[UK] Windsor Half Day Tour | Enter the world's largest and oldest inhabited castle

Windsor is a small town located in Berkshire, England, and is also one of the official residences of the Queen of England. Travel from London to Windsor: Windsor is located 30 kilometers west of London and takes about 30 minutes to 1 hour to get there from London. Train: Take the train from Paddington Station to Windsor (Windsor & Eton Central), the journey takes about 30-45 minutes. Bus: Take Green Line bus 702/203 from Victoria Station. The journey takes about 1 hour. My experience of booking tickets and riding: This time I bought an Off-Peak Day Return train ticket for £12, starting from Paddington Station, changing trains at Slough Station and then going to Windsor & Eton Central Station, the whole journey took about 35 minutes. It is very convenient to transfer trains just opposite. Slough Station and Windsor & Eton Central Station are both small and not difficult to find. After arriving in Windsor, you basically don't need to take public transportation. As soon as you exit the gate and pass through an indoor square (Windsor Royal Shopping), you will see Windsor Castle. Opposite the castle are restaurants and shops. Windsor Castle experience sharing: Upon arrival at Windsor & Eton Central station, you will immediately see the first photo spot. Inside the train station, there is an old steam locomotive with the royal emblem and "The Queen" written on it. This is an exhibit based on the GWR Achilles class 4-2-2 No. 3041 locomotive from 1894. The original once served members of the royal family and was retired in 1912. Then you will pass through the indoor square (Windsor Royal Shopping), walk along the path the Queen once walked, and arrive at Windsor Castle where the Queen lives. 🏰Windsor Castle is the largest and oldest inhabited castle in the world. It was built by William I in the late eleventh century. It expanded from a palace to a chapel and many other buildings. It has a history of more than 900 years. ✅〖Changing the guard〗 When you arrive at Windsor Castle, the first thing you should do is of course watch the Changing of the Guard ceremony! But we arrived too late and couldn’t go into the castle. We could only see the guards walking into the castle from the street. If you want to watch the Changing of the Guard ceremony in the castle, remember to arrive early! (Arrive before approximately 10:00) The entrance fee to Windsor Castle is quite expensive, £21.20 for adults, but it is definitely worth it! After buying the ticket and entering the castle, you will immediately see the Audio Guides Office. Remember to take the map and voice guide! After paying such an expensive ticket, of course you have to have a thorough enjoyment! Not to mention visiting the rooms inside, the castle itself is already a great place to take photos. The only downside is the constant crowds! (When I went there, it was Weekday, which was not considered Peak!) ✅〖St George’s Gate〗 St. George's Gate was built in the mid-1820s by King George IV (Queen Victoria's father). There is a relief of "slaying a dragon" above the arch. This is the entrance from the castle's outer wall to the Upper Ward of Windsor Castle. This place is not open to the public, so we can only take pictures from the outside! Why do we often see “Dragon Slaying” in the UK? This is related to the legend of "Saint George and the Dragon". The legend says that a beautiful princess was trapped in the mountains by a dragon. In order to save the princess, the warrior George went into the mountains alone to kill the dragon. In the end, the dragon's blood flowed to the ground and formed a cross shape. It is said that this is the origin of the English national flag, the "Saint George Flag". Therefore, Saint George is known as the guardian of England and the symbol of blessing their victory. Whenever the English football team plays a game or returns triumphantly, this flag will appear in large numbers inside and outside the stadium instead of the Union Jack. In addition to the national flag, the legend of slaying the dragon also gave rise to a St. George’s Day. In the UK, St. George’s Day is England’s National Day (April 23). According to legend, dragon blood turned into roses, and the warrior George gave the roses to the princess. So on that day every year, men will give roses to women to show their chivalry, and women will give men books in return, symbolizing knowledge and power. Although I don’t know if this tradition continues today, every April 23rd, there will be various music parties and food stalls everywhere to celebrate St. George’s Day! Then we walked into a row of "castle windows". These are not just windows, but also the places where soldiers in ancient times shot arrows to defend the castle! ✅〖St George’s Chapel〗 As we walked, we arrived at St. George's Chapel, which is probably the most romantic place in the entire castle. It has hosted many royal weddings, including the most recent wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan! You are not allowed to take photos inside, but we walked in from the exit by mistake and didn’t see the “no photos allowed” sign, so we “secretly took a photo” 😂😂. This is the most majestic and solemn chapel I have ever seen. Both rows of the chapel are hung with royal flags and sculptures! There is a small garden in the chapel, with a golden statue of "Dragon Slayer" in the center. There is a large square opposite the chapel, which is also the road leading to the exit. Remember not to go out before visiting the rooms inside! ✅〖Guard standing guard position next to the exit〗 Don't worry if you didn't see the Changing of the Guard ceremony, you can also see the guards on duty here. Since photography is not allowed during most of the internal tours, we will first travel from the outside to the inside, take pictures, and then slowly tour the area. Remember to pay attention to the opening hours of indoor tours! So we had to go back and go back to the Norman Gate. On the way, we saw the large square that was not open to the public, the guards walking on the road, the cannons and bronze statues next to the castle. I really couldn’t believe that this castle was still habitable! ✅〖State Apartments〗 It is a good place to visit George IV's rooms and appreciate the royal collections. The interior decoration is very luxurious and truly embodies the royal style. I saw one of the royal family members, Corgi, from the office window in the castle. He was so cute! ✅〖Queen Mary’s Doll’s House〗 Here you can see the dolls that accompanied the princes and princesses growing up. It is an exhibition hall where you can take photos. Unfortunately, it was not open when I went there! T^T 📍Windsor Castle🏰 Address: Windsor, Berkshire SL4 1NJ, United Kingdom If you want to spend a day leisurely in the castle, you can get a wristband at the gift shop at the exit. With this wristband, you can enter and exit the castle unlimited times on the same day, but you still have to queue up at the entrance and go through security to enter. The small town of Windsor is full of rich history. How can you miss visiting Windsor when you come to the UK? #OverseasTravel #UK #UKTravel #Windsor #WindsorCastle