Windsor is roughly an hour from London Waterloo by direct train, or a little over half an hour from Paddington with a change at Slough. That makes it the shortest of the classic day trips out of London, and the one where the travelling costs you least. It suits anyone who wants a working royal castle, a river and a very large park in a single day.
Everything in this plan is walkable from the station, with the exception of the far end of the Long Walk, which is a proper walk in its own right.
Is it worth a day trip?
Yes, particularly if your main interest is Windsor Castle. It is the oldest occupied castle in the world, the State Apartments and St George's Chapel are both substantial, and two to three hours inside is normal rather than generous.
The honest limitation is that Windsor town is small. Once you have seen the castle, the chapel and the Guildhall, the rest of the day is the river, Eton across the bridge and the park. That is a pleasant afternoon, but it is not a dense one, and if you want museums you would be better off elsewhere.
Two things to check before fixing a date. St George's Chapel is closed to visitors on Sundays because services run through the day, so a Sunday trip loses one of the two main sights. Changing the Guard takes place at eleven on selected days, weather permitting, and not on Sundays; the schedule varies and is published by the Royal Collection Trust.
Getting there
South Western Railway runs direct trains from London Waterloo to Windsor and Eton Riverside, taking around an hour. Great Western Railway runs the alternative from London Paddington to Windsor and Eton Central, changing at Slough onto the short branch line, which is quicker overall at roughly thirty five minutes depending on the connection. Tickets come from either operator or a national rail retailer.
Both stations are a few minutes from the castle entrance, so no onward transport is needed. Coaches also run from London and take longer. If you are driving, town centre parking fills early at weekends.
The day, hour by hour
10:00 Windsor Castle. Start at the castle, because it takes longer than people expect. The visitor route covers the Precincts, the State Apartments with their Rubens and Van Dyck paintings, and Queen Mary's Dolls' House, a scale model house built with working plumbing and a miniature library. Tickets are timed and include an audio guide.
12:00 St George's Chapel. Inside the castle walls, the chapel is one of the finest pieces of Perpendicular Gothic in England and the burial place of ten monarchs, Henry VIII and Elizabeth II among them. The stalls in the quire carry the banners and crests of the Knights of the Garter. Photography is not permitted inside.
13:00 Windsor Guildhall. Down the hill on the High Street, the Guildhall was completed in the late seventeenth century and finished by Christopher Wren. The columns in the open ground floor famously do not quite reach the ceiling. Public access varies, so check before you plan around it.
14:00 Eton. Cross the footbridge over the Thames into Eton and walk up the High Street, a run of small shops and old frontages leading to Eton College. Note that the college's heritage tours are not running during its current programme of building works, so this is a walk past the chapel and School Yard rather than a visit inside. Check the college's own site if you want the current position.
15:30 the Long Walk. Back through town to the start of the tree-lined avenue that runs south from the castle, straight for roughly two and a half miles to the Copper Horse statue of George III on Snow Hill. Walking the full length and back takes around two hours, but even ten minutes up it gives you the view back to the castle that the avenue was built for.
16:30 Windsor Great Park. The Long Walk leads into the park, thousands of acres of ancient woodland, deer and open grass. The Savill Garden is at the southern end, though it is some distance away and has its own closing time. Otherwise simply walk until you want to turn round.
18:00 a boat trip on the Thames. Sightseeing boats run from the promenade beside Windsor Bridge, with short circular trips past Eton and the castle and longer ones upriver. Sailings are seasonal and the last departure moves with the light, so check the day's timetable when you arrive.
What to book ahead
Book Windsor Castle tickets in advance for a timed slot; it is the one thing on this day that sells out. Everything else can be decided when you get there. Confirm the Changing the Guard date and the chapel's opening on the Royal Collection Trust site before you travel.
Open this day trip in Tralendr
The plan keeps all seven stops in order with their times, and puts each one on a map, so you can see how close the castle, the bridge and the start of the Long Walk really are.
Open the Windsor day trip plan. It opens on a map without an account and can be edited freely: start at eleven for Changing the Guard, drop the boat trip out of season, or give the Long Walk the whole afternoon. Send the link to whoever is coming and they will see the same day.
The Oxford day trip from London is another short journey west and pairs well with this one. More routes are in all our day trips, and the planning method is in how to plan a day trip.