LONDON WEEKEND BREAKS - Windsor castle

Windsor castle doubles as being the world’s oldest and biggest castle to still have full time residents. It is an official home of the British monarch and it is occupied 365 days of the year by staff and employees of the Queen. The queen and other members of the royal family also reside in the castle when in England, but not at Buckingham Palace. It is regarded as one of the monarchs three principal residences.

Many parts of Windsor castle are open to the public and this one thousand year old piece of British heritage covers almost 13 acres in total. The castle itself occupies almost 45,000 sq metres. It is also the place of internment for ten previous Kings and Queens and it holds many valuable treasures and collections.

The castle is imposing and extensive from the outside and sumptuous and luxuriant internally. It is still used for many state banquets and as a place of entertainment and hospitality for visiting heads of state.

The main castle attractions include the State Rooms (when open), the drawing gallery, St George's chapel and Queen Mary’s dolls house. But it is the buildings as a whole that impress and the site is still worth a visit even if the state rooms are not included in the tour.

Opening times vary during the course of the year, as do the sections of the building to which visitors have access. Several important state rooms are only included in the castle tour during the winter months.

Current events

From May 2009 to March 2010 there is a King Henry VIII 500 anniversary tour running at Windsor castle.

This tour includes a presentation, some refreshments and an exploration of the castle with this monarchs reign as the guiding feature.

The grounds of Windsor castle also play host to a number of annual musical events.


Information about entry fees and location can be found further down this page.


Location and entry cost



An adult ticket was around £14.50 with a child’s ticket costing £9.00 (although these prices may have been reduced). However we believe that the London pass includes this attraction.

The castle is located at Windsor, Berkshire, SL4 1NJ, and requires a connection from central London.