Ascot Travel Guide

  main enclosure
by iaint
 
  • main enclosure
      main enclosure
    by iaint
  •   Ascot
    by iwys
  • the stands
      the stands
    by iaint
  • Queen (+ back of duke's head!)
      Queen (+ back of duke's head!)
    by iaint
  • Prince Michael etc, waiting for procession
      Prince Michael etc, waiting for...
    by iaint
 

Explore Ascot

Things to Do  

Windsor

Windsor, Ascot

 iaint Says:  Its a delightful town to wander round on a sunny Sunday in June. Lots of touroids, mind you, but it was not oppressive!The Thames runs right through the town centre, so its worth seeing (as is the castle, of course).Seems to be well served with restaurants and pubs - wish... 

Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle, Ascot

 iaint Says:  About 10-15 minutes drive from Ascot. However, whilst its well signposted outside Windsor, they dry up as you get into the town. Very poor. We only had 3 hours in the town, and needed to spend part of that having lunch. As a result we didn't go inside the castle. At 12 noon... 

The Royal Procession

The Royal Procession, Ascot

 iaint Says:  At the start of each day's racing (2pm prompt) during the Royal Ascot meeting, the Queen and her guests parade along the centre of the finishing straight in open topped horse drawn carriages.The procession then turns into the parade ring behind the stands, and they get out... 

Hotels  

Ramada Plaza Royal Berkshire

 32 Opinions

Restaurants  

Thai Square Windsor: Good lunch

Thai Square Windsor: Good lunch, Ascot

 iaint Says:  Again, not in Ascot but not that far!We dived in for lunch whilst sightseeing in Windsor. Lovely decor and a good menu.Food was superb. My son had pad sieuw (a fried noodle dish with chicken)to himself, whilst my other half and I shared 3 dishes - phed makham (duck with... 

Olivo: Mixed experience

Olivo: Mixed experience, Ascot

 iaint Says:  Good food and ambience, let down a little by the service.Our hotel sent us round and as it was 7.30 on a Saturday we were pleasantly surprised to walk in and get a table (and a little worried - why not busier?).Anyway, it filled up quickly so we were lucky. Starters arrived... 

Nightlife  

Jagz: Top notch live bands and DJs

Jagz: Top notch live bands and DJs, Ascot

 amcclean Says:  Top quality jazz, funk, latin, hip hop and all other kinds of bands.Great food.Great DJ in the nightclub downstairs playing fab music for dancing to.Good mix of ages.Everyone really friendly and in the party mood.Good for girls/lads night out, romantic date, work night,... 

Transportation  

car rental

car rental, Ascot

 iaint Says:  We rented a car from Hertz at Heathrow. I was dreading it, because I hate car rental at big airports where you have a 30 minute shuttle bus trip and then stand in line to be "booked in".In fact, the bus came quickly and booking in was quick too. Maybe because it was late... 

traffic hell

traffic hell, Ascot

 iaint Says:  Our trip from hotel to racecourse (10 miles) should have taken 22 minutes according to the AA website. Actually it took 75 minutes! It seemed like virtual gridlock. I'd assumed double the normal time, but gee! Fortunately we'd planned on being there 2 hours before the start... 

BBC Outside Broadcast vehicles.

BBC Outside Broadcast vehicles., Ascot

 mwe Says:  Royal Ascot is a big operation for broadcasters like the BBC. Here are some of the vehicles they use to cover the event for their radio & television network. 

Railway Station.

Railway Station., Ascot

 mwe Says:  The railway station is a short walk along a dedicated path to Ascot racecourse. There is a pub right next to the station and as you can see, a taxi service. 

Shopping  

Ascot High Street.

Ascot High Street., Ascot

 mwe Says:  Ascot High Street, with its shops, pubs, restaurants, ice-cream vendor, fairground, etc. is literally next to the racecourse. 

Warnings Or Dangers  

Car parks

Car parks, Ascot

 iaint Says:  We were in a "car park" in the middle of the racecourse. Just a grassy field! Two things to watch out for.First, if the weather is wet you will have a decent walk through wet grass (or mud, depending on how wet) to get to the stands. Come prepared if the forecast is... 

High society drunks

High society drunks, Ascot

 iaint Says:  I was surprised how many people were treating the day as an excuse to drink non-stop. By the time the last race came along (5.30), 3.5 hours after the royal procession, a lot of them were in a bad way - men and women All afternoon, people were staggering around with pint... 

What to Pack  

Check the weather forecast...

Check the weather forecast..., Ascot

 iaint Says:   If you are in the Royal Enclosure, you will have plenty of cover if the weather is wet. Otherwise, there is very little.If the forecast is for rain, think about umbrellas (a big golf umbrella or small expanding ones which you can put in a small backpack). Also think about... 

Less IS less!

Less IS less!, Ascot

 mwe Says:   I think the most stylish & impressive lady in this picture is the girl in the long overblouse & trousers. She's made the effort, I notice the matching hat (elaborate & stylish, but not OTT), shoes (not plain, but not excessively high-heeled or tarty) & classy Chanel-esque... 

Off The Beaten Path  

John Lennon's former mansion.

John Lennon's former mansion., Ascot

 mwe Says:  Not exactly "Off the Beaten Path" as it's by the A329 at Sunninghill, just past the B383 crossroads, one-and-a-half miles outside Ascot on the way to Virginia Water.Tittenhurst Park (bought by Lennon in May, 1969 for just £145,000), opposite the Royal Berkshire Hotel, is... 

Sports & Outdoors  

Horse Racing

Horse Racing, Ascot

 iris2002 Says:  Watching Horses race round and around and around ........ binoculars and good shoes AND FANCY HAT!! 

The big day out!

The big day out!, Ascot

 iaint Says:  The Royal Ascot race meeting takes place every June over 5 days. Starts Tuesday - finishes Saturday. Its called "Royal" because its the Queen's meeting and every day she does a royal parade along the front of the stands in an open horse drawn carriage. Its at 2pm - don't... 

The Silver Ring.

The Silver Ring., Ascot

 mwe Says:  This is the Silver Ring, one of the less expensive places to watch the horseracing. If you're not going in the grandstand, bring a towel/blanket/deckchair to sit on.Binoculars & camera/camcorder to take souvenirs of your day out are a good idea. 

Favorites  

Royal Ascot Race Meeting

Royal Ascot Race Meeting, Ascot

 PerfeKto Says:  Ascot Racecourse hosts one of the world's premier flat events annually during June. The local population swells with crowds of 150,000+ attending the 5 day event.Ladies Day is by far the busiest and is a top draw for celebrities and fashionistas from around the globe. The... 

The Place

Plan a Ascot vacation with reviews, tips and photos posted by real travelers and Ascot locals

Experience Ascot
  •   28 Tips and Reviews
  •  43 Photos
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The People

18 Members Live Here
 
Our Members Say
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 There are other things to see, apart from horses & people-watching. 

18 members live in Ascot

 

Questions and Answers

iaint profile photo

Q:  Thinking of going to Royal Ascot this year (on the Saturday). Any ideas for somewhere to stay? We'd be driving, and coming from... 

leics profile photo

A: No idea about where to stay, sorry, but there's only a formal dress code if you are a 'premier admission'. If you are, then your son will clearly need his kilt. Otherwise... 

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Top Ascot Writers

1

Wow!

iaint profile photo

 We had only one reason for visiting Ascot - the Royal Ascot horse race meeting in June 2008. We didn't see anything of the town itself, but I suspect there is no other reason to go. I'm not a... 

2

ROYAL ASCOT - A DAY AT THE RACES

iris2002 profile photo

  The centrepiece of Ascot’s year, Royal Ascot is the world’s most famous race meeting, steeped in history dating back to 1711. In October 2005, Ascot Racecourse confirmed that the Royal Meeting would... 

3

jrgentle's new United Kingdom Page

jrgentle profile photo

 Coming soon. The English Experience. 

4

Ascot.

mwe profile photo

 The above picture is a still from footage taken by my Panasonic NV-GS400EB camcorder, as the train I was on pulled into Ascot station. Ascot has a good train service, so there is no need to spend... 

5

Royal Ascot & Ladies' Day

andrewyong profile photo

 I've got some interesting experiences in Ascot. I'd love to share with you the 0 tips I've written, the 0 photos uploaded, and 0 travelogues I've created. 

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