This guide is for you if you have half a day in London and want to spend it on Windsor Castle, with Eton and Runnymede on the same run. It covers the choices that shape the day: which day of the week, morning or afternoon, what to book, and what each of the three stops is really like on the ground.
Pick the day of the week first
The day you choose matters more here than on most of our tours. Windsor Castle is closed to visitors on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. It opens Thursday to Monday, all year. As a working royal palace it can also close on other days, sometimes at short notice, so we check your date when you book.
Sunday changes the visit too. St George's Chapel is not part of the visit on Sundays, when it is open only for worship. The chapel is where Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth II are buried, so if that is the reason you are going, book a Monday, Thursday, Friday or Saturday.
The guard at Windsor changes on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 11:00, weather permitting, and takes about 45 minutes. It happens inside the castle precincts, so you need a castle ticket to watch it. With the castle shut on Tuesdays, Thursday and Saturday are the realistic days. When the King is in residence the ceremony moves to the Castle Forecourt. The schedule changes, so tell us your date and we will check it.
Morning or afternoon
The tour starts at 07:00 or 13:00. The morning start is the one that fits the castle's hours. You stop at Runnymede first, then Eton, and you reach the castle at around 10:00, as it opens. On a Thursday or a Saturday that also puts you inside before the guard change at 11:00.
The afternoon start needs more thought. Last admission to the castle is 16:00 from March to October and 15:00 from November to February. With a 13:00 pick-up, the castle has to come first, and Eton and Runnymede follow it. In winter the light goes early, and Runnymede's car park closes at dusk from October to February. If you can only do the afternoon between November and February, tell us when you book and we will plan the order with you.
How long each stop needs
The castle takes the longest. The local tourist board suggests allowing two and a half to three hours to see everything, and that is close to the time the tour gives it. You see the State Apartments, which are still used for state occasions, and St George's Chapel. Entrance is not included, so you buy your own ticket.
Eton is shorter. You walk the High Street, see the college from outside, and cross the footbridge over the Thames into Windsor. Do not plan on going inside the college: Eton has suspended its Heritage Tours during building works, so check its site. Its museums have opened to the public on Sunday afternoons.
Runnymede is open ground by the river, managed largely by the National Trust. The Magna Carta Memorial, a domed classical temple, was put up in 1957 by the American Bar Association. Up the slope is the Kennedy Memorial, a seven-tonne block of Portland stone on land given to the United States in 1965, reached by fifty cobbled steps. At the top of Cooper's Hill, the Air Forces Memorial names over 20,000 airmen of the Second World War who have no known grave. The meadows can be wet and muddy, and the climb to Cooper's Hill is steep.
By train, or with a driver
Windsor is easy by train, and it is fair to say so. From London Paddington you change at Slough for a six-minute branch line to Windsor and Eton Central, about 35 minutes in all. You can also take the Elizabeth line to Slough. From London Waterloo, direct trains reach Windsor and Eton Riverside in about 55 minutes. Oyster cards are not valid beyond Feltham on the Waterloo line.
If the castle is all you want, the train does the job. What the car adds is the door-to-door run from your hotel and the two other stops. Runnymede is out at Old Windsor, not in the town, and Eton is easier to fit in when someone else is watching the clock for the castle. Because the vehicle is yours, the order can change on the day. The price depends on the size of your group; see it on the tour page.
What to book and bring
- Your castle ticket. The official advice is to book in advance to guarantee entry, and advance tickets cost less than tickets on the day. Book it for the date of your tour, and keep the confirmation on your phone.
- A small bag. You pass through an airport-style security check on the way in.
- Shoes for grass and a hill. The castle sits at the top of a steep hill, much of the visit is outdoors, and Runnymede's meadows can be wet and muddy.
- A layer and a rain jacket. Between the meadows, the footbridge and the castle precincts, you spend a good part of the morning outside.
- Money or a card for a drink. Runnymede has tea rooms, and Windsor has plenty of places once the castle is done.
Who it suits, and who should think twice
It suits a short stay, a first trip out of London, or a day when you want to be back in the city by lunchtime. It also works on the day you leave, if your flight is in the evening: you are dropped at your hotel or wherever you want to be, and our airport transfers can take it from there.
- Limited mobility. The castle says it is accessible, with a free companion ticket for an access companion, but distances are long and the approach is steep. Runnymede's steps and slopes are harder. Tell us when you book and we will keep the stops to what works.
- You only have a Tuesday or a Wednesday. The castle will be closed. Our central London tour is a better use of that day.
- You want a full day out. Windsor combines with Stonehenge or with Oxford as a full day. Ask us, or look at the Stonehenge and Oxford day.
Our guide to day trips from London puts all five London tours side by side.
Questions people ask
Can we see the Changing of the Guard?
On Thursdays and Saturdays, if the weather allows and the ceremony is on. You need to be inside the castle, so book your ticket for when it opens. We check the schedule for your date.
Is St George's Chapel open on a Sunday?
Not for visitors. It is open for worship only. Choose another day if the chapel is the point of the trip.
Can we go into Eton College?
Not on this tour. You see it from the High Street and the river.
Can we cancel?
Yes. Cancel up to 24 hours before pick-up and you are refunded in full. See our cancellation page.
Booking the morning
Check the day of the week, book your castle ticket for the opening hour, and pack for a wet meadow. The rest, from your hotel door to Runnymede, Eton and back, is on the Windsor Castle private tour page, where you choose the start time and the size of your group.
