Windsor Castle Tickets

Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle was begun by William the Conqueror in the 1070s and has been a royal residence ever since, making it the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world. Its towers, walls and the Round Tower on the mound dominate the town and the Thames valley. Anyone planning a Windsor Castle tour will find it is both a fortress and a lived-in royal palace, used by the monarch for state events and weekends.

Because it is a working residence, parts of the castle can close at short notice for official events, so opening days and hours change. Check the date and time on the booking panel. After a serious fire in 1992, the damaged rooms were carefully restored, and you can see the results in the State Apartments.

The State Apartments

The State Apartments are the grand rooms used for official entertaining, filled with paintings, furniture, armour and porcelain from the Royal Collection. Highlights include St George's Hall, with its great wooden roof and the shields of the Knights of the Garter, and the Waterloo Chamber, lined with portraits of leaders who defeated Napoleon.

Your multimedia guide explains the works of art, from Rubens and Van Dyck to Holbein, as you walk the route. Queen Mary's Dolls' House is another favourite, a miniature palace built in the 1920s with tiny electric lights and working plumbing.

St George's Chapel

St George's Chapel is one of the finest examples of late medieval Gothic architecture in England, with a fan-vaulted ceiling and carved choir stalls. It is the spiritual centre of the Order of the Garter and the burial place of ten monarchs, including Henry VIII with Jane Seymour, Charles I and, more recently, Queen Elizabeth II, who rests in the King George VI Memorial Chapel.

The default option on this page includes access to the chapel. On Sundays the chapel is closed to sightseers because of religious services, so a separate Sunday option exists, which gives entry to the castle without the chapel.

Getting to Windsor and planning your day

Getting to Windsor Castle from London is simple: trains run from Paddington (with a change at Slough) to Windsor and Eton Central in about 30 minutes, and from Waterloo to Windsor and Eton Riverside in about 55 minutes. Both stations are a short walk from the castle entrance.

Allow around two to three hours for the castle. Combine it with a walk in the old town of Windsor, the Long Walk to Windsor Great Park or a stroll along the river to Eton. Changing of the Guard takes place on selected days, so check the schedule if you would like to see it.