Central Windsor and Eton

These places to see are all within the central area of Windsor or within Eton just across Windsor Bridge. They are all within easy walking distance of each other, the main shopping center and both railway stations.

• Windsor Castle, ☎ +44 (0)20 77667304 (bookinginfo@royalcollection.org.uk), [6]. Daily (for exceptions see website) 9:45AM-5:15PM (4.15PM Nov-Feb). The largest and oldest occupied castle in the world and still an official royal residence. Much of the castle, including the magnificent State Apartments and St Georges Chapel are visitable. The apartments are furnished with some of the finest works of art from the royal collection, including paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens, Canaletto and Gainsborough. £8-14.20.  edit

• Changing of the Guard, Windsor Castle, ☎ +44 (0)20 77667304 (bookinginfo@royalcollection.org.uk), [7]. Daily or every two days (see website) 11am (arrive early). The guards are stationed at Victoria Barracks and march up to and from the Castle accompanied by the guards band playing traditional military marches as well as popular songs. Free.  edit

• Guildhall, High Street (by Windsor Parish Church). Built by Sir Christopher Wren, it is famous for its pillars, which were insisted on by the towns burgesses, even though Wren insisted they were unnecessary. To make his point, he built the pillars but ensured a gap was left between them and the roof they apparently support.  edit

• Windsor Parish Church, High Street (by the Guildhall). St. John The Baptist, built 1822, replaced earlier Church edifices that stood since 1084 on the site, 80 meters from the Henry VIII gate of Windsor Castle. Peter Scheemakers, famous for his sculptures in Westminster Abbey, created a memorial to Topham Foote or Foot, son of Samuel Foote and Arabella Topham Foote, that greets visitors using the High Street entrance. The memorial includes the young man's bust and the Foote crest. A second Scheemakers' memorial honors Topham Foote's mother and her second husband Thomas Reeve. Most tourists consider The Last Supper by Francis Cleyn a must-view. The painting and the frame were fully restored in 2003 under the leadership of Churchwarden Michael Harding. George III gave the painting and frame to Windsor Parish Church after it hung nearly a century in St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle.  edit

• Eton College, Eton, ☎ +44 (0)1753 671177, [8]. March-early October, see website. See School Yard and the College Chapel (building started in 1441 and one of the finest examples of fifteenth century Perpendicular Gothic architecture). Walk around their extensive playing fields some of which are adjacent to the River Thames. Opening hours vary depending on time of year and school term; see 'Visits to Eton' topic on the Eton College website or see the website above. £3.45-£4.20.  edit

• Brocas Meadows, Eton, [9]. Just across Windsor Bridge. These attractive meadows offer a spectacular view across the river of Windsor and the Castle. Free.  edit

Surrounding Areas

These places to see are a little further out; some are accessible by longer walks, others will require the use of car, bike or public transport.

• Windsor Great Park, [10]. Daily sunrise-sunset. A huge parkland area behind the castle and which includes The Long Walk, which runs from Windsor Castle past Old Windsor's western perimeter to the Copper Horse statue, Virginia Water lake and Savill Gardens (below). Whilst some outer parts of the park are accessible by car, walking shows you more but be aware that from Windsor Castle, down the Long Walk and on to Virginia Water at the far side of the park is 5 miles. Free.  edit
• Savill Gardens, (within Windsor Great Park 4 miles from Windsor; grid reference SU977707), ☎ 847518, [11]. Mar-Oct M-Su 10AM-6PM, Nov-Feb M-Su 10AM-4PM. The Savill Gardens are a temperate woodland gardens renowned for its rhododendrons and spring borders. £5.50 (adults), £5 (seniors), £2.50 (children); these prices apply Apr-May and are discounted at other times of year..  edit
• Legoland Windsor, Winkfield Road (2 miles south east of Windsor on the B3022; grid reference SU942745), ☎ +44 (0)8705 040404, [12]. Apr-Oct M-Su 10AM-5PM. Strictly for the kids, this is a Lego brick themed amusement park. Accessible by shuttle bus from central Windsor (call number above for details). £18-22 (adult); £17-19 (child).  edit
• Runnymede, Windsor Road, Old Windsor (6 miles east of Windsor on the A308; grid reference TQ007720), ☎ +44 (0)1784 432891, [13]. Accessible by road or catch First bus 41 (runs approximately every 30 minutes M-Sa only; alight at the Bells of Ouzely pub; see Get Around above for bus company details). Runnymede is an attractive area of riverside meadows, grassland and broad-leaved woodland and rich in flora and fauna; albeit somewhat disturbed by a rather busy road. Perhaps more importantly it was on this site, in 1215, that King John sealed the Magna Carta. Because of its historical connections, Runnymede is the site of several memorials amongst the trees of the slopes of Coopers Hill:  edit
• Air Forces Memorial, Runnymede. Commemorates the men and women of the Allied Air Forces who died during the Second World War and records the names of the 20,456 airmen who have no known grave. From the top of the tower visitors can see long views over Windsor, the surrounding counties and, somehow appropriately, aircraft taking off and landing at Heathrow. [14]  edit
• John F. Kennedy Memorial, Runnymede. The British memorial to the assassinated US president consists of a Portland Stone memorial inscribed with the famous quote from his inaugural address 'Let every Nationa know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend or oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and success of liberty'. Visitors reach the memorial by treading a steep path of irregular granite steps, intended to symbolise a pilgrimage.  edit
• Magna Carta Memorial, Runnymede. A domed classical temple built by by the American Bar Association and containing a pillar of English granite on which is inscribed 'To commemorate Magna Carta, symbol of Freedom Under Law'.  edit

By plane

Windsor and Eton is well served by London's collection of airports and actually under the flight-path of Heathrow. For travellers coming directly to Windsor, the most convenient (in reducing order of convenience) are:

• Heathrow Airport is about 8 miles drive straight down the M4 (westbound) motorway. Alternatively the First bus route 77 and First bus route 71 both connect Heathrow Terminal 5 and Windsor, the former quicker routing via Slough and the latter via Staines. They both leave approximately every half hour taking about 35 - 55 minutes.
• Gatwick Airport is about an hour's drive away via the M23 (northbound), M25 (clockwise), and M4 (westbound) motorways. With no through train or bus service, your best bet by public transport is to take the train into London and then follow the directions under Get In By Train below.
• Stansted Airport is about 90 minutes drive away via the M11 (southbound), M25 (anti-clockwise) and M4 (westbound) motorways. With no through train or bus service, your best bet by public transport is to take the train into London and then follow the directions under Get In By Train below.

By train

In Windsor and Eton there are two railway stations [2] (08457 48 49 50). Both stations are within walking distance of each other and Windsor Castle. Assuming that you will be coming from London the choice of which route to use probably comes down to how far from Waterloo and Paddington stations you will stay. Depart from the nearest.

• From London Waterloo take any train to Windsor & Eton Riverside (two per hour, journey time approximately 1 hour).
• From London Paddington or Reading take any train to Slough. Change at Slough for the connecting rail service to Windsor & Eton Central.

By bus

• From London (Buckingham Palace Road, Victoria): Greenline [3] coach 700/701/702 (journey time approximately 1 hour).

• From London (Heathrow Airport): First [4] 77 (journey time approximately 40 minutes).

By car

Windsor is served by the M4 motorway (US English:freeway) which runs from London to Bristol and South Wales. It is about an hour's drive from central London. The best junction to use is J6.

Park and ride facilities are available at 2 sites, see National Park and Ride Directory

If you are planning to do any visiting or exploring beyond central Windsor and Eton, you will probably want to obtain a decent map of the area. You should ensure that any map you buy clearly shows the national grid reference lines, and explains how to use them, as grid references are frequently used to indicate out of town locations. For driving or cycling, Ordnance Survey [5] Landranger 175 (scale 1:50000) covers Windsor and to the west, including all the places mentioned below except Runnymede and Ordnance Survey Landranger 176 (scale 1:50000) covers the area to the east, including Runnymede. For walking, Ordnance Survey Explorer 160 (scale 1:25000).

By foot

Neither Windsor nor Eton is desperately large and walking is a good way around the central area. For example it will take you no more than 15 minutes to walk from Eton College Chapel to Windsor Castle. Several streets, including Windsor Bridge and Peascod Street (the main shopping street) are pedestrianised. Short walk in central Windsor using map with pop-up images

By bus

Windsor has a reasonable bus service, both within the town and to the surrounding area, although frequencies can be quite low with little service in the evenings or on Sunday.

• First Berkshire, telephone +44 (0)1753 524144, provides most bus services in the area.
• Traveline, telephone 087-608-2-608 from within the UK, provide an impartial online travel planner and telephone query service for all local bus services.

By car

Neither Windsor nor Eton is big enough to get really congested, although traffic delays can be severe on summer weekend mornings and evenings, when Legoland is popular, and on evenings when there is horse-racing at Windsor racecourse. One issue that you may find in driving around Windsor and Eton is that Windsor Bridge is for pedestrians only. To get between Windsor and Eton requires you to drive out to the Windsor by-pass, cross the river on that, then go most of the way into Slough before taking the old Windsor Road from that town back into Eton; it is easily quicker to walk.

It is important to remember in Windsor that it is most definitely not a "clone-town". Therefore it does not offer an entirely Shopping Centre based retail experience. It is more based around Peascod Street (the high street), King Edward Court, Thames Street and the Royal Train Station. In this case it has many, many different mixtures of independant fashion botiques such as Michael Chell, Coco etc; and of course large retail chains such as Woolworths, Monsoon and so on. It also has a variety of specialist retailers such as Molton Brown, Hotel Chocolat (extremely tasty handmade chocolate), Havana House Fine Cigar Merchants and Oil and Vinegar to name a few. There a far too many different shops that a visitor can step into, so they are not all named, instead take a walk through the places listed previously and enjoy the atmosphere of one of the most beautiful towns in England.

• Windsor Royal Train Station Shopping Centre, Goswell Hill, Windsor (opposite castle, near Windsor & Eton Central railway station), [22]. M-Sa 10AM-6PM Su 11AM-5PM. Shops, cafes and restaurants.  edit
• Windsor Royal Farm Shop, Datchet Road, Old Windsor, ☎ +44 (0)1753 623800, [23]. M-Sa 9AM-5PM Su 10AM-4PM.  edit
• King Edward Court Shopping Centre (Brand new shopping complex), King Edward Court, Windsor. which I must say IS amazing. This brand new concade offers a careful selection of clothes and food. The new offering includes Zara, New Look, Top Shop, H&M and a Waitrose Supermarket.  edit
• Fenwick (Ladies', up-market fashion and cosmetics store. Also includes a good quality café.), 10-11 King Edward Court.  edit

There are lots of places to eat in and around Windsor & Eton, and a good way to find one is simply to keep your eyes open as you visit. The prices are estimates for a meal including drinks and tips.

• Browns Restaurant & Bar, The Promenade, Windsor, ☎ 831976, [24]. With views across the Thames, this famous listed building offers a good atmosphere and quality food and drink. £~25..  edit
• Cornucopia Bistro, High Street, Windsor (opposite the Guildhall), ☎ 833009, [25]. £~20.  edit
• Gilbey's Bar & Restaurant, High Street, Eton, ☎ 854921, [26]. lunchtimes from noon, evenings from 6pm. Well known for fine wines and cuisine. The bistro and bar overlooks the High Street, whilst the conservatory restaurant adjoins the courtyard garden at the rear. £~30.  edit
• Hong Kong, Alexandra Road, Windsor (near Victoria Barracks), ☎ 859979. Chinese.  edit
• Carluccio's. The Royal Train Station, Windsor (nearest to the new shopping development) This restaurant gives a superb offering of modern Italian food, with the menu being decided by Antonio Carluccio himself. Prices range from £20 - £30 a head.  edit
• Cafe Rouge, Royal Train Station (Main entrance,opposite the Castle).  edit
• Wagamama's, Royal Train Station Entrance, ☎ +44 (0)1753 833 105, [27]. opening hours: M-Sa 12PM-11PM Su 12PM-10PM. £10 a head.  edit
• Al Fassia (Excellent award winning Morrocan food), 27 St Leonards Road, Windsor, ☎ 01753 855370.  edit
• Gourmet Burger Kitchen (The name says it all), Royal Train Station (concourse area), ☎ 01753 857814.  edit
• Ha! Ha! Bar and Canteen (Very stylish venue, offering food by day and entertainment at night), Royal Train Station.  edit
• Nando's (Portuguese peri-peri chicken house, with many other food varieties on offer), 10 Thames Street, Windsor, ☎ 01753 856993.  edit
• Windsor Great Perk (Great independant Coffee House), Royal Train Station (Concourse area).  edit
• Caffe Nero (Nationwide coffee chain, very good coffee), Royal Train Station (Concourse area).  edit
• The Golden Curry (Delicious and authentic Indian cuisine), High Street, Eton.  edit

• Vansittart Arms, Vansittart Road. Though it does get busy, it has nice outside seating.  edit
• Carpenter's Arms, (near the Guildhall). Very friendly publicans!  edit