Accommodation in Windsor: a guide from people who live here

The four types of accommodation in Windsor

1. Serviced apartments

Fully furnished apartments and houses let by the night, week or month with all bills, WiFi and linen included. They're the best-value option for stays of three nights or more, for families who need bedrooms rather than one shared room, and for anyone staying long enough to want a kitchen and a washing machine. This is what we do — our portfolio of 50+ properties across Windsor and Eton is bookable at accommodation-windsor.co.uk, and you can read more on our serviced apartments Windsor page.

2. Guest houses and B&Bs

Windsor has a good stock of small, personal guest houses, mostly in the streets between the town centre and the racecourse. They suit one- and two-night leisure stays where you want breakfast cooked for you and a friendly face at the door. Our own guest house, Goswell House, sits right in the heart of town and is where we point guests whose stay is too short for an apartment to make sense.

3. Hotels

The town centre has everything from historic coaching inns on the High Street to modern chains near the stations, with countryside hotels out towards Ascot and Bray. Expect to pay a significant premium during Royal Ascot (mid-June), the Windsor Horse Show (May) and summer weekends. Hotels make sense for single-night stays and for travellers who want room service and a bar downstairs.

4. Holiday lets and Airbnb-style rentals

Windsor has plenty of individually-hosted rentals of variable quality. Some are lovely; some are a lockbox and a prayer. If you like the apartment format but want professional management — real keys, a staffed office, someone to call when the boiler sulks — see our page on Airbnb-style stays in Windsor booked direct.

Which area of Windsor should you stay in?

Windsor is compact — almost everywhere worth staying is within a 15-minute walk of the Castle. In brief:

• Town centre — restaurants, both stations and the Castle on your doorstep. Liveliest, and the best choice for first-time visitors.
• Eton — across the pedestrian bridge, quieter and full of character, with antique shops and Eton College's honey-coloured brick. Many of our Eton properties look back at the Castle.
• Residential Windsor (Clewer, St Leonards, Spital) — quiet streets ten minutes out, usually with parking. Ideal for longer stays and relocations.

For a fuller area-by-area breakdown, see places to stay in Windsor, and for what to actually do once you're here, our Windsor area guide or our sister visitor site royal-windsor.com.

When to book accommodation in Windsor

Windsor is a year-round destination, but demand spikes hard around a few fixed points: Royal Ascot in June, the Royal Windsor Horse Show in May, Windsor Triathlon weekend, school summer holidays (Legoland effect) and the Christmas market season in November–December. For those periods, book two to three months ahead. In January, February and midweek through the winter you'll find genuinely good value — our holiday stays page covers the seasons in more detail.