Visiting Windsor Castle - what to expect, make an informed visit (2024)

1 March - 31 October

Open Thursday - Monday. Timed admission slots - every 30 mins
First entry 10.00, last entry 16.00, closes 17.15

1 November to 28 February

Open Thursday - Monday. Timed admission slots - every 30 mins
First entry 10.00, last entry 15.00, closes 16.15

Changing of the Guard and closures

Changing of the Guard happens between 11am and 11.30am also adding to the morning rush. Many of the coach tours will commonly stay until around midday departing after the Changing of the Guard.

On Sundays St George's is closed for religious services. Access to the Chapel may be limited after 13.30, particularly on Saturdays.It is recommended to arrive early to avoid missing out.

Lastly, the castle may close for state visits and special occasions so do consult the Windsor Castle official website. This also states the days during the winter when Changing of the Guard takes place and seasonable closing times.

It follows that if you're an independent visitor during the summer months, a good strategy is to visit the other attractions of Windsor & Eton during the morning and visit the castle after lunch. Visitor numbers are also much higher at weekends than during the week (and as such tickets for these peak times are now a little more expensive).

During the winter months when there are no queues, the average visitor will take 90 minutes to two hours in the Castle, although the official Windsor Castle website suggest three hours or more.

At peak times during the summer there are often long queues to the entrance of the State Apartments.

On paying your admission you pass through airline style security where bags are put through an x-ray machine and you empty your pockets and pass through a detector door. Once through the security you pick up your audio phone at the kiosk opposite.

There is an information desk, toilets and gift shop here too. By the audio kiosk is a sign that details the times of the guided tours that day. It is from here these tours start.

Please note, the exit is from the main Windsor Castle Henry VII Gate, not the entrance with the ticket desks.

Multimedia guides

A multimedia guide is part of the admission price, available in ten languages.

The tour is introduced by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales and provides a lively commentary through the castle.

There is also a separate family multimedia guide for children aged 7-11, available in English.

You simply key in the number of the room or place you are in and a full commentary is given. There are many optional commentaries within some commentaries that go into great detail about individual items.

There are separate guides for those with hearing or sight loss.

In person guided tours

There are also classic guided tours that leave regularly from near the entrance on a schedule, and last around thirty minutes.

Photography

No photography or video recording is allowed within the State Apartments or St George's Chapel. Eating and drinking are not permitted in the State Apartments or St George's Chapel. You will be asked to place drinks and food in closed bags before being admitted to the castle. You can purchase bottled water at the Courtyard Shop at the beginning of your visit.

Many visitors like to time their visit so they can view the Changing of the Guard. This is very similar to that practiced in central London at Buckingham Palace or Horse Guards.

Changing of the Guard at Windsor usually takes place at 11am within the Castle grounds Mondays to Saturdays from April until the end of July and on alternate days for the rest of the year, weather permitting.

If you're not visiting the Castle you can still see the band marching through the town around 11am. The barracks is about 500m from the castle, the band passes the Guildhall and Old Town before turning into the castle at Queen Victoria's statue.

If you're in the Castle, congregate in the parade ground by the main exit in front of St George's Chapel.

The whole thing takes around thirty minutes here.

Most people after getting their introductions and briefings about the castle on their tour will make their way past the moat of the Round Tower (not open to the public) up to the north terrace. It is here that the entrance to the State Apartments is situated.

From the north terrace you gaze down to Windsor town below and get far reaching views of the surrounding countryside. Windsor town looks much smaller from up here.

2019 restoration and opening of the State Entrance Hall

In 2019 Windsor Castle went through an extended period of restoration of the inner Hall, formerly closed to the public. The Inner Hall (closed by Queen Victoria) leads visitors to the State Entrance Hall, where guests of the Crown are welcomed to Windsor, a magnificent welcoming area.

From the Inner Hall Visitors can visit the State Apartments, Semi-State Rooms and Queen Mary's Dolls' House. The Dolls' House is precisely what you'd expect, a single miniature dolls' house suitable for royalty complete with miniature crown jewels.

Much of the southern part of the State Apartments was destroyed by fire in 1992 and has been restored. Arguably your experience is much the better for it; some of the rooms that were beginning to look faded and antique now really do bring alive what the original rooms would have looked like on completion.

Such are the treasures that you can perhaps look at an obscure painting only to realise that your are inches from an original Rubens when looking at the information on it.

St George's Chapel is a working church with services every day. St. George's Chapel is open daily but closed to visitors on Sundays as services are held throughout the day. Worshipers are welcome to attend the services. The church also closes earlier than the rest of the castle to prepare for the evening service.

If you're entering the castle from early afternoon onwards it is worth making St George's your first port of call.

More recently, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's royal wedding was held in St George's Chapel. Another Royal wedding at Windsor followed shortly afterwards when Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank tied the knot in St George's Chapel.

Also within the chapel are the tombs of ten sovereigns, including Henry VIII and his third wife Jane Seymour, and Charles I. The Gothic architecture is particularly impressive, particularly the roof.

Perhaps most fascinating and differentiating the chapel from similar churches and abbeys is the Order of the Garter, the world's oldest national order of knighthood in continuous existence, with a history stretching back to King Edward III in medieval times.

Membership of the Order is extremely limited and includes the monarch of the United Kingdom, the Prince of Wales and not more than twenty-four companion members. St George's is home to the Order, as St. George is patron saint and also patron saint of soldiers and also of England. Members are each assigned a stall in the chapel choir above which his or her heraldic devices are displayed.

Q. Where is Windsor Castle?

A. Windsor Castle is situated in Berkshire in the South of England. It is in the town of Windsor which is twinned with Eton by the River Thames. The average journey times from London are around 60-90 minutes by coach and around an hour by train.

Q. How to get to Windsor Castle?

A. You can use one of the many tour operators from London and have all your travel needs taken care of for you. You can also travel independently from London by train using either Paddington or Waterloo main line stations to Windsor.

Q. How old is Windsor Castle?

A. Windsor Castle can be traced back to the 11th century with building work starting on the Castle around 1070.

Q. Who lives in Windsor Castle?

A. Windsor Castle has always been a working palace. Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II used Windsor Castle as her private home where she would usually spend the weekend and as an official Royal residence. There are also the staff living at Windsor Castle which includes the titular head of the Castle community, the Constable and Governor of Windsor Castle; the Dean of Windsor, Military Knights of Windsor, housekeepers and soldiers. There are roughly 150 people living at the Castle itself.

Q. Who owns Windsor Castle?

A. Windsor Castle is owned by the state/crown and belongs to the reigning monarch by virtue of their position.

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