Private Windsor Castle Tour from London — Castle Only or with Marlow

What makes this trip different

• Pickup from your London hotel door — no meeting point
• You choose the departure time between 8:00am and 12:00 noon
• Your driver waits at every stop — Windsor, Marlow and Henley
• Fixed price for the whole car — never per person
• Fuel, road tolls and parking included
• Child seats on request

The places on this trip

Photographs of the places this trip visits.

How the day runs

1. Departure from your hotel

   Your driver arrives at your London hotel entrance at the time you chose, between 8:00am and 12:00 noon. The drive from Mayfair to Windsor Castle takes about an hour at those hours on a weekday, by our own hour-by-hour data. From there the Windsor day trip from London is yours to pace.

2. Windsor Castle

   The State Apartments with their royal collections, St George’s Chapel — resting place of kings and queens — and the famous Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House. Most visitors take two and a half to three hours.

3. Windsor town and Eton Bridge

   A walk through the cobbled lanes below the castle, then across the Thames on Eton Bridge to Eton High Street and the gates of Eton College, with the view back to the walls — with cafés and riverside restaurants for lunch.

4. The Long Walk optional

   The dead-straight tree-lined avenue running from the castle gates through Windsor Great Park — ten minutes on it are enough for the photograph everyone comes for.

5. Marlow

   Twenty-five minutes on from Windsor: a Georgian town right on the Thames — the white suspension bridge beside All Saints’ church, the weir at Higginson Park, and a high street of independent shops and cafés.

6. Henley-on-Thames

   The prettiest half hour of river country brings you to Henley — the five-arched bridge, the tower of St Mary’s church above the rooftops, and the riverside walk along the world-famous Royal Regatta course (in Regatta week, 29 June to 4 July 2027, book the Henley Royal Regatta chauffeur day instead).

7. Back to your hotel

   Your driver returns you from Henley to the same address you started from — about 1 hour 15 minutes back to central London. With four days in town, Windsor pairs with Oxford on our four-day London itinerary, keeping the same car and chauffeur for the whole stay.

Watch the day before you book

A short film that follows the day in order: your hotel pickup, Windsor Castle, lunch by Eton Bridge, the Long Walk, Marlow's white bridge and weir, and Henley-on-Thames.

Included and not included

Vehicle classes and trip prices

Every price below is for the whole car, return, including your driver waiting throughout the visit — free cancellation up to 24 hours before pickup.

Best value

Mercedes E-Class

Up to 3 passengers 2 bags

Smart executive comfort at a sensible price — the right choice for couples and small families.

£470(≈ $635)

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Recommended

Mercedes V-Class

Up to 7 passengers 7 bags

Ideal for families and groups — plenty of room for children and bags on a long day.

£560(≈ $755)

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Mercedes S-Class

Up to 3 passengers 2 bags

The highest level of comfort and privacy, for a day to first-class standards.

£720(≈ $970)

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Only the castle? Pick “Windsor Castle Only (6 hours)” as the route in the booking form. It covers the castle, Windsor town and Eton in about six hours, without Marlow or Henley. The fare is £395 in the E-Class, £485 in the V-Class and £625 in the S-Class, for the whole car.

Extra hours: from £55 per hour, by vehicle — chosen in the booking form below.

Dollar figures are approximate; you are charged in GBP.

Listed on VisitWindsor, the official tourism website for Windsor.

How to plan your Windsor Castle day

Give the castle the morning: allow about three hours inside, then an hour for the town and Eton. An early start puts you in the State Apartments before the midday crowds. Travelling with children? Legoland Windsor is about ten minutes from the castle, and the theme park chauffeur day keeps the driver waiting until the park closes.

Best days and time to arrive. Windsor Castle opens Thursday to Monday from 10:00, with last admission at 16:00 from March to October and 15:00 from November to February. The Changing of the Guard runs on scheduled mornings only and its timetable shifts through the year, so check it for your date. A pickup around 9:00 from central London gets you through security before the late-morning crowds, as the morning drive is close to an hour. Tell us your date and ticket slot and we set the pickup around both, so the morning is spent at the castle rather than in a rush to reach it.

A private Windsor tour also means the route can bend to your plans. If the castle is closed on your date, or you would rather swap a river town, these stops work on request:

• Runnymede — the Thames-side meadow where Magna Carta was sealed in 1215, a short drive from Windsor.
• Windsor Great Park and Virginia Water — a quiet lakeside walk in the royal parkland south of the castle.
• Ascot — the royal racecourse town, an easy addition if you hold race-day tickets; for the June meeting itself, see our Royal Ascot chauffeur.
• Stonehenge — a much longer day that turns the trip into a Windsor Castle and Stonehenge tour; ask us for timing and the fare first.

Any change to the route is confirmed in writing before the day, with the fare agreed in advance. Your driver still waits wherever you stop, so a new plan costs you no time on the day.

Which day to book: the guards, the chapel and the winter rooms

The day of the week changes what you see inside the castle. It is a working royal palace, so check its opening calendar for your date before you book the car.

• Thursday or Saturday for the full Changing of the Guard. The new guard marches up through Windsor town and reaches the castle just before 11:00, and the ceremony takes place inside the walls. You need a castle ticket to watch it there. Choose an early departure on these days, so you are through security before the guards arrive.
• Monday or Friday for a smaller ceremony. A short Captain’s Inspection takes place inside the castle instead of the full change. Either ceremony can be cancelled in bad weather or for royal events.
• St George’s Chapel takes its last visitors at 4:00pm. It closes at 4:15pm to prepare for the evening service, so on a later start see the chapel first and the State Apartments after.
• Autumn to spring adds five rooms. The Semi-State Rooms, including the red-silk Crimson Drawing Room, join the visitor route only in the winter months. Days are shorter and last entry is earlier, so a morning start matters more.
• Christmas at the castle. From late November into early January the State Apartments are dressed for the season, with a tall fir in St George’s Hall and a tiny tree inside Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House. Last winter the displays ran from 27 November to 5 January. The castle closes around Christmas Day itself, so check the festive dates before you choose yours.

Whichever day you pick, your driver works to your ticket time and waits in Windsor until you come out.

Windsor, the Great Park or a second palace in one day

The eight-hour route pairs the castle with Marlow and Henley, but the same day can stay closer to Windsor. Swap the river towns for one of these after your castle visit, and your driver still waits at every stop.

• The Long Walk to the Copper Horse. The avenue runs from the castle into Windsor Great Park and ends at the Copper Horse statue, with views back across the treetops to the Windsor rooftops. The park’s own walking route from The Savill Garden to the top of the Long Walk and back is 3.8 miles (6 km).
• The Valley Gardens and Virginia Water. Some 250 acres of azaleas, magnolias and rhododendrons, then a two-mile lake with the Cascade and the Leptis Magna ruins on its shore. It is at its best in spring, when the azaleas and rhododendrons flower.
• Hampton Court Palace. Henry VIII’s palace is about 30 minutes from Windsor, so a morning at Hampton Court and an afternoon at the castle fit inside the eight hours. The Tudor kitchens and the Maze go down well with children.

Cars cannot drive into Windsor Great Park itself, so your driver sets you down at the nearest public car park or gate and collects you there. Tell us which version you want when you book, and we send the route and the fare by email before the day.

Visiting Windsor Castle with limited mobility

The castle stands at the top of a steep hill, with long distances and old, uneven surfaces inside. Wheelchair users can still follow the full visitor route. Staff help at key points, and a lift goes up to the State Apartments.

Manual wheelchairs and rollators can be borrowed free at the castle, first come, first served. A free access companion ticket is booked online with your own.

There is no parking at the castle itself. Your driver sets you down as close as the streets allow and collects you at the same spot. Tell us about mobility needs when you book, and we plan a gentler order for the day.

Is Windsor Castle open in December, and which days suit a Christmas visit?

Yes, on most days. In 2026 the castle’s festive rooms are open from 26 November to 4 January 2027.

Choose a morning or late-morning pickup and enter by early afternoon, as winter last admission is 3:00pm. Book your castle slot yourself, then send us the time so your driver plans the day around it.

Avoid 25 and 26 December, when the castle is closed all day. On 12 and 13 December it holds a Victorian festive weekend, with carols beneath the tree.

What you see inside Windsor Castle, and the house rules

Windsor Castle is a working royal residence, and the visit follows one route. Your ticket includes a free multimedia guide, collected after the security check, that takes you through the Precincts, the State Apartments and St George’s Chapel.

• The Dolls’ House — a palace in miniature, with working lights, running water and tiny books written by the leading authors of the 1920s.
• The State Apartments — up the Grand Staircase to the Waterloo Chamber, still used by the King for official dinners, and the Crimson Drawing Room, hung with paintings by Holbein, Van Dyck and Rubens.
• St George’s Chapel — the Gothic chapel where Queen Elizabeth II and Henry VIII are buried. It holds services on Sundays, so it is closed to visitors that day.

Rules to know before you go. Photography and filming are not allowed inside the State Apartments or the chapel, though you can photograph freely in the Precincts. Food and drink stay out of both, apart from bottled water. Large backpacks and pushchairs are not allowed in the State Apartments, so anything you do not need can stay in the car with your driver.

Outside tour guides are not allowed to guide or give commentary inside the castle, so the free multimedia guide that comes with your ticket is how you hear the story of each room.

Questions about this trip

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