Hampton Palace or Windsor Castle

As a person with kids, Hampton Court Palace wins hands down. For a couple, it will depend on your interests.

Have you looked at their websites as they both give a good overview of what you can do etc?

I have looked at the websites but it didn't help me decide. As I said...I'd love to see both. I thought perhaps someone here might be able to offer some less than obvious reason to pick one over the other.

Hampton Court is most famously associated with Henry VIII, so if that's where your interests lie (mine do), I would pick Hampton Court.

I love both but it kind of depends on the experience you want. Here is my take:

Windsor: The Queen still lives at and entertains in Windsor. The chapel is amazing as are the state apartments. There is a special exhibit on Waterloo showing until January if anyone is a fan of that era. It's close by. The part you go in is very ummm...castle-y looking, lol.
https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/exhibitions/waterloo-at-windsor-1815-2015

Hampton Court: Walking from the train station and crossing the bridge over to Hampton Court I start hearing Handel's Water Music in my mind and think about people coming up river from London by barge. (I am not a musician or historian and I think the Water Music was actually played on the Thames in London, but this is what I think of!). It is an amazing palace with hundreds of different chimney pots. It feels very spread out to me and there is enough to see there for nearly a whole day. I love to walk thru the gardens which may not be at their best in October. They have a really old grape vine there...oldest in England, or Europe or the world...not sure but it's impressive! The train journey is a little longer.

Bottom line, if you are still undecided and all things being equal at the time, I would go by the weather. If the weather is gorgeous, I would go to Hampton Court. If the weather is not as nice, I would go with Windsor.

I enjoyed Hampton Court more.

We arrived not knowing they do period-based acting that involves visitors. I got roped into informing the prince that "there was to be no discussion about the god father" of his child. The prince was not very happy about that... lol

Theatrics aside, we were done with Windsor Castle in about an hour. Hampton Court can easily take half a day or more if you do everything there.

And Hampton Court has a maze!

Thank you for all your answers. I really appreciate the thoughtfulness that went into them. I guess the bottom line is that they are both very interesting and appealing and naturally its hard to choose. It seems, however, that the consensus is falling to Hamptom Court Palace, doesn't it? So...I'll pick that one! Easy after all!! Unless its a rainy, miserable day and then I think we'll go to the movies (aka cinema?).

Thanks again.

If the weather is bad don't waste your time going to the cinema. Try and go to a matinee performance at the theatre and see a play or musical. Leicester Square has a half price ticket office.

Alternatively, visit one of London's museums or galleries. Churchill's war rooms, The Imperial War Museum, Natural History Museum, British Museum, V and A, National Portrait Gallery, Tate Modern ...... and on it goes.

Mph - saying I would go to the cinema was my stupid idea of a joke - I would have to be um...daft? to spend even one minute of a 5 day trip to London in a movie. Although...I have to say that some of my favorite experiences traveling have been doing ordinary things in places that are not ordinary for me.

Anyway, I appreciate your suggestions. I did want to find out where London TKTS booth was so now I know! Thank you for the other suggestions too.