We only have the opportunity to see one of these, so which would you choose? We are in our twenties, if that makes any difference (prefer castles to palaces with fru-fru stuff). Thanks!

From London I assume?

All are terrific. But for a variety of reasons my choice would be 1) HCP, 2) Windsor, and flinally 3) Warwick. NOT because Warwick is the worst of the bunch - it is just a long way from London and will use up an entire day/evening.

You can take the train to HCP in the a.m., tour the Palace and grounds and either take the train (or if the weather is nice, a boat) back and be in the center of London by mid afternoon. Time enough to do something else the same day.

Windsor is a bit farther out but you could still be back in London by late afternoon.

I really really really enjoyed Warwick. It's so fascinating and they have all these dungeons underground that were actually used a couple of hundred years ago and you could smell everything. I know it doesn't sound appealing when I say that but I'm not into history/castles but loved my experience there!

If you prefer castles, then why not Hever? Super train journey, just 45 mins., amazing walk from the station thru lovely lanes, a real castle, great pub close by, and far fewer crowds than Warwick, Windsor or HC.
Nicky
http://www.hiddeneurope.co.uk

They are all wonderful in different ways so it is hard for me to recommend one over another. Can we assume you will be in London with limited time ? If so then most likely Hampton Court or Windsor would be a better choice .. however, if you can spare a full day then I'd go to Warwick. By going to Warwick you will have the opportunity to see a little of the countryside (from train window, but seeing it nethertheless). Warwick is a fascinating castle and worth the visit. The train ride is about 90 min. from Marylebone Station.

Really it depends on your schedule, if you can spare the entire day do Warwick, if you must be back in London for a show or some late afternoon activity then do either Windsor or HC. Neither one take more then 35-40 min. to get to via train, however the train ride is basically in the city so there is no opportunity to view the countryside.

Thanks guys, but now I'm more confused than ever since they all sound good- and now I have Hever into the pot as well! I do like the thought of seeing the countryside too. Two of our party though (the guys) would probably enjoy dungeons, etc. I've narrowed it down to Hampton, Hever and Warwick Will look those up to see distances and times. Is Warwick more than an hour away?

Hampton Court is 40 mins by train from London Waterloo.

Warwick is 90 minutes by train from London Marylebone - with some additional connections from London Paddington with a change at Oxford.

Hever is 40 minutes by train from London Bridge (but also with an easy connection from London Victoria - just wait on the same platform at Oxted for five minutes).

I guess I am surprised by the addition of Hever Castle to the mix. It may call itself a castle, but it is really a stately house, heavily restored and reTudorized in the early part of the 20th century. Not even grand enough to be considered a palace, in my view.

I have only been to each of the four places under consideration once or twice, so I am no expert on general crowd levels. But Hever was the only one of the four where the quality of my visit was seriously degraded by the density of visitors. And that was only a couple of coaches of German tourists who completely clogged the place; it would take many, many coach loads to do the same at the other 3 places.

I mentioned in my first response that Warwick is 90 min. from London.

Hever is lovely. We have been there but we were staying in Kent and had a car. When we went (ages ago) there were no bus loads of tourists .. or any kinds of tourists for that matter, we had the place mostly to ourselves and for that I will be thankful forever more Hever is more of a "manor house", i.e. stately home as the previous poster mentioned. It is not really a castle.

For a castle with "dungeons" go to Warwick.

OK - about Hever - there is almost NOTHING original about Hever. It is a lovely place. And it was the home of the Boleyn family. But it was completely redesigned by William Waldorf Astor in the early 20th century - including building a "mock medieval" village looking area for staff lodging, and grand Italian gardens. It is a great place to visit if you are staying in Kent/East Sussex - but not probably the best for what you are looking for.

Warwick and Windso are much more castles. Hampton Court is a Palace - not fortified at all.

You can probably see the most of the inside at Warwick - but it's an entire day trip. Windsor can be done in 1/2 a day (with a car you can do both Windsor and Hampton Court in one day) and has all the trappings of current occupation by Royalty - and a lot more life.

So - if you have time for only one - do Windsor.

Hi, sej - you don't say when you are visiting. If in the summer, Hampton Court has the advantage of lovely gardens. Hever is great, but i share the reservations of OPs.

You can make your visit to HC even more special by getting the boat - probably only one way as it takes so long, but definitely worth worknig it into your itinerary, IMO.

Good luck!

There have been numerous Hampton Court Palace vs. Windsor posts and you'll find that every one comes out pretty much to be a draw - fan base on each side. Since my upcoming trip to London will be my first, I intend to stay close in so as to maximize my time, knowing that I can't see everything and will have to go back - and perhaps venture farther away next time. I guess we all have our own individual historical interests and preconceived notions of these places from which to base our decisions. Having read a fascinating book about Henry VIII, I just can't wait to see HCP! These other magical places will have to wait!

Our family loved Hampton Court - and we also went to Warwick (that was beautiful) but Hampton Court is really amazing - it's huge and there are educational exhibits with folks dressed in period costumes, musicians, etc. It is very interesting and the ground are lovely. As a child I was facinated with Henry VIII so it was particularly interesting to visit this palace.

I loved Hampton Court but I usually always go back to Windsor & another draw there is visiting Eton, a short walk away from the Castle.

You have all given me alot to consider, so I'll go over everything with the rest of my group to see what they think. We're only going to be there three days in May, which is why I'm having to plan carefully. I wish we had the time to see Hampton Court (since we're familiar with its history) as well as one of the castles. Thanks again for all of your help!

Are you planning to do the Tower of London on one of your three days? It is very much a huge castle complex, very castle-y and you could spend at least a half day there. We were a the Tower for 3 hours and barely saw the Crown Jewels (I actually thought it was worth it) and the White Tower, which is amazing. I share your opinion of palaces, btw.

Anyway, with just 3 days, you may not want to do any day trips.

Wish you had told us in the first place you are only in London 3 days. It would have saved us getting you all excited about all these great castles. To be honest - if you are only in London 3 days you don't have time for ANY of those day trips. But as noe847 says, the Tower of London is "THE" castle of all castles. And it is right in the center of the city. So w/ just 3 days go to the Tower, and IF you run out of other things to do (which you won't) then go to HCP.

Windsor but don't forget about Tower of London..it is more old style castle

Not sure what is meant by 'old-style castle' but the Tower of London actually consists of a number of structures built over several centuries. The White Tower is the oldest part, 11th c. It is historically speaking the best possible choice for your short stay in London.