies.

At one point this was known as the “Rubens Room”, because it was once decorated entirely with works by the Flemish painter.

Unfortunately, I was unable to see the Semi-State Rooms (splendid private apartments created for George IV) and Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House because they were closed during my visit.

Gift Shop


Exiting the State Apartments led to the Gift Shop, which is one of five in Windsor Castle. There were plenty of “Harry & Megan” merchandise – probably because they had just gotten married the year before.

Quadrangle


Next, I went to check out the Quadrangle, which is a green courtyard enclosed by various beautiful castle buildings. One of its defining features is the equestrian statue of Charles II.

The Changing the Guard ceremony takes place here at 11am on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

Unfortunately I did not manage to catch the ceremony because I visited on a Friday.


The quadrangle was not accessible by the public during my visit but I managed to take several pictures from outside.

St George’s Chapel


St. George’s Chapel is a beautiful chapel that was built in the 15th and 16th centuries. Nowadays it is best known for being the wedding venue of Prince Harry and Miss Meghan Markle.

Standing outside the chapel, I was awestruck by its stunning facade. This building was truly a magnificent example of Gothic architecture.


The chapel interior boasts intricate carvings, beautiful sculptures and tombs of past sovereigns.


It was quite an experience to see the stunning fan vaulted ceiling too!

Note that the chapel is closed to visitors on Sundays as services are held throughout the day. However, worshippers are welcome to attend the services.

St George’s Chapel was my last stop in Windsor Castle. In total, I spent about 90 minutes exploring the castle (excluding the time spent in the ticketing lobby).

Map of Windsor Castle


This is a rough map of Windsor Castle for your reference. You can click on the picture to enlarge it.

The Long Walk


After exiting the castle, I made my way to The Long Walk.

This beautiful tree-lined avenue runs between Windsor Castle and Windsor Great Park (a 5,000 acres Royal Park).

It took me less than 10 minutes to walk here from the castle.

First, I made my way to Park Street, and then I walked along this short street before exiting onto The Long Walk avenue.


It was really nice to visit this tranquil park! The air was fresh and crisp, and the surrounding greenery was lush and calming.


There were many locals strolling along the avenue with their families and pets.


I even saw a line of horse carriages travelling towards the castle! That was a really cool sight for a city dweller like me.

I highly recommend checking out The Long Walk, even though it may be slightly out of the way compared to the usual Windsor attractions.

After spending around 30 minutes here, I made my way back to Windsor town.

Exploring Windsor Town


Windsor is a charming English town with a lovely vintage vibe. It was nice to stroll around this small town for a while.


To my surprise, I realised that this bustling locale is actually home to many modern shops and restaurants.

I saw pubs, eateries, a McDonald’s, a Starbucks, and even a TK Maxx shop!


I was strolling along the street when a really enthusiastic staff beckoned me to enter his shop, the Fudge Kitchen.


This cosy shop sells hand-made fudge produced using traditional methods. The samples were delicious and I bought a few to eat on the train ride back to London.

I also bought several packets of “Drinking Fudge”, which is a sweet fudge mixture that can be drank with coffee or chocolate.

In total, I spent about 45 minutes exploring the town before going to my final stop in Windsor: Alexandra Gardens.

Alexandra Gardens


Alexandra Gardens is a small public garden home to a gazebo, benches and grassed areas.


River Thames runs alongside this garden, and I was surprised to see flocks of beautiful swans gracefully swimming down the river!

I recommend a quick stop at this pretty garden if you have time to spare. I only spent about 15 minutes here.

Going Back To London


From the garden, I walked for about 5 minutes back to Windsor & Eton Central station to catch the 2pm train back to London Paddington Station.

It was a quick train ride and I arrived back in London at 2.30pm!

Map of Windsor


This map lists down all the attractions I visited in Windsor for your easy reference.

Is It Worth Visiting Windsor Castle?


I really enjoyed my half day trip to Windsor Castle from London! It was a surreal experience to explore this majestic British royal castle, and I had fun visiting the various surrounding attractions too. It is also really easy and fast to come here by train. Therefore, Windsor Castle is definitely worth a visit! Some tourists like to combine their Windsor Castle visit with trips to Stonehenge and Bath, but I do not recommend this because it would be too rushed.

Windsor Castle
Address: Windsor SL4 1NJ, United Kingdom
Website: www.rct.uk/visit/windsor-castle
Opening Hours*: | Mar to Oct: daily 10am to 5.15pm | Nov to Feb: daily 10am to 4.15pm |
*last admission 75 minutes before closing

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