AREA LOCALE

Make sure you visit some of the other scenic towns around Windsor. Less than half an hour's drive from the hotel, Marlow is a Georgian market town on the River Thames with churches and an 1832-built suspension bridge. Henley-on-Thames, 15 miles from Windsor, is home to the River & Rowing Museum, as well as plenty of walkable streets and cosy pubs. Historic Eton is just over the river.

Every spring and summer, horse-racing fans flock to the races at Ascot. Horses and jockeys may be the stars here, but the real show is the audience members, who are known for sporting some outrageous headwear. Even if the races don't thrill you, watching racegoers parade through the entrance in birds, feathers, oversized flowers and works of abstract art surely will.

Watching the Changing of the Guard is a highlight of any castle visit, but did you know that Windsor Castle's guards actually set out from a spot much closer to you? For a special treat, take your kids to Victoria Barracks, just a 10-minute walk from the hotel. You can catch a glimpse of the barracks' mix of old and new architecture as you wave the guards off on their march towards the castle.

Leave time in your Windsor Castle visit for all the extras, like Queen Mary's Dolls' House. Many of the 1920s' most successful artists and designers contributed to this palace in miniature, and there's a fully stocked library complete with tiny literary classics. The Semi-State Rooms, richly furnished meeting quarters still in use by the queen, are open to the public from September to March.

• Legoland
• Windsor Castle