Windsor Castle: how to visit it properly

Windsor Castle is the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world, founded by William the Conqueror in the eleventh century and still, remarkably, a working royal residence used by the King. That last part matters more than it sounds: this is not a museum piece dressed up for tourists, it is a live building with a Constable of the Castle, a resident chapter of clergy, and a working relationship with the monarchy that goes back nine centuries. Get your visit right and you feel that; get it wrong and you will spend an expensive afternoon shuffling through a gift shop wondering what the fuss was about.

What you are actually paying to see

A standard ticket gets you into the Castle Precincts, the State Apartments, and St George's Chapel, and each does something different. The State Apartments are the reason to come: state and semi-state rooms hung with works from the Royal Collection, including pieces by Holbein, Van Dyck and Rubens, plus the almost absurdly detailed Queen Mary's Dolls' House, which is worth the queue on its own. St George's Chapel is the other headline act, a working chapel rather than a static exhibit, and I would argue the more moving of the two if you give it the time it deserves. Between the two, and the walk across the precincts itself, you are covering roughly nine centuries of continuous royal use in one visit, which is not something you can say about many places in England.

St George's Chapel: mind the timing trap

This is where careless planning catches people out. St George's Chapel was begun in 1475, it is the home of the Order of the Garter, and it is the burial place of eleven monarchs, including Henry VIII and Elizabeth II. It is genuinely one of the most important religious buildings in the country, and yet visitors routinely miss it because they linger too long in the State Apartments first. The chapel closes its doors to visitors at 4pm daily, and it is closed to visitors altogether on Sundays, when it reverts to services only (you can attend evensong at 17:15 as a member of the congregation, but that is a different experience to a visit and comes with its own etiquette). If you are planning a Sunday trip to Windsor, build this into your plans rather than discovering it at the gate. On any other day, do the chapel earlier rather than later; it is easy to assume you have plenty of time and then find the doors shutting on you with the State Apartments still half explored.

The Changing of the Guard: worth timing around, not worth building a trip around

The Changing of the Guard is one of those things everyone has heard of and few people understand properly. At Windsor it takes place inside the Castle grounds, led by a military band, and lasts about forty five minutes, which immediately tells you the important bit: you need a Castle ticket to see it, it is not a free spectacle on the street outside as it can be elsewhere. The schedule shifts through the year, running on most days in spring and early summer and dropping to around three days a week from August onwards, and it can be cancelled at short notice for bad weather or a state event. Do not build your whole day around catching it. Instead, check the Household Division's live schedule for your actual travel date before you go, and treat it as a pleasant bonus if the timing works out rather than the main event.

Tickets, timing and booking ahead

Adult admission runs upwards of £30, and I would not quote a firmer figure than that because prices move; check the current price before you go rather than trusting anything you read here or elsewhere as gospel. What I will say firmly is that you should book online in advance. Timed entry tickets are cheaper and quicker to get hold of online than at the gate, queuing on the day is a poor use of a morning in Windsor, and advance booking also protects you against turning up on a day when the Castle has restricted capacity. If you would rather have someone else handle the logistics, or want a guided tour or skip the line option, the Castle is also bookable through GetYourGuide and Viator. Whichever route you choose, allow at least an hour and a half to two hours for the visit itself; rushing it undersells both the State Apartments and the chapel.

Accessibility, the hill, and a genuine caveat

Windsor Castle sits on high ground, and that is not a minor detail: expect gradients, cobbles and stairs throughout the precincts, which can make for tiring going even for able bodied visitors in the wrong shoes. There is a Changing Places accessible toilet on site, and the Royal Collection Trust publishes detailed mobility access information, which is worth reading in advance if accessibility is a concern for you or anyone travelling with you, since the terrain genuinely varies across the site. The one honest caveat that applies to everyone: the Castle can close at short notice for state occasions, so it is worth checking its status before you travel, particularly if you are coming from any distance.

Getting there and the practical wrap up

Windsor is well served by rail: both Windsor & Eton Central and Windsor & Eton Riverside stations are a three to five minute walk from the Castle, so there is little reason to drive if you can avoid it. Book your timed entry ticket online in advance, arrive with St George's Chapel front of mind rather than as an afterthought, check the Changing of the Guard schedule for your date without relying on it, and give yourself at least an hour and a half once you are through the gates. Do that and Windsor Castle earns its reputation properly, as a living building rather than a box to tick on the way to somewhere else.