Hi folks!
Looking for feedback on 1) travel time (via train) from London to Windsor on Oct 5 (do tickets need to be booked ahead of time?) 2) amount of time to spend in Windsor on a day trip (could you go early and be back by late afternoon and not feel rushed?) 3) any must see/ do activities in Windsor?
Thank you in advance!
Depending on the exact train you catch, and the waiting time at Slough (where you change trains) it takes between 28 and 49 minutes from Paddington to Windsor and Eton Central, or 53 minutes from Waterloo to Windsor and Eton Riverside.
Apart from the Castle I also recommend a boat trip on French Brothers boats.
I’ll just add you don’t need to buy your train tickets ahead and you can use your contactless CC on the turnstiles. You do need to remember to tap out in Windsor but there are big reminder signs as you get to the end of the platform.
You’ll need to get tickets ahead to enter Windsor Castle.
We enjoyed strolling down the Long Walk after touring Windsor Castle. Also had tea at The Crooked House, but apparently it's no longer a tea house.
Note that you only use contactless payment on the route from Paddington. For the Waterloo route you need to get train tickets. You can’t use an Oyster card on either route.
1) Train: two options, Paddington to Windsor & Eton Central, requires change in Slough (45 mins); or Waterloo to Windsor & Eton Riverside direct (1 hr). Go with whichever London station is most convenient to you. Advance tickets not required.
2) You can certainly go early morning and be back by supper and not feel rushed.
3) In a day, you can really only do two things: Windsor Castle, and either a walk around the town, or a walk across the river to tour Eton College. I did the latter and found Eton fascinating.
Thank you all - this is great information. I think we are for certain going to add Windsor to our plans.
And thank you for the specific train information!! Much appreciated as it has been 5 years sine we've been in London -- we will be staying near the mews of Buckingham Palace -- so it looks like Paddington would be the closest station? Are we able to take a train from St James or Green Park to Paddington?
And I haven't had a chance to research online - so I'll ask all the wise folks here - are there frequent trains to Windsor? I am going to book our Castle entry tickets today and want to be sure I plan enough travel time based on our entry time ...
We will definitely do Windsor Castle, the French Brothers Riverboat seemed like a nice option as well for post castle tour.
Trains on both routes are every 30 minutes.
St James' Park is the tube station to use for Paddington- 8 stops on the Circle line
Green Park is the station to use for Waterloo- 2 stops southbound on the Jubilee line.
To me Waterloo is the closer and the easier as there is no change, BUT it is an uphill walk from Riverside Station to the station, however as the name suggests it is closer to the boats.
Central Station is more or less flat to the Castle, but it would be uphill after the boat!
To me there is nothing in it, route or time wise. It is personal preference. My preference will always be Riverside (from Waterloo), the overwhelming preference of the forum is Central (from Paddington).
On the Riverside route you can also take a District line train westbound to Richmond, and join the Riverside line train there;
or a Victoria line train from Green Park to Vauxhall (3 stops), and join the Windsor bound train there
If you do either route you will be paying a tube or bus fare to get to the London end station. I prefer Paddington to Central via Slough - faster and cheaper. And you don't have the slog up into Windsor from Riverside around the castle walls. Come out of Central and it is just right in front of you. Sort of like your first view of the Grand Canal in Venice from the train station when you arrive there.
