🇬🇧United Kingdom · Places to discover
What to see in Stratford-upon-Avon?
24 places selected by the community - landmarks, nature, hidden restaurants and activities.
Landmarks & heritage
9 places
1Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0Landmark
Anne Hathaway's Cottage
Shakespeare's wife's half-timbered cottage at Shottery, surrounded by a garden of medicinal plants and wildflowers. Far less crowded than the birthplace, the atmosphere here is considerably more intimate.
2Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0Landmark
Clopton Bridge
Medieval fourteen-arch bridge built around 1480, still in active use. The finest view is from the south bank at sunset, when the golden stone reflects in the Avon's waters.
3Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0Landmark
Hall's Croft
The home of Shakespeare's son-in-law, a renowned physician, featuring a medicinal herb garden reconstructed according to 17th-century practice. One of the town's finest Tudor dwellings.
4Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0Landmark
Mary Arden's Farm
Shakespeare's mother's farm at Wilmcote, 3 miles from town. A working farm complete with animals, falconry demonstrations and Tudor cookery – considerably more than a mere museum.
5Wikimedia CommonsLandmark
Nash's House & New Place
The site of Shakespeare's final residence, now transformed into a reconstructed Elizabethan garden. Recent archaeological excavations have revealed the foundations of the original house.
6Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0Landmark
Royal Shakespeare Theatre
The RSC's flagship theatre on the banks of the Avon, rebuilt in 2010 with a thrust-stage auditorium inspired by the Globe. Even without catching a performance, the panoramic tower affords commanding views across the town.
7Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 3.0Landmark
Shakespeare's Birthplace
William Shakespeare's birthplace on Henley Street, dating from the 16th century. Essential viewing, and genuinely authentic: the guides are passionate enthusiasts who recount Elizabethan daily life without embellishment.
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Landmark
Landmark
Harvard House
Tudor house from 1596 adorned with exuberant timber carvings, home to the family that produced Harvard University's founder. Often overlooked by rushed visitors, it remains one of the town's finest examples of Jacobean architecture.
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Landmark
Landmark
Stratford-upon-Avon Town Hall
Georgian town hall from 1767 on Bridge Street, crowned with Shakespeare's statue, a gift from David Garrick. A symbol of civic pride, it stands at the heart of the weekly Friday market.
Religious sites
2 places
10Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Religious site
Guild Chapel
A 15th-century medieval chapel with partially preserved wall frescoes, including a Dance Macabre. Often overlooked by time-pressed visitors, it reveals the town's history before Shakespeare's era.
11Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Religious site
Holy Trinity Church
The 13th-century Gothic church where Shakespeare was baptised and buried. His tomb and original epitaph are located in the chancel, beside the Avon – a remarkably peaceful sanctuary.
Nature
3 places
12Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0Nature
Stratford-upon-Avon Canal – Bancroft Basin
The canal's terminus basin, lined with colourful narrowboats moored side by side. A stroll northward along the towpath reveals Victorian locks and peaceful countryside just a ten-minute walk from the town centre.
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Nature
Nature
Stratford Greenway
Former railway line converted into an 8-mile cycling and walking path towards Long Marston. Locals pound the pavements here for their morning jogs; come spring, flowering hawthorns form a spectacular white tunnel overhead.
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Nature
Nature
Avon Meadows & Tramway Walk
A walking trail following the Avon southward from Holy Trinity Church, along the route of a 19th-century horse-drawn tramway. Flood meadows, herons and kingfishers await.
Parks & gardens
3 places
15Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Park
Bancroft Gardens
The riverside park facing the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, with the Shakespeare memorial fountain surrounded by figures from his plays. Ideal for a picnic whilst watching swans and boats drift past.
16Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Park
Charlecote Park
Elizabethan manor of the Lucy family, four miles from Stratford, with a deer park where Shakespeare allegedly poached according to legend. The National Trust park is magnificent in autumn, with deer roaming freely.
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Park
Park
Welcombe Hills Country Park
Rolling hillside park a mile north of the centre, offering sweeping views across Stratford and the Warwickshire countryside. Locals come here for kite-flying and Sunday picnics away from the crowds.
Viewpoints
2 places
18Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Viewpoint
Recreation Ground & Riverside Walk
The north bank of the Avon alongside the Recreation Ground, with unobstructed views of Holy Trinity's spire. Early morning, before the tour groups arrive, ranks among the town's finest vistas.
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Viewpoint
Viewpoint
RSC Tower Viewing Platform
The top of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre tower, accessed by lift, commands a 360-degree panorama over the Avon, Tudor rooftops and surrounding countryside. Unbeatable views at a modest price.
Activities
5 places
20Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Activity
Stratford Butterfly Farm
Europe's largest butterfly farm, a stone's throw from the centre, housing hundreds of tropical species in free flight within a tropical glasshouse. Captivating for adults and children alike.
21Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0Activity
Stratford Racecourse
National Hunt steeplechase venue set in countryside alongside the Avon. On race days, the local atmosphere is festive and refreshingly removed from the Shakespeare tourist circuit.
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Activity
Activity
Royal Shakespeare Company Performance
Watching a Shakespeare play in his own theatre, mere steps from his birthplace, is an unparalleled experience. Last-minute standing tickets (groundling) are affordable and highly sought after by locals.
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Activity
Activity
Bancroft Cruises – Avon River Cruise
A guided one-hour cruise on the Avon aboard a passenger boat, passing beneath the medieval bridge and along the meadows. An original vantage point of the church and theatres from the river.
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Activity
Activity
Boating on the Avon
Boat and pedalo hire from Bancroft Gardens for paddling upstream along the Avon to Holy Trinity Church. A unique perspective of the town from the water, with royal swans as constant companions.
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