Windsor And Eton Overview

Tourism in the town of Windsor and the attached village of Eton centers entirely on Windsor Castle and Eton College, two famed symbols of the British upper crust. Windsor is thick with specialty shops, teahouses, and pubs, which cater mostly to the throngs of daytrippers from nearby London.

Transportation.  Two train stations lie near the castle. Trains (☎08457 484 950) pull out of Windsor and Eton Royal Station to London Paddington via Slough (40min., 2 per hr., round-trip £7.70). Trains leave Windsor and Eton Riverside to London Waterloo (40min., 4 per hr., round-trip £8.20). Green Line bus #702 goes to London Victoria (1hr., every hr., round-trip £5-10) from High St. opposite Parish Church. Bus #77 to London Heathrow (45min., every hr., round-trip £4.50) leaves from St. Leonard Rd.

Orientation And Practical Information. Windsor village slopes from the foot of the castle. High Street spans the hilltop to become Thames Street at the statue of Queen Victoria and continues to the river, at which point it reverts to High St. as it enters Eton. The main shopping area, Peascod Street, meets High St. at the statue.

The Tourist Information Centre, Old Booking Hall, Windsor Royal Shopping Centre, has free brochures, great maps, and an accommodations guide. (☎01753 743 900; www.windsor.gov.uk. Open M-Sa 10am-5pm, Su 10am-4pm.) Other services include: banks with ATMs along Peascod St.; Internet at the library on Bachelors Acre (☎01753 743 9940; guest pass for 30min. free; open M and Th 9:30am-5pm, Tu 9:30am-8pm, W 2-5pm, F 9:30am-7pm, Sa 9:30am-3pm); police, on the corner of St. Mark’s Rd. and Alma Rd. (☎08458 505 505; M-Sa 8am-10pm, Su 9am-5pm); Boots pharmacy, 113 Peascod St. (☎01753 863 595; open M-Sa 8:30am-6pm, Su 10:30am-4:30pm); and the post office, 38-39 Peascod St. (open M and W-F 9am-5:30pm, Tu 9:30am-5:30pm, Sa 9am-4pm). Postcode: SL4 1LH.

Accommodations And Food. Windsor lacks budget accommodations. You can avoid the high prices by making it a daytrip from London. For those who decide to stay, the TIC booking service (☎01753 743 907; windsor.accommodation@rbwm.gov.uk) will book B&Bs for £5 plus a 10% deposit. Rutlands , 9 Clarence Rd., offers spacious rooms and includes a lounge with cable TV. (☎01753 864 436; www.clarence-hotel.co.uk. Breakfast included. Singles £45-69; doubles £50-79; family rooms £70-92.)

Chain restaurants dominate Thames St. Waterman’s Arms , Brocas St., is the first left after crossing the bridge to Eton. Founded in 1542, it’s still a local favorite, selling pub classics for £6-9. (☎01753 861 001. Kitchen open M-F noon-3pm and 6-9pm, Sa noon-9pm, Su noon-4:30pm.) Olivia , 49 Thames St., has sandwiches (£3.50-4.60) and jacket potatoes for £4.50. (☎01753 853 991. Open M-Sa 8am-7pm, Su 8am-6pm. Cash only.)

Sights. The largest and oldest continuously inhabited castle in the world, Windsor Castle features some of the most sumptuous rooms in Europe and some of the rarest artwork in the Western tradition. The castle was built high above the Thames by William the Conqueror as a fortress rather than as a residence, but 40 reigning monarchs have softened the battlements into a series of superbly furnished apartments. In 1992, a fire devastated over 100 rooms, including nine staterooms, but a massive project has restored them to their original glory. Windsor is the official residence of the queen, who spends the month of April and many of her private weekends here. During royal stays, large areas of the castle are unavailable to visitors, and the admission prices are lowered on these occasions. It is wise to call ahead or check out the flagpole—when the queen is in residence, the castle flies the light blue flag of the monarchy. Visitors can watch the Changing of the Guard in front of the Guard Room at 11am (Apr.-July M-Sa; Aug.-Mar. alternate days M-Sa). The guards can also be seen at 10:50 and 11:30am as they march to and from the ceremony. (☎01753 831 118. Open daily Mar.-Oct. 9:45am-5:15pm; Nov.-Feb. 9:45am-4:15pm. Last entry 1¼hr. before close. £14.80. Audio tours free.)

Reach the upper ward through the Norman tower and gate. Stand in the far left line to enter   Queen Mary’s Doll House, a replica of a home on a one-to-12 scale, with tiny, handwritten classics in its library, miniature crown jewels, and functional plumbing and electrical systems. Velvet ropes lead to the state apartments, used for ceremonial events and to entertain international heads of state. The rooms are ornamented with art from the Royal Collection, including works by Reubens, Rembrandt, Van Dyck, and Queen Victoria herself. Cabinets are stuffed with imperial curios, jewelled swords, and Jubilee porcelain. The Waterloo room memorializes England’s vanquishing of Napoleon, while the ceiling of the Grand Reception Room, stamped with the shields of the Knights of the Garter, celebrates the oldest continuous chivalric order in Europe.

The Round Tower dominates the middle ward. A stroll downhill to the lower ward brings you to Saint George’s Chapel, a 15th-century structure with a wall of stained glass dedicated to the Order of the Garter. Used for the marriage of Sophie and Prince Edward, the chapel also holds the tombs of the queen mother, George III, and Queen Mary. Ask a guide to explain how the bones of Charles I and Henry VIII were accidentally placed under the same stone.

A 10-15min. walk down Thames St., across Windsor Bridge and along Eton High St., stands Eton College. This charming chunk of English upper crust is one of England’s most elite public—which is to say, private—schools. Ironically, it was founded by Henry VI in 1440 as a college for paupers. Despite its position at the apex of the British class system, Eton has shaped some notable dissident thinkers, including Aldous Huxley, George Orwell, and former Liberal Party leader Jeremy Thorpe. The male students still stay true to many of the old traditions, including wearing tailcoats to class. The 25 houses that surround the quad act as residences for the approximately 1250 students. The Museum of Eton Life displays relics and stories of the school’s odd and storied past. (☎01753 671 177. Open daily from late Mar. to mid-Apr. and July-Aug. 10:30am-4:30pm; from Sept. to late Mar. and from mid.-Apr. to June 2-4:30pm; schedule depends on academic calendar. Tours daily 2:15, 3:15pm. £4.20. Tours £5.50.)