Windsor Favorites

Favorite thing: This tip cross-references very nicely to my Tenerife page (where I have just been) and to a tip I wrote there (see link for this!).

The flower in this picture is obviously known as the Bird of paradise Flower over here, but in Tenerife is is known as Strelitzia.

Another difference is that over here (the UK), the flower costs £2.75 which is approx $5 USD. In Tenerife, you can pretty much pick one for free!

Favorite thing: We got to Windsor Castle around 10:30, watched the Changing of the Guard at 11am and then headed to the Doll House and State Apartments. This turned out to be a very good way to visit the Castle as the queues later on in the day were very long for the Doll House.

It looked like there was a separate queue if you wanted to skip the Doll House and just visit the State apartments and there didn't appear to be any waiting in that line.

Favorite thing: In January 2008 I was able to find a £4 discount to Windsor Castle if you used the slower train from Waterloo Station but not via the faster train from Paddington Station but we didn't do it because Kat was not interested in visiting the Castle.

I believe you need to buy a combination ticket when you purchase your train ticket, see the Southwest Train website for more information. If you are leaving from Waterloo, ask when you purchase your ticket if there is a combination ticket that has a discount for Windsor Castle.

There's also a family discount for 2 adults and up to 3 kids under 17 which is the same price as 2 adults and 1 kid which we were able to use in July 2008, saving us £8.50.

Favorite thing: For once I didn't have to resort to using a McDonald's toilet or part with 20 pence in order to use a public toilet, located in the covered gallery (same building where the Gourmet Burger Kitchen and Cafe Rouge are) near the Windsor & Eton Central station, they are located down a flight of stairs, just find the map of the covered gallery to see where they are.

Favorite thing: There is a lot of tourist information on Windsor that you can browse before your trip, I found it very helpful to print out the Windsor Visitor Map before visiting.

The best website I found is the Windsor.gov.uk website.

If you want tourist information once you get into Windsor, there is an Information center in the covered gallery near the Windsor & Eton Central station.

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Favorite thing: This is a perfect day's outing, whetehr you are coming from London or furtehr afield!

There is a train right here (actually, two stations... so you can come here from two different directions), it is not a huge town and easily walkable.

The 'main' attraction (for me) is the castle itself.

We wandered round it for hours, there is SO much to see in it!!!

Fabulous gold statues and richly embellished rooms, and the history is in every nook and cranny!

Then the town itself has plenty of veried and good restaurants to eat at too.

Definately a place to bring the kids, and even nana and grandpa ;)

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Favorite thing: There are some lovely parks in and around Windsor.

They are green and expansive.

I particulalry like the park just below the Garden Cafe (near Central Station).

During our lunch hour, if the sun is out, we venture outside and into the park closest to our office.

Plenty of people come cycling here in this particular park, come here to read their book, or just to eat their lunch and have a natter with friends and coleagues.

Windsor is not alone in this though, something I love about London in general is the parks :)

Whether in the city centre of London, or further out of the zones, like here in Windsor!

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Favorite thing: Throughout Windsor there is the wonderful tudor architecture, a personal favourite of mine!

That's something I just love about English towns... whether it be a small village like Biddenden, or a larger town like Stratford-upon-Avon... they all have such a magnificent touch to the past in their architecture, Tudor playing a large role in it.

The orignal tudor look was more yellowy (ochre) brown, with natural wood beams, not white and black, this building in the photo has been laterlly refurbished and spruced up.

I personally prefer the unspruced ones myself ;)