One of the three official residences of the Monarch, Windsor Castle is the largest occupied castle in the world. Building began in the late 11th Century and almost every Monarch since has left their mark on the castle and grounds.Inside the castle you will visit the ‘State Apartments’ which are the rooms traditionally used by the Monarchs. There are displays of art including works by Rubens and Van Dyke and many examples of antique furnishings. Some rooms are still used including St Georges Hall, where State Banquets for up to 160 guests are held. You can also visit 16th Century St Georges Chapel, first and foremost a working chapel, it is also a venue for royal weddings and the final resting place of many Monarchs. A guard change takes place at 11.00am although may not be every day. Note that there will be occasions during the year when the Castle or parts of it are closed to the public. In particular St Georges Chapel is closed on Sundays. Also note Windsor Castle is closed on Tuesdays & Wednesdays.

From Windsor Castle it is about 45 minutes back into central London and an afternoon tour of the highlights there.There won’t be time to visit each attraction in detail but enough time to take photographs and be told a little about what you are seeing. Attractions visited include the Palace of Westminster (also known as the Houses of parliament or mistakenly called Big Ben). This is home of the United Kingdom’s Parliament and you’ll learn how the parliamentary system works. You will also see Westminster Abbey, the venue for coronations, royal weddings, royal funerals, the resting place of monarchs and other notables such as Charles Dickens, Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin.

Other highlights include Buckingham Palace, the official London home of the Monarch. Also see the Tower of London is an imposing castle, the oldest part of which dates from the late 11th Century. Extended, improved and re-modelled over the centuries, it has been used as a mint, an observatory, a zoo and a place of execution. The main exhibit in the castle is the Crown Jewels which are used in the Coronation ceremony. More highlights include, St Pauls Cathedral, Tower Bridge, London Bridge and Hyde Park.

There are plenty of opportunities to get out of the car to walk around these sights to at least take some photographs. As with all of my tours, the itinerary is flexible and if there is anything you had in mind or want to visit somewhere different, let me know and, if within reason, I can personalise an itinerary for you. A detailed tour of attractions such as the Abbey (allow about 1.5 hours) and the Tower (allow at least 2 hours) can be included in your half day but that does not leave much time to see the other sights of London.

At least the above itinerary gives an introduction and if you are in London for a few more days you can discover many sights in more details at your own pace.