TT went to London for a couple of months, twice this year. She had a blast there, but went as a lost tourist, got robbed, got into the worst hotels, made mistakes, and came back as a know-it-all with a travel expertise girl. She also spent some time in Manchester city and Edinburgh (see her Edinburgh and Manchester guide). And came to talk about how to spend from month to two days in one city without making the same mistakes or spending all your bank account. She will explain how to stay, eat, shop, get around, visit the three cities with minimal effort.
If you fancy getting away from London just for a day, I can’t think of a place better than Windsor city. Home to the queen, and where Price Harry and Meghan Markle said their I do’s last May as the world of single ladies wept.
Meghan and Harry were so fascinated by the city that they now call it home. From mid April, all the media started to flood the city waiting for any news about Prince Harry’s baby. At the early hours of 6th May, Their Royal Highnesses The Duke Prince Harry and Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle welcomed their firstborn child. Markle gave birth to a baby boy at the Portland hospital in London, and the world rejoiced. All eyes are turning to Windsor again in anticipation for the first photo of baby Sussex, and for any royal baby news.
Just a brief 30 minutes train ride from London. You embark on a new adventure that any royal fan like me will definitely relish, so let’s get into practical information.
How to get to Windsor?
You can either buy your tickets online on The Train Line app or at the train station. Try to go for off-peak tickets (from 9 AM:16 PM). They are of course much cheaper. You will take the train from Waterloo station to the Central Windsor and Eton station. Once you get off the train, the station is considered one of the attractions.
Things to do in Windsor— The Attractions
The Castle
Needless to say, the castle is the main attraction. Once you step out of the station, you will see this huge castle dominating the skyline. Now I have to mention, I didn’t get into the castle itself, and the reason behind this decision is that you need to book the tickets in advance, and I did not know that. If you don’t book a ticket, you will have to wait for a long time before you can get in. The ticket is about 30 dollars, and I felt I will waste a lot of time if I visited the castle itself. So it is really your call.
Along the high street, you can find cute little shops and pubs, like the Duchess of Cambridge pub, which is really famous. Also outside the castle, I found a fake Harry and Meghan doing a photo shoot.
The Parks
When I went to Windsor, the weather was amazing, so it was perfect to visit the parks. I highly recommend Alexandra park with its breathtaking cherry blossom trees. And of course, you have to check out the Royal Maze at the Goswells.
The River Thames
You can get a good look of the river Thames from the Eton bridge. Also, you can take a boat ride there. I have to add a little story here, alongside the river as I was straggling to take a good selfie, an old Englishman, maybe in his 80’s, stopped me and told me “you don’t mind give me your camera and I will take a photo of you.” I was overjoyed and couldn’t thank him enough.
Eton College
I crossed the river to Eton home to the famous college. The narrow streets are just full of charm. The small houses had beautiful flowers, some lavender I have to add, and the architecture was really impeccable.
As I was roaming around, I found a gold telephone box that put to shame the iconic red boxes, it looked super fancy.
Where To Shop
You can find many shops in the train station, but the Peascod road has to be my favorite with its cobblestones and charming shops and cafe. You can find a TK Maxx at the high street where I got a Grace Cole set for the owner of this blog.
Where To Eat
Because of a gastric problem, I couldn’t eat anything that day. But I sat in this little Italian cafe called Lilly’s and ordered the lemon curd cake and a flat white. Till this day, I say that this flat white was the best I’ve ever had.
Photographed by: Mehitab @TitienRoute.
