England
Windsor
A working royal castle where guards still change and the Queen's swans patrol the Thames.
The castle rises above the Thames in an unbroken line of towers and battlements that has housed the Crown for nearly a thousand years. Windsor in Berkshire is where the monarchy lives and works — not a museum piece but a functioning seat of power where guards still change and State Apartments still host dinners.
Windsor Castle, the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world, has been a royal residence since William the Conqueror chose the site in the 1070s. St George's Chapel, built between 1475 and 1528 in Perpendicular Gothic style, serves as the chapel of the Order of the Garter and the burial place of ten monarchs including Henry VIII and Charles I. The State Apartments contain works by Rembrandt, Rubens, and Canaletto. Windsor's 5,000-acre park, accessible from the Long Walk — a three-mile avenue of elms leading from the castle — supports herds of red and fallow deer. Eton College, visible across the Thames, has educated 20 British prime ministers since its founding in 1440. The town's position on the railway from London Paddington and Waterloo makes it one of the most visited destinations in England.
Couple
Walk the Long Walk at dusk when the deer graze beneath the elms and the castle glows above the town. Windsor's combination of grandeur and green space makes for an evening that feels both regal and intimate.
Family
The Changing of the Guard, St George's Chapel, and the park's deer herds give children a tangible connection to history. The castle is large enough to fill a morning; the park fills the afternoon.
- The castle has been a royal residence for nearly 1,000 years — the Changing of the Guard happens here with fewer crowds than Buckingham Palace.
- The Long Walk stretches three miles from the castle to the Copper Horse statue — a straight avenue of elms framing the castle in the distance.
- Windsor's 5,000-acre park stretches beyond the castle with deer herds and ancient oaks — an afternoon can disappear here without effort.
- Eton College across the bridge is a 15th-century boarding school where 20 British prime ministers were educated — the architecture alone justifies the walk.
Sunday roast at The Duchess of Cambridge pub, the castle visible through the window.
Afternoon tea at The Loch & the Tyne, Gordon Ramsay's pub in the Great Park.
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