Travel to Windsor
 

We will be in London with our kids in two weeks and I would like to visit Windsor Castle (last year we took the kids to Hampton Court). I was planning on getting there fairly early in the day. I have been looking into the trains to Windsor and it appears that there are 2 train lines. Thames and SouthWest. Does it make a difference which one I take? One is from Waterloo and one from Paddington. Is one better/cheaper than the other?

I don't know which is cheaper, since I've only taken the one from Paddington (many times), but the ride is inexpensive either way. Paddington will let you off right at the castle. The trains leave about every 20 minutes and, at least as of a year ago, the only direct was at 10:20 am. The rest stop at Slough, which is a small stop and very easy to get off and catch the train into Windsor. About 30 minutes total. Purchase a "return" ticket (round trip) and you can take any train back into London at any time of day. They run until about 11:30 p.m.

The real determining factor is which London terminal is more convenient for you, because prices are the same (~£6.50) and timing differences are inconsequential (35 min from Paddington to Windsor Central with change in Slough; 50 minutes from Waterloo to Windsor Riverside with no change). Windsor Riverside is perhaps 5 min farther away from the castle entrance than is Windsor Central.

Make sure that if you change at Slough that you get right off the train from London, walk fast over the overpass and down to the train to Windsor. They seem to be timed to depart less than 5 minutes after the arrival of the London train. First time we were there, we dawdled and had to wait about a 1/2 hour for the next train.

On my first trip to Slough on business, as we were driving from Gatwick airport, I saw a sign from the freeway for the next exit:<BR><BR>Windsor Castle<BR>LegoLand<BR><BR>I will never forget that sign.

If you go with kids, make sure to buy them some home-made fudge. There is a little shop (unfortunately, i've forgotten the name) just in the street which goes direct from the station to the castle. They'll love it!

For train info see www.thetrainline.co.uk