Changing The Guard At Windsor Palace | How To See

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Updated on: August 6, 2024
Published on: November 25, 2022
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A chance to see the royal ceremonies with your family. This handover ceremony takes place at Windsor Castle, which is one of the oldest and largest castles in the world. We want to give you all the information on Changing The Guard At Windsor Palace!

This guard ceremony is a great way to show the whole family the importance of Windsor Castle. So carry on reading to find out the actual ceremony and the ceremonial duties.

castle

Location/Dates

changing of guards at Windsor Castle
Make sure to purchase pre-booked tickets so you’re able to see the fantastic event.
Shape Location Get directions

Windsor SL4 1NJ

Opening Times

Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 11am.

Find out more

What's On

About the Guard ceremony

changing of guards marching at Windsor castle
Windsor Castle has been home to the Sovereign for over 900 years. The Sovereign is guarded by the Household troops called the guards! This privilege has been extended to other regiments of the British Army.

The changing of the guards is called Guard Mounting which begins in Windsor Castle. The guards will be dressed in ceremonial uniforms. The actual ceremony is 45 minutes long. You will have needed to purchase an entry ticket to see the ceremony happen inside the castle. There will also be a marching band and Windsor high street will be transformed into a parade. Music is provided by a regimental band or corps of drums. 

Make sure you have plenty of time to see the changing of the Windsor Castle guard.

Where to Watch

marching guards
Parade Route- The Guard Mounts begins with the new guard and band. There will be a march up Sheet Street at 10:45 am. Wheeling left into the High Street past the Parish Church and turning right onto Castle Hill by Queen Victoria’s Statue. Then up Castle Hill into Windsor Castle.

 

Inside Windsor Castle– The ceremony normally takes places in the Lower Ward in the guard room. You can stand by the railings of St George’s Chapel, will give you a good view of the ceremony.

You can also stand next to St George’s Gate, inside the castle. This will let you see the guards and the band march past you too.

The railings at Engine Court will let you see the entire ceremony and a spectacular backdrop too.

The moat path is also open for visitors to watch the ceremony too.

Getting to Windsor Castle

changing of guards at castle
Windsor is 30 miles (50km) West of London.

Trains– You can travel through both Waterloo and Paddington stations.

Trains from Waterloo to Windsor & Eton Riverside Station leave every 30 minutes and hourly on Sundays.

Car– The journey time from London is approximately 40 minutes and Heathrow airport is about 15 minutes away.

Parking near Windsor central is quite expensive and controlled.

You can park 20 minutes away from Windsor Castle. Parking at Legoland is free.

Bus– Greenline bus number 702 leaves from Victoria Colonnades.

We hope you have all the information you need for this splendid event. The Windsor changing of the guard is a great day out for the family so make sure you pre book your Windsor Castle tickets. So make sure you head on down to this beautiful town and see this memorable event. Let’s hope there is nice weather conditions too.

If you are looking for more things to do with you family over the weekend, head over to our adventure articles or check out all of our amazing attraction pages!