Windsor in a Day: The Chauffeur Route from Mayfair to the Castle Gates

Windsor is the rare day trip that rewards an early start and a late return in equal measure. The castle sits barely twenty-five miles west of Mayfair, close enough to feel unambitious on paper and far enough — once the M4 has had its say — to make the manner of getting there matter. Hand the driving to someone else and the day acquires a different shape entirely: no parking, no postcode roulette, no slow crawl out of a multi-storey at half past four.

What follows is a working itinerary rather than a strict schedule. The castle keeps its own hours, and they shift with the season.

Setting the hour

For a November or winter visit, aim to be at the castle gates for opening. Departing Mayfair at 08:00 puts you through Hammersmith before the worst of the morning build-up and into Windsor with time for a coffee before the first admission slot. In summer, when the castle opens earlier and stays open longer, a 09:00 departure is comfortable; the trade-off is that you will arrive alongside the coach parties.

A note on days: Windsor Castle is generally closed to visitors on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and St George's Chapel closes to tourists on Sundays, when it is given over to worship. Both details are worth confirming against the official calendar before the car is booked, as the pattern shifts around state occasions and royal engagements.

The road out of London

There are two sensible ways west, and the choice is a matter of temperament.

The direct route runs out through Hammersmith and Chiswick to the M4, leaving at Junction 6 and following the A332 into Windsor. It is quick when it is quick — often under an hour from Mayfair — and unforgiving when it is not. A single incident near the Chiswick flyover can add twenty minutes without warning.

The gentler route takes the A308 through Kingston, Hampton Court and Sunningdale. It is slower on paper and far more pleasant in practice: past the palace at Hampton Court, along the edge of Home Park, with the castle appearing gradually rather than all at once. For a day that is meant to feel like an occasion rather than a transfer, it is the better road. A chauffeur will usually suggest the second and monitor the first.

The arrival

Private vehicles set down on Windsor's one-way system rather than at the main coach bays, which means the walk to the entrance is short and level. Allow a few minutes for security screening, which is thorough and unremarkable. Booking admission in advance for a specific slot remains the single most useful preparation; walk-up queues in fine weather can consume an hour that would be better spent in the State Apartments.

Inside the walls

Three things are worth prioritising, and the rest can be left for a return visit. The State Apartments — the grander ceremonial rooms and the Queen Mary's Dolls' House among them — reward unhurried attention. St George's Chapel, the finest perpendicular Gothic building in the country and the resting place of monarchs from Henry VIII onwards, is quieter in the late morning. And the Long Walk, that astonishing three-mile avenue of chestnuts leading away from the castle's south front, is best left until the light softens.

A word on the Changing of the Guard: it does not happen every day, and the timing varies by season. Where it falls on your chosen date, arriving at the Quadrangle fifteen minutes early secures a view without a scrum.

Tea, and where to take it

By half past three the castle will have had the best of the daylight, and the question of tea becomes pressing. There are two schools of thought.

The first stays in Windsor: a table at one of the town's established hotels, a short walk from the Henry VIII Gate, where afternoon tea is served in rooms with a view of the castle walls and no particular rush attached.

The second involves a ten-minute drive out to Bray or Eton, where the offer is less formal and the surroundings quieter. For anyone continuing to a dinner engagement back in London, this is the more sensible version — an early, light tea rather than a full afternoon spread.

The return leg

The M4 eastbound is at its worst between 17:00 and 19:00 on weekdays, and a chauffeur will typically aim to be clear of Junction 6 before the former. In winter, leaving Windsor as the light goes is no hardship: the castle lit against a dark sky from the Long Walk is one of the better sights in the Home Counties, and the drive back into London is quicker for the hour.

Allow seventy-five minutes door to door for the return, and rather more on a Friday.

Practical notes

• Book castle admission in advance for a timed slot; check closures for state occasions.
• Confirm St George's Chapel opening times separately from the castle's.
• Winter daylight ends early; the State Apartments are best seen before two o'clock.
• A fixed car and driver for the day removes the need to think about the return at all — the difference between a visit and an outing.