Ascot
The racecourse and the Royal Meeting — the reason to visit — plus a small town of pubs and expensive houses.
Ascot Racecourse grandstand from the parade ring
Why people stay in Ascot
Ascot exists in most visitors' minds as a racecourse first and a town second, which is fair. The course, founded by Queen Anne in 1711, holds 26 racedays a year and 5 of them are Royal Ascot in June — top hats, morning dress, and the Queen's (now King's) procession down the Straight Mile. Outside race days the town of Ascot itself is a small Berkshire village on the A329 with a couple of pubs (the Stag, the Thatched Tavern in Cheapside), a Waitrose, and the usual estate agents pricing 4-bedroom houses at £1.2 million. At 9pm on a non-race night, silent. On a race night, transformed.
Stay in Ascot for racing — Royal Ascot week especially. It's an easy day-trip from Reading (25 minutes by train) but staying gives you evening flexibility and dawn walks in the Great Park. Don’t stay here for anything other than racing or Windsor Great Park adjacency. What's overrated: the town shopping (there is none of note). What's underrated: Ascot's proximity to Windsor Great Park and the Savill Garden — you can walk from the town to Virginia Water's shore in 40 minutes.
Coworth Park (Dorchester Collection) on Blacknest Road ($380-$650) is the destination hotel — country house, spa, polo. Macdonald Berystede Hotel on Bagshot Road ($180-$300) is the mid-tier flagship. Royal Berkshire Hotel on London Road ($160-$260) is old-school country hotel. Ascot Green on Winkfield Road ($120-$180) is the budget-friendly serviced apartments option. During Royal Ascot week (mid-June) everything doubles or triples — book by December.
What to see
Hotels in Ascot
Getting around Ascot
Ascot Station has SWR trains direct to London Waterloo (55 minutes, $18) and to Reading via Wokingham (25 minutes, changing at Wokingham, $9). On race days, direct shuttle trains run from Reading and London. Bus 702 (Green Line) runs Bracknell-Ascot-Windsor. From Heathrow, RailAir to Reading then swap, or a $30 taxi. The racecourse is 10 minutes' walk from Ascot Station.
Questions about Ascot
For general admission on non-royal race days, smart-casual is fine — no ripped jeans, no sportswear, no beach shorts. For the Royal Enclosure, full morning dress for men and formal daywear plus hats for women, all year. Check the racecourse dress code for the specific fixture.
Windsor Enclosure tickets from $60 a day. Queen Anne Enclosure from $95. Royal Enclosure from $135 plus formal-dress hire (add $200+ if you don’t own morning dress). Hotels in mid-June triple — Ascot rooms at $400-$600 a night. Budget $600-$1500 per day if going properly.
