Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle has been a royal fortress and home for nearly a thousand years, since William the Conqueror chose a chalk ridge above the Thames for a castle guarding the western approach to London. It is the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world, and it remains a working royal residence, which gives a visit an atmosphere no museum can copy: the Royal Standard flies when the King is in residence, guards change on a regular schedule, and the castle can close at short notice for state occasions. The visit centres on three highlights. The State Apartments, among the finest furnished rooms in the country, are hung with masterpieces from the Royal Collection by Rembrandt, Rubens, Van Dyck and others, and include St George's Hall and the Waterloo Chamber, restored after the 1992 fire. Queen Mary's Dolls' House, an astonishing miniature mansion built in the 1920s with working lights, plumbing and tiny books by real authors, delights adults as much as children. St George's Chapel, one of the great late-medieval Gothic buildings in England, is the spiritual home of the Order of the Garter and the burial place of many monarchs, among them Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth II. From roughly September to March the Semi-State Rooms, created for George IV, also open. Entry includes a multimedia guide. The castle is typically closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays outside the summer peak, and the chapel closes to sightseers on Sundays for worship, so plan your day accordingly.

Getting there is part of the plan. Trains run from London Paddington, changing at Slough, to Windsor and Eton Central, or direct from Waterloo to Windsor and Eton Riverside; either way the journey takes under an hour and both stations are a few minutes' walk from the castle. If you prefer not to organise anything, coach tours from Victoria combine Windsor with Stonehenge, Bath or Oxford, though they leave limited time at each stop. Going independently gives you the castle at your own pace plus time for the town of Windsor, the walk across the bridge to Eton and its famous college, and the Long Walk, the straight avenue that runs nearly three miles from the castle into Windsor Great Park.

Timing within the day: the admission centre is busiest in the morning, when tour groups arrive, so the official advice is that the afternoon can be calmer. Watch the Changing of the Guard if your day coincides with one; the schedule varies, so check it in advance. Allow at least three hours inside the castle, more if you linger in the State Apartments. There is no left-luggage storage on site, so travel light. St George's Chapel holds a choral Evensong that is open to worshippers and is a beautiful, free way to end the day if you can stay.

Windsor or Hampton Court? Windsor is the grander and more ceremonial experience, a living royal home with the Garter chapel and royal tombs, and its State Apartments are among the richest anywhere. Hampton Court is more about the Tudors, gardens and family fun. History lovers on a longer trip should do both. Book tickets online in advance, especially on weekends and in school holidays, and check the closure calendar before you travel, because state events can close the castle at short notice. If you want to make a weekend of it, Windsor has plenty of pubs and riverside hotels, and an evening by the Thames after the day crowds leave shows the town at its most charming.