Windsor Castle has welcomed visitors for hundreds of years. Today, nearly one and a half million people visit the Castle each year, enjoying the Castle's history and the great works of art from the Royal Collection.

As early as the reign of Elizabeth I, senior courtiers, foreign envoys and noblemen are known to have been shown around the State Apartments at Windsor Castle. During the 18th century, the royal family were rarely present at Windsor, as George I and George II preferred to live at Hampton Court and Kensington Palace, and the Castle became a destination for curious members of the public. Visitors travelled by coach or barge from London to walk along the terraces and view St George's Chapel and the State Apartments. The Castle's first guidebook was published in 1742.

Windsor became a centre of court life again under George III, and the royals were often seen walking along the terraces. In 1792 Dorothy Wordsworth, sister of poet William Wordsworth, wrote: 'The King stopped to talk with my Uncle and Aunt, and to play with the children...At Windsor they are seen unattended by pomp or state.'

The Castle stayed open throughout the major renovations undertaken by George IV and William IV. In 1825 the first official visitors' entrance was created, and precise opening hours established. When Queen Victoria came to the throne in 1837, she introduced tickets for visitors which could be obtained from the Lord Chamberlain's Office or from select London booksellers. For the first time, tours were organised by staff specifically employed for the purpose, rather than by the resident housekeeper.

The arrival of the railway in 1858 made access to Windsor easier than ever, and in the next two decades annual visitor numbers reached 39,000. The State Apartments closed upon Queen Victoria's death in 1901, and when they reopened the following year the Inspector of the Castle reported: 'The Rooms have been full, & from the Entrance a queue has spread…there are at least a thousand persons waiting...'

Plan your visit and find out more about what there is to see and do at Windsor Castle.