Tips for navigating the castle, grounds, and nearby attractions
Windsor Castle is an actual working royal residence, and the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world. It is still regularly used by the monarchy after nearly 1,000 years which creates a visiting experience unlike most historic buildings; you’re touring the King’s office and occasional home.
As a living royal palace, it hosts state occasions whilst being open to visitors, offering something genuinely unique. It showcases and upholds traditions established centuries ago, and gives insight into how the British monarchy operates in the twenty-first century.
After operating countless tours of Windsor Castle over the years, we’ve learned that a bit of practical knowledge makes a big difference to how much you enjoy and understand this remarkable piece of living, working British history.
When Does The Royal Standard Fly?
If the Royal Standard (the monarch’s personal flag) is flying rather than the Union Jack (the familiar flag of Britain), it means the King is currently in residence. This doesn’t prevent visiting, but it does mean certain areas might be restricted and you’re sharing the castle with actual royalty, which adds a certain excitement to the experience.
The castle operates as a working palace for state occasions, official entertaining, and weekend residence. This living quality makes Windsor special, and a trip to the historic building means you are sharing space with royalty!
Does Windsor Castle Get Crowded?
Windsor attracts over 1.5 million visitors annually, and most tend to arrive between late morning and early afternoon. If you can manage an early arrival right when the castle opens, you’ll experience the State Apartments and St George’s Chapel with manageable numbers without the large crowds.
Going in the early morning means you can pause to examine the extraordinary art collection without being jostled, appreciate the furnishing and architectural details, and move through rooms at your own pace rather than being swept along by crowd flow.
Windsor Castle requires several hours to view properly and if you’re combining Windsor with other Best UK Tours we will factor this into planning. During our carefully curated tours, we allow enough time for castle exploration plus any other locations that you may have added on.
What Can I See During My Visit?
St George’s Chapel
This is one of England’s finest examples of Perpendicular Gothic architecture, the spiritual home of the Order of the Garter (Britain’s oldest order of chivalry), and the burial place of ten monarchs including Henry VIII, Charles I, and most recently Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. The fan vaulting demonstrates medieval craftsmanship at its peak; choir stalls display the coats of arms of Knights of the Garter dating back centuries. Side chapels contain monuments to monarchs and nobility spanning across 500 years.
Photography isn’t allowed inside the chapel, which disappoints some visitors, but the lack of cameras encourages proper observation. Look up at the ceiling and examine the carved details, read the inscriptions on the monuments, and marvel at the ancient construction. St George’s Chapel rewards attention in ways that photographs just can’t quite capture.
The State Apartments
The State Apartments are open to visitors and they represent only a portion of Windsor Castle’s 1,000 rooms, but what you can visit is spectacular. These spaces are still used for official functions, and are furnished and decorated to current royal preferences. See The Grand Reception Room, the Waterloo Chamber, created to celebrate victory over Napoleon (Take that, Boney!), and St George’s Hall to understand the scale at which royalty operates.
Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House is a spectacular miniature palace complete with working electricity, running water, and tiny wine bottles filled with actual vintage wines, delights visitors of all ages. It’s whimsical but also demonstrates the extraordinary craftsmanship of Windsor in miniature. Art collections include works that you’d travel to see in major museums, and they are all displayed here as decoration in working palace rooms. Windsor’s plasterwork and painted ceilings often get overlooked by visitors focused on the furniture and paintings at eye level. Taking a moment to look up reveals extraordinary craftsmanship and artistic ambition.
Windsor Castle Grounds
Windsor Castle’s grounds are not as extensive as some country estates, but they provide pleasant walking and excellent views. The East Terrace Garden offers beautiful plantings and perspectives of the castle’s exterior architecture. The Long Walk is a magnificent tree-lined avenue extending three miles from the castle to the copper horse statue of George III, and creates dramatic views back toward Windsor. As a public right of way it’s popular with locals for walking and jogging, and experiencing it provides context about Windsor as a living community rather than just a tourist destination.
The Changing of the Guard ceremony happens on selected days, usually Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. It’s less crowded than the guard change at Buckingham Palace, but it is equally traditional and the ceremonial spectacle adds a bit of theatrical pageantry.
Can I Combine Windsor Castle With Other Tours?
While Windsor Castle requires several hours to view properly, there is still enough time to combine your visit with other popular tourist spots. Our tours are designed to help you get the most from Britain and we offer combined tours so you can maximise your time here.
Windsor Castle and the historic city of Bath will provide a glimpse into Roman life in Britain and the ancient Roman Baths are an engineering marvel. For those who like a more active, outdoor experience, a trip to Stonehenge and the Salisbury Plain provides a wonderful walkable, countryside tour. It will give you the chance to see the 25 ton stones and ponder what the site was used for (no-one truly knows). If you are a history buff, then adding a visit to Hampton Court (the former palace of serial husband, Henry VIII) with its Tudor heritage, maze, and stunning gardens will be sure to impress.
Ready to experience Royal British history? Contact Best UK Tours to book your historic Windsor Castle tour and step 1000 years back in time.
