Windsor & Hampton Castles
 

Leaving for London next week. Is it possible to see Windsor Castle and Hampton Court Palace in the same day? If so, how would I do this by train, I am staying in London, West Side. <BR>Many Thanks

Count on about 2 hrs by train between the two places, so if you arrived at Hampton at opening (09:30?) and left Windsor at closing (17:30?), you would have about 3 hours in each place. Don't know that I would want to do it, but it is do-able. Check out the railtrack website for routing and schedules: http://www.railtrack.co.uk <BR>The Hampton Court train station is just across the Thames from the palace and you would change trains at Clapham Junction. You would end up at the Windsor Riverside train station which is a 10 or 15 minute hike to the castle.

Check to see if the Green Line bus is still running a route from Victoria Station. They take you by bus to either Windsor or Hampton Court, drop you off and you pick up the bus when you are ready to leave and go to the other site. It is a wonderful day!! I doubt either is open on Monday, other than that, it is a nice ride out there and back...or, if you want to take the time, you can go by boat down the Thames and come back to London by bus.

The boat ride to Hampton Court mentioned above is pleasant, but ridiculously long. If the tides are wrong it can take close to 4 hours. With nothing but uncomfortable little plastic chairs to sit in. I did it that way and was really sorry I hadn't stuck with the train. We ended up with only about 3 hours to see Hampton Court, and this wasn't near enough for me. But that depends on how much you want to see. There are some 5 or 6 different guided tours to different parts of the castle, plus a couple of self-guided tours, plus the gardens. I do recommend the self guided walk through the Tudor Kitchens. That was my favorite part. <BR> <BR>I think you need less time to see Windsor. Its not quite as large, and hasn't got the gardens.

I was at Windsor Castle last spring and it took us about 2-1/2 hours. The rooms that have been restored since the fire are thrilling to see, and the place is grand indeed. The self-guided tour of the rooms moves rather slowly. It's true that the grounds at Windsor are less extensive to tour, but the town is worth a walk around, at least for lunch. <BR>At Hampton Court, don't miss the Maze on the grounds, it's awesome for young and old alike. <BR>