Windsor combines royal history with riverside walks, cafés, traditional pubs, restaurants and a lively shopping centre. Whether you are visiting Windsor Castle for the day or spending a weekend in Berkshire, you can make a day of exploring the town on foot.

Where can you eat in Windsor?

There is a broad choice, from quick coffees and casual lunches to pub meals and French-inspired brasserie dishes. Here are some places to consider; check the restaurant’s own menu before travelling because dishes and prices can change.

The Boatman — riverside pub dining

Where: 10 Thames Side, Windsor, SL4 1QN. The Boatman sits beside the River Thames near Eton Bridge, making it a good option for a meal with a riverside setting. Browse its current menu and booking details before you go.

Visit The Boatman’s website.

Côte Brasserie — French-inspired favourites

Where: Windsor town centre. Côte serves French brasserie dishes, with options for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Recent published menu listings give examples such as olives at around £4.50, baguette at £3.50, baked Camembert at about £9.95, and main courses such as a Côte burger around £17.50 or beef bourguignon around £24. These are indicative menu prices, not a guarantee of today’s prices; check the restaurant’s live menu.

Check Côte Windsor’s official menu.

The Two Brewers — a historic pub

Where: 34 Park Street, Windsor, SL4 1LB, near the Long Walk. This traditional pub is a useful stop before or after a walk toward the Castle. Check the pub for its current food service and menu.

More choices around town

• Thames Street and the riverside: pubs, restaurants and cafés, with some venues overlooking the river.
• Windsor Royal: cafés and places to eat alongside shops in the restored railway-station setting.
• High Street and Peascod Street: handy for coffee, lunch and a break between sightseeing.

The official visitor guide has a broader directory of places to eat and drink: Visit Windsor — Eat & Drink.

What might a meal cost?

As a rough planning guide, a coffee or light snack will usually cost less than a full restaurant meal. At a brasserie such as Côte, published menu examples include starters and sharing dishes around £4.50–£13.50 and main courses around £16.50–£24. A two-course meal with a drink can cost more, and riverside views, weekends and special events may affect demand. Treat these figures as examples, not a complete price list.

Money-saving tip: Look at lunch or set menus, check children’s menus if travelling as a family, and review the menu online before sitting down. Prices, service charges and availability can change.

Popular places to shop

Windsor Royal

Set in a restored Victorian railway station, Windsor Royal is one of the town’s best-known shopping destinations. It mixes cafés with fashion, gifts, beauty and lifestyle shops. The current directory includes names such as H&M, Hobbs, Mint Velvet, Swarovski, Oliver Bonas, MINISO and other specialist retailers.

Browse the Windsor Royal shop directory.

Peascod Street

This central shopping street has familiar high-street stores and is easy to combine with a visit to the Castle. It is a useful place to look for clothing, everyday shopping and bookshops.

High Street, Thames Street and the Castle area

These streets are good for royal souvenirs, gifts, jewellery, specialist shops and independent businesses. If you want a keepsake, look for Windsor-themed gifts and products inspired by the Royal Family and the Castle.

Independent shops and local finds

Venture beyond the busiest central stretch to find independent retailers, homeware, florists, food shops and vintage items. The official tourism website provides an updated overview of shopping in the area: Visit Windsor — Shopping.

How many visitors come to Windsor each day?

There is no single daily count that represents everyone visiting the whole town: figures for Windsor Castle, Windsor Great Park and the wider Royal Borough measure different places and may use different methods.

• Windsor Castle: the Royal Collection Trust says nearly 1.5 million people visit each year. Dividing that annual figure by 365 gives an average of roughly 4,100 visits a day. This is a simple annual average, not a live daily count; actual numbers vary by season, opening days and events.
• Windsor Great Park: the estate reports around 5.5 million visitors a year—roughly 15,000 a day when averaged across 365 days. This is for the Great Park, not Windsor town or the Castle.
• The wider Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead: the council’s published 2021/22 tourism study recorded 12.73 million trips, including 12.19 million day trips and 0.54 million overnight visits. That covers the wider borough and an earlier reporting period, not Windsor town alone.

These figures should not be added together: the locations and measurement periods differ, and some visitors may visit more than one attraction. For a sensible headline, Windsor Castle itself receives nearly 1.5 million visits a year, equivalent to about 4,100 per calendar day on average.

Plan a royal day out

Start with Windsor Castle, then walk down Peascod Street for shopping, pause for lunch or coffee, and finish with a stroll along the Thames or toward the Long Walk. If you are visiting on a busy weekend or during a major event, book a restaurant ahead and check attraction opening times.

Official Windsor Castle visitor information · Tourism statistics from Visit Windsor.

Sources and price note

• Côte Brasserie Windsor — official restaurant page and menu
• Visit Windsor — places to eat and drink
• Visit Windsor — shopping guide
• Windsor Royal — current shop directory
• Royal Collection Trust — Windsor Castle visitor information
• Visit Windsor — tourism statistics for the Royal Borough
• Windsor Great Park — visitor and sustainability information

Editorial note: Menu prices are examples from published listings checked in October 2026 and may change. Confirm prices directly with each venue before visiting. Annual visitor figures are averages for context, not real-time daily attendance.

Copyright © 2026 Simon Ben Gemmill — WindsorCastle.info.

Please follow and like us:

0

20

20