A mini guide to
Shakespeare's birthplace, his family homes and the Royal Shakespeare Company beside the Avon
1 / 6Welcome to the area
Stratford-upon-Avon is a market town on the River Avon, about 22 miles south-east of Birmingham and 8 miles south-west of Warwick. William Shakespeare was born here in 1564, was baptised and buried at Holy Trinity Church, and died at his house, New Place, in 1616.
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust opens the Birthplace on Henley Street, New Place on Chapel Street and Anne Hathaway's Cottage in Shottery. The Royal Shakespeare Company plays in the Royal Shakespeare and Swan theatres on Waterside and in The Other Place on Southern Lane, a short walk from the old streets of the centre.
Highlights
If you only have a few hours, these are good places to begin.
Restored 16th-century half-timbered house where Shakespeare is believed to have been born in 1564, now a museum run by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.
Directions Website Report a problem with Shakespeare's Birthplace
Site of Shakespeare's last home, where he died in 1616. The house was pulled down in 1759; gardens now mark the plot.
Directions Website Report a problem with Shakespeare's New Place
Twelve-roomed former farmhouse in Shottery, about a mile west of the centre, where Shakespeare's wife Anne grew up; set in gardens.
Directions Website Report a problem with Anne Hathaway's Cottage
Grade I listed home of Shakespeare's daughter Susanna and her physician husband John Hall, now a learning hub under conservation work.
Grade I listed riverside parish church where Shakespeare was baptised and buried, often called Shakespeare's Church.
Directions Website Report a problem with Holy Trinity Church
The Royal Shakespeare Company's main riverside theatre, a thrust stage with more than 1,000 seats, reopened in 2010 after rebuilding.
Directions Website Report a problem with Royal Shakespeare Theatre
Find your way
The map shows Stratford-upon-Avon and the streets around it. The Getting there page lists nearby stops and stations.
Insider tips
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust recommends booking in advance for Shakespeare's Birthplace, New Place and Anne Hathaway's Cottage.
Both are now learning centres for schools, and Hall's Croft is under conservation work. Check the trust's site for tours before you go.
Anne Hathaway's Cottage is about a mile west of the centre. There is a pay car park on Cottage Lane that takes app or card payment.
The RSC's Rooftop Restaurant on the top floor of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre opens daily for lunch and dinner, and The Other Place has a café bar.
Tips from the Britlens editors
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Stratford & Warwickshire
Warwickshire's county town, with its castle above the Avon and medieval streets
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A spa town of parks along the River Leam, the Royal Pump Rooms and the Parade
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A market town with the ruins of Kenilworth Castle and the open space of Abbey Fields
Open the mini guide →Photos from Wikimedia Commons, used under the licences shown. All photo credits
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