London to Windsor by car: drive time, best stops and what a driver costs

Windsor is the closest royal day out from London: about 35 km (22 mi) from Mayfair and roughly 42 minutes on a clear road by our routed estimate, west along the A4 and the M4. It is also only about 14 minutes from Heathrow, which makes Windsor the one major sight you can comfortably fit into an arrival or departure day. The catch is the calendar. Windsor Castle is a working royal palace with closing days and its own rules on bags and parking, and a good Windsor trip is planned around them.

With Elly8.net, a Windsor half-day is usually booked by the hour, from US$105 an hour in a business sedan to US$210 in an Executive Sprinter, with a 3-hour minimum. Combined with the Cotswolds, it becomes our signature ten-hour London day trip, from US$970 in a business sedan. All prices are fixed, all-in and per vehicle. Below are the timings, the rules, the best stops and the honest comparison with the train.

How long does it take to drive from London to Windsor?

The route is simple: out through Kensington and Hammersmith on the A4, onto the M4 past Heathrow, and off towards Windsor for the last few kilometres. Nearly all the variation is in the first 20 minutes inside London. Coming back, the M4 into London slows in the weekday evening rush, so a slightly later departure from Windsor often gets you home sooner.

See London prices and reserve

Before you go: the castle's days, bags and parking

The Royal Collection Trust, which runs visits, describes Windsor Castle as the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world, founded by William the Conqueror in the 11th century and home to 40 monarchs since. It is open to visitors throughout the year. Four details shape the day:

• Closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The castle is open to visitors Thursday to Monday. Pick your date first.
• St George's Chapel on Sundays. The chapel is closed to visitors on Sundays because services are held throughout the day. On open days it closes to visitors at 16:15, with last entry at 16:00.
• Airport-style security and limited bags. According to the trust's practical information, everyone goes through security screening, and very large suitcases are permitted only at the discretion of staff. Large backpacks and pushchairs must be checked in before the State Apartments.
• No visitor parking at the castle. The trust says there is no visitor car parking at Windsor Castle and recommends the public car parks in the town centre.

The last two are exactly where a chauffeur helps. Your luggage stays locked in the car, and the chauffeur sets you down in the town, waits in a public car park, and collects you when you are ready. Parking is billed at cost. The trust also notes that, as a working palace, the castle or the State Apartments can close at short notice, so check closure details a day or two before.

The best stops in and around Windsor

Windsor Castle and the State Apartments. Allow two to three hours for the State Apartments, St George's Chapel and the precincts. Tickets are sold online by the Royal Collection Trust, so buy them before the day and give the desk your arrival time.

Changing the Guard. The trust's highlights page says castle visitors can usually watch the ceremony on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, weather permitting, and that on Thursdays and Saturdays the guards arrive at the castle just before 11:00 after marching through the town. A 9:45 pickup from Mayfair has you in place in good time. Because the ceremony depends on the weather, keep a fallback for that first hour, such as starting with the State Apartments.

The Long Walk and Windsor Great Park. The tree-lined Long Walk runs just over 2.5 miles from the castle to the statue of George III on horseback known as the Copper Horse, and the trust notes that the park is open daily and free to enter. Walk as much of it as you like, and arrange a pickup with the chauffeur at an agreed point on a nearby public road so you do not have to walk all the way back.

Eton. Just across Windsor Bridge, Eton has a high street of historic buildings and boutique shops and is home to Eton College, which runs its own historic tours. It is an easy hour after the castle.

Lunch. The castle has its own Undercroft Café, and the town and Eton offer plenty more; give the desk any reservation and the chauffeur times the pickup to it.

A sample Windsor half-day from London

Built from the routed estimates and the castle's published rules, a Thursday or Saturday half-day looks like this:

• 9:45 Pickup at your hotel in Mayfair, Knightsbridge or Marylebone.
• About 10:40 Set-down in Windsor town, a short walk from the castle entrance and in time for the guards arriving just before 11:00.
• 11:00 to 13:30 Changing the Guard, the State Apartments, St George's Chapel and the precincts.
• 13:30 to 14:15 Lunch in Windsor, then a walk across the bridge into Eton.
• 14:30 Pickup in Eton, back in central London at about 15:30, before the evening traffic.

That is just under six hours. If you skip Eton and lunch in London, five hours is enough. Book six hours for the full plan; the chauffeur adjusts the order on the day.

Windsor with children

Windsor works well for families because the distances are short and the guard change gives children something to watch before the State Apartments. Pushchairs must be checked in before the State Apartments, so leave the larger stroller in the car and bring a carrier; the trust lends baby-carriers subject to availability. Child seats are available on request on any booking, fitted before pickup, and the Business SUV or van seats six with room for the bags. If the children run out of energy, the chauffeur is a message away. The fleet page lists what each vehicle carries.

Windsor on the way in from Heathrow, or on the way out

Because Windsor sits beside Heathrow, it is the easiest landing-day or departure-day sight in England.

Arrival day. Many transatlantic flights land in the early morning, hours before hotel check-in. Instead of a straight transfer, book an hourly chauffeur from arrivals: the chauffeur tracks your flight, meets you with a name board, drives you 14 minutes to Windsor with the luggage locked in the car, and takes you on to London after lunch. Five hours by the hour in a Business SUV comes to US$675, as arithmetic on the US$135 hourly rate, against US$255 for the Heathrow to Mayfair transfer alone. Our guide to the Heathrow transfer for first-time visitors explains the airport meeting, and the airport transfers page covers every London airport.

Departure day. For an evening flight, the same idea in reverse: check out of the hotel, spend the middle of the day at Windsor and finish at the terminal. The fixed Heathrow fare is the same in either direction, and Heathrow's £7 terminal drop-off charge is billed at cost.

Windsor with Ascot, the Cotswolds or Stonehenge

Ascot. Ascot Racecourse is only about 11 km (7 mi) and 13 minutes from Windsor by routed estimate, and about 52 minutes from Mayfair. Royal Ascot runs from 15 to 19 June 2027, and a castle morning before an afternoon at the races is a classic combination. On race days, book early and expect the chauffeur to use the racecourse's own arrival arrangements.

The Cotswolds. Our signature day trip pairs the castle in the morning with the Cotswold villages in the afternoon: Windsor to Burford is about 97 km (60 mi) and 1 hour 15 minutes. It costs from US$970 in a business sedan for ten hours. The London to the Cotswolds guide has the leg-by-leg route.

Stonehenge. Windsor to Stonehenge is about 111 km (69 mi) and 1 hour 20 minutes, so the two fit one long day. See the London to Stonehenge guide.

What a Windsor driver costs

Prices are per vehicle, not per person, and include the chauffeur, the vehicle, taxes and standard gratuity. Parking in Windsor and road charges, such as London's Congestion Charge if the day starts in central London, are billed at cost.

A five-hour booking covers the drive both ways and about three and a half hours in Windsor and Eton. If you want the whole day, the 8-hour full-day chauffeur from US$775 in a business sedan is priced 8% below eight hours by the hour, and the ten-hour Cotswolds day 8% below ten. For groups, a Sprinter shared by twelve on a five-hour Windsor trip works out to US$87.50 each, as arithmetic for comparison only; the price is for the vehicle. Every London fare is on the London chauffeur service page.

Train or car to Windsor

The train is a genuine alternative. The Royal Collection Trust says trains from London take under an hour, and for one or two travellers with no luggage and a flexible day, it is the cheapest way to go. Once you are in Windsor, the castle, the town and Eton, just across the bridge, are all reachable on foot.

The car is the better choice for three or more people, for families with children or older parents, for anyone combining Windsor with Heathrow, Ascot or the Cotswolds, and for days when you want to walk the Long Walk one way and be collected at the other end. The chauffeur vs car rental guide covers self-drive, which comes with the castle's parking limits.

How booking works

1. Choose the booking. An hourly block, the full day or the Windsor and Cotswolds day on the London prices page, or an hourly pickup from Heathrow with your flight number.
2. Choose the vehicle. Business or First Class sedan, SUV or van, or Executive Sprinter, plus child seats if needed.
3. Reserve now. Fixed packages go to secure checkout in US$; other addresses go through the web booker. Confirmation arrives by email.

Book any address

Rides in London are operated by licensed, commercially insured local chauffeur partners vetted through the Limousine Worldwide network; Elly8.net takes the booking, fixes the price and runs the 24/7 desk. Cancellation is free more than 72 hours before pickup, 10% at 72 hours or less, 50% at 48 hours or less, and 100% at 24 hours or less or for a no-show, refunded to the original card. For more chauffeured days, see private city tours and hourly chauffeur.