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Oxford and Windsor Castle in a day?

Posted by on

I wrote out a big long question and someone replied, but my topic was deleted! Ugh. Anyway, lets see if I can remember what I said. I will be in London for a week and I would like to get out of the city for a day. No matter how many times I go back and forth, I can't decide between Oxford and Windsor Castle. So I thought, why not both? I googled this question to see if it is possible, and the consensus seems to be "no, you need a full day for each destination". So my question is why? I can see how it would be ideal to have a full day in Oxford, but do you really need more than about 3 hours to see Windsor Castle? WC opens at 9:30, lets say I get there a bit early to get in line. Train ride from London is about 40 minutes, get there early to get near the front of the line and see it at opening. Stay for about 3 hours max. Take the train from Windsor to Oxford (50-60 minutes). See the colleges and such until they close, then have dinner and explore the streets and architecture of the city until evening. Take the train from Oxford to London (60 minutes) and be back to my hotel at around 8:00. I realize that everyone has different travel preferences, but is there something I'm not considering that would make this trip a headache? I noticed that there is a Oxford/Stonehenge/Windsor coach tour, and that would be even more rushed with travel time and touring time eaten away in Stonehenge, but people seem to enjoy it. I wouldn't want to do Stonehenge, so Oxford and Windsor seem okay to me, but maybe it would be more tiring than I am imagining. Thoughts?

A side question, I am considering doing Buckingham Palace since I will be there in September. If I end up doing Windsor Castle, is it worth doing both? Would it be kind of redundant to do two royal residences in one weeklong trip? Should I chose one and use the time to do something completely different?

Posted by
7036 posts

Samantha, I assume you received my PM, but in case you didn't I will repeat my response:

The way you lay out the proposed day trip to both I can say that it certainly sounds doable and like something I would do and have done myself. I don't always need a lot of time in a particular place to enjoy it and be glad I went. I have done several day trips that included more than one destination that others considered worth at least a whole day or even more. But I am happy that I did them because I didn't feel that I had time for 2 separate whole day trips from my base city. From Brussels I did both Ghent and Antwerp in one day and from Munich I did both Regensburg and Passau. So I would say, if you can get the transportation logistics to work for you, then go for it.

Posted by
9 posts

I saw that you replied, but I couldn't see it since my first attempt to start this topic was deleted somehow. But thank you for replying twice. It's good to know that others make it work since multiple destination trips seems to be somewhat unpopular on these forums. I wish I had more time in England to have a full day to see everything I want to see :)

Posted by
234 posts

I have done them both in one day! it was no problem at all. Like you suggest, we got to Windsor right at the opening time, and stayed about three hours (this included doing the Kitchen Tour). We then grabbed sandwiches at EAT and got on the train to Oxford. We spent the afternoon and evening in Oxford. We had time to explore I think 5-6 colleges and also wander around the streets and stop in some shops. We then had dinner and pints at The Eagle and Child, around 7 I think, so we probably didn't head back to the train station till about 8 and got back to London a bit later than you predict (but not super late).

Would I have enjoyed more time in Oxford? Yes, absolutely, and I will definitely be back. But I didn't feel rushed while I was there; we took our time at each college we explored, and I came away feeling like I got a great sense of Oxford and an excitement about returning. I think it's a totally doable day, and if your time is constrained such that you can't allocate a full day to Oxford, this is a great solution that won't leave you utterly drained or frustrated. (Side note - I've been to Windsor multiple times, and always as a half day. I have never left feeling like I needed more time.)

As for Buckingham Place, I definitely think it is worth it to do both. I am admittedly a castle/palace lover, but even for your average person, I think they are pretty different. Windsor is a castle, and there's lots to see on the grounds, as well as St. George's Chapel. It also feels more rustic (to the extent a royal residence can feel rustic) and the decor is more "country home" (again, to the extent a royal residence can be equated with a country home, ha). Buckingham Palace, on the other hand, is very much a palace, with opulent decor to reflect that it is the administrative headquarters of the Monarchy. Depending how frequently you see yourself visiting London in the future, I'd recommend doing it this time since you will be there when it is open; as it sounds like you know, most of the year, it is not. Take advantage of the opportunity!

Posted by
9 posts

Thanks so much Margaret and Nancy, you've given me the confidence to go ahead and do it. Glad it's possible and that I don't have to miss out on seeing one of them, especially since I'm not sure if and when I'll get the chance to come back.

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