Windsor or Bath

I loved Windsor Castle, and I'm not a royal watcher. But I love history. Lots to see both in the castle and walking around the quaint town.

Windsor is a quick trip - you can take the Elizabeth line all the way to Slough and change for the (1 stop) train from there. There’s also a super cheap bus that you can catch from Kensington High Street. It costs less than 3 pounds per person. The bus is called The Windsor Express and I believe the route number is 702. It takes a bit over an hour, unless traffic is horrendous. You should double check me online. Or someone will chime in here.

The castle is definitely worth the cost of a ticket. The grounds are magnificent and the castle is full of glorious objects and history.

The village itself has a big shopping area and some fairly cheesy tourist shops. There are a few good pubs. There’s a particularly quaint one at the top of the Long Walk (the Two Brewers) that is very atmospheric. We also liked the Duchess of Cambridge right opposite the castle entrance. It is NOT a Weatherspoons, which is a big point in its favor.

A huge bonus of Windsor is that you can take a charming walk over the Thames and be in Eton, which is CHARMING and historic. It makes for a lovely two-fer and will definitely fill a day.

I have not been to Bath in over a decade, so I will not comment since my info is not fresh. I did adore the baths, the cathedral, and the Pump Room (?) - that I will say. The whole city seemed to be suffused with glorious golden light reflected off the building stones.

Maybe the choice is “castle vs cathedral and antiquities?” Which do you prefer?

I have been to Windsor twice and Bath once.

Windsor is closer to London and can be done in 1/2 day.
Bath is farther away and needs a full day or more. Both sites are great, but if you have a couple of days do Bath as well as nearby Wells. Windsor is good if you don't wish to go farther from London.

I'd say Windsor as well. While plenty of people do Bath as a day trip, I'd say it deserve an overnight (or two).

For a pure day trip, I would say Windsor. Bath definitely deserves at least one overnight.

Windsor Castle is so lovely and the town itself is cute. We had the 10 am ticket time and were in the town until about 4 pm (we had tickets for a play back in London that night) and we did not feel like we short changed the town at all. We ate a late lunch at the Prince Harry pub (or something like that) and they were so nice.

Yes the bus to Windsor is the 702, runs every hour from Victoria near the Coach Station. Brand new double deckers.

£2 until the end of the year under the Government scheme. Then It will go back up to whatever full price is.

In October I am currently scheduled to take that bus on its extended twice a day late night journey from London to Reading via Windsor. Not to save money, but purely for the trip. One I've been trying to do for several decades. I catch the Sleeper train to Cornwall at Reading, and it does purely incidentally save me a few £.

On your question I am not going to give an answer, as it's a question which splits the audience down the middle. To me this all boils down to personal preference.

If you do decide on Windsor, do include the Parish Church of St John the Baptist in your itinerary. It is open daily and is large and impressive inside. Have a read here and there is a guide to the inside of the church here.

There is also a self guided heritage walking trail which covers windsor and across the river to Eton.

Don’t take the bus to Windsor, it would be over a 2 hr trip. Train from Paddington Station is a 35 minute trip.

Windsor is a great day trip. Bath is a great multi-day trip.