Rome Toolkit 
Paris Toolkit Travelling to Windsor from central London & Heathrow
Train and bus permutations available to Windsor Castle from central London
Windsor is a very straight forward and simple journey from Central London, well within the capabilities of any visitor to London. Most visitors will travel by train to Windsor, but there are alternatives that might find favour depending on where you are staying in London.
Windsor is also close to Heathrow Airport and there is a choice of local buses that ply between Heathrow and Windsor and Eton.
Note: You cannot use London transport passes like Oyster and Travelcard to Windsor. Though the London Pass has a special addition to its Travelcard that allows you to use the train to Windsor from London.
Train from Paddington Train from Waterloo Green Line bus Local buses Private transfer to/from Heathrow Group coaches Private transfer enquiry form
The main options for the independent traveller to Windsor are:
- Train from Paddington - the fastest and most popular route.
- Train from Waterloo - takes a more southerly route than the Paddington train, slightly slower.
- Green Line Bus from Victoria - slower and cheaper than train, passing many hotels in the Kensington area on the way. Also visits Legoland Windsor.
- Local Buses from Heathrow - three local bus routes go frequently between Heathrow's Terminal 5 and Windsor or Eton.
London Paddington to Windsor Central Train via Slough
There are two railway stations in Windsor, and a choice of railway lines. The fastest option is from London's Paddington Station that terminates at Windsor Central. The other railway is from London's Waterloo station, terminating at Windsor Riverside Station.
The Paddington train requires a change of train at Slough, where you catch a branch line train to Windsor. Despite this its slightly faster than the Waterloo train. However, if you are staying close to Waterloo the Waterloo train is probably your best bet.
The London Waterloo service terminates at Windsor's Riverside station, at the bottom of the hill from Windsor Castle, a a 5 minute walk away. Windsor Central is opposite Windsor Castle, when you exit the station it is right in front of you.
There is no need to book in advance on the trains from London to Windsor. You can check the fares available using the 'Trainline' link below as well as getting the latest schedules. Trains are fundamentally there for commuters. There is no reserved seating and your ticket is not specific to a particular train schedule.
Trains run very late into the evening at good frequencies.
TRAIN TICKETS
London Waterloo to Windsor riverside train
South West Trains run the alternative train service from London Waterloo that terminates at Windsor Riverside Station. If you are staying in the County Hall or Charing Cross, Trafalgar Square area you may find this more convenient, Waterloo Station being very walkable from these hotel areas.
You can also join the train at Clapham Junction rail station served by trains from Victoria and Vauxhall and Richmond Underground Stations.
The Windsor Riverside station itself is just a short 5 minute walk up a slight gradient to Windsor Castle and is by the bridge across to Eton.
You can buy a combined ticket that saves you money on entrance to Windsor Castle from South West Trains.
You do not have to travel from just Waterloo either. Just add the combined ticket price of Windsor Castle admission to the cost of your rail ticket to Windsor & Eton Riverside or Windsor & Eton Central. You can make further savings by buying off-peak and family fares.
Windsor & LEGOLAND Green Line Bus from London
Although most independent visitors to Windsor from London will take one of the two train lines from London to Windsor, road based bus is an option. The service may be of particular interest to those with a hotel in the Victoria or Kensington High Street area through which the bus passes.
The Green Line Bus starts at London Victoria and makes its way out of London along the M4 motorway passing Heathrow Airport, but not stopping there.
The Green Line Bus terminates well beyond Windsor, most buses out of London will be signed to Bracknell.
You can't miss the Windsor Castle stop though as it stops right outside Windsor Castle.
The Green Line Bus after visiting Windsor continues its journey stopping at the LEGOLAND theme park, just outside Windsor. This is the only direct transport from Central London to Legoland itself.
The terminus at Victoria is at the Green Line Bus Station, not the bus station in front of the railway station for the red London buses. The Green Line Coach Station is 5 minutes' walk down Buckingham Palace Road that runs besides Victoria Rail Station.
Since most passengers will be leaving in the morning for LEGOLAND, this is their premium time and the fares are more expensive (but still represent good value) accordingly. Fares after 12 p.m. are considerably cheaper.
For families a Group Day Return is available, for either two adults and two children or one adult and three children.
Local buses between Heathrow & Windsor via Runnymede
The buses going direct to Windsor from Heathrow start at Terminal 5 on the western side of Heathrow, the closest terminal to Windsor.
The buses also pass a few Heathrow Hotels on the way so you can see Windsor as part of a stopover at Heathrow. Most Heathrow hotels have a Hoppa Bus to Terminal 5 running frequently through the day and if your hotel is on the Bath Road there are free public buses. The Piccadilly Line of the London Underground terminates at Terminal 5 as does the Heathrow Express train from London's Paddington Station.
You can use the Heathrow Express free between Terminals 2 and 3 to Terminal 5 and there are free buses between Terminal 4 and Terminal 5 too.
There are luggage storage facilities in each of the terminals at Heathrow, but they are not cheap.
Note: The number 7 bus (the pink line on the map) no longer goes to Windsor but stops at Slough.
The 8 and 2 buses stop right outside Windsor Castle, but they do not terminate there. The 8 bus although taking slightly longer takes a more scenic route and approaches Windsor from the south stopping in Old Windsor. You can use the 8 bus to visit Runnymede, where the signing of the Magna Carta took place, and also the popular Windsor Farm Shop. For the Magna Carta get off at the Bells of Ouzely pub at the south end of Old Windsor.
Private transport to/from Windsor from London & Heathrow
Below is a 'toolkit' of prices where you can work out how much a personalised Windsor private transport will cost. Below that are some examples.
All prices include all taxes, but do not include admissions to attractions. The standard stopover is for a driver who will drop you off in front of Windsor Castle, in the middle of Windsor itself. If you require guiding whilst in Windsor can can quote for a fully guided tour too.
Pricing Toolkit For Stopover Visit To Windsor / Legoland/Stonehenge (Price per vehicle)
| No of people |
1-3 |
4-8 |
9-16 |
| Max cases |
3 |
8 |
16-22 |
| Vehicle |
E Class Mercedes |
Mercedes Van |
Small Bus |
| Airport Components | |||
| Meet & Greet In Airport | £12 |
£12 |
£12 |
| Windsor Components | |||
|
Luggage Storage Per Vehicle |
£20 |
£20 |
£20 |
|
Heathrow - Windsor (15 mins) |
£30 |
£50 |
£75 |
|
London Hotel - Windsor |
£65 |
£95 |
£150 / £200 |
|
London Hotel - Heathrow |
£60 |
£90 |
£150 / £200 |
|
Gatwick - Windsor (60 mins) |
£90 |
£120 |
£190 / £220 |
| Stonehenge Components (assumes up to 2 hour visit to Stonehenge with waiting time) | |||
|
Heathrow - Stonehenge (75 mins) |
£90 |
£115 |
£185 / £220 |
|
Gatwick - Stonehenge (105 mins) |
£115 |
£145 |
£225 / £260 |
|
Windsor - Stonehenge (75 mins) |
£90 |
£115 |
£185 / £220 |
Prices above are for vehicle, driver and include taxes. They do not include any admission charges at attractions.
For guiding please ask for a quote.
Stonehenge prices include 2 hours at Stonehenge. At Windsor you have unlimited time for the same fee.
Example Prices (Per Vehicle Using A Mercedes E Class Car)
|
Meet Flight at Heathrow, visit Windsor, no luggage, return to Heathrow Terminal Meet & Greet Heathrow - £12 Heathrow to Windsor - £30 Windsor to Heathrow - £30 Total Cost - £72 |
Pickup London Hotel, visit Windsor, luggage storage, return to Heathrow Terminal London to Windsor - £65 Luggage Storage Windsor - £20 Windsor to Heathrow - £30 Total Cost - £115 |
Meet Flight Gatwick, visit Windsor, luggage storage, return to Heathrow Hotel Meet & Greet Gatwick - £12 Gatwick to Windsor - £90 Luggage Storage Windsor - £20 Windsor to Heathrow - £30 Total Cost - £152 |
Full Size Touring Coaches for Large Groups
If you have a large group then that is not a problem either.
The largest coaches are 50 seat coaches but we also have access to vehicles half that size.
With large groups if your average passenger is bringing more than one large case and a small item of hand luggage it might be the luggage capacity of the vehicle rather than the number of passengers that drives the correct size of vehicle required. The point being that estimating the amount of luggage you will be bringing is just as important as knowing how many people in your group.
