Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle sits 40km west of London in Berkshire and is one of the easiest day trips from the capital, reachable in about 35 minutes via GWR from Paddington (changing at Slough) or 55 minutes direct on South Western Railway from Waterloo. An early train allows arrival before the castle opens at 10am, useful for beating tour-group crowds at the ticket gates. The morning is best spent inside the castle itself, the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world and a working royal residence: the State Apartments display artwork from the Royal Collection, while Queen Mary's Dolls' House offers a miniature glimpse of 1920s craftsmanship. St George's Chapel, burial place of ten monarchs including Henry VIII and, more recently, Queen Elizabeth II, is included in standard admission and worth allowing at least 45 minutes. Visitors timing their trip for late morning can often catch the Changing of the Guard ceremony, held most days in summer and on alternate days in winter, in the Castle's Lower Ward. By early afternoon, lunch options cluster along Windsor's High Street and around the Guildhall, with pubs and cafes serving traditional British fare. The afternoon suits a walk through Windsor Great Park along the Long Walk, a three-mile avenue leading toward the Copper Horse statue, or a short stroll across the Thames footbridge to Eton College, whose playing fields and chapel are visible from the public riverside path even without a tour booking. Windsor suits a visit in any season given its indoor castle attractions, though summer brings the daily Changing of the Guard and busier crowds, while a winter visit offers a quieter castle interior and shorter queues.