Stratford-upon-Avon

Shakespeare was born in Stratford in 1564, retired here and is buried in the chancel of Holy Trinity Church beside the river, under a slab that warns against moving his bones. Five properties connected to his family survive, from the Henley Street house where he grew up to Anne Hathaway's thatched farmhouse a mile out at Shottery and Mary Arden's farm beyond that. The Royal Shakespeare Theatre sits on the Avon, rebuilt inside in 2010 around a thrust stage that puts the furthest seat about fifteen metres from the actors, with the smaller Swan alongside. Between the tourist trade and the repertoire, this is the one English town where the plays are the local industry.

What you actually see

• Shakespeare's Birthplace - the Henley Street house, furnished to the period.
• Holy Trinity Church - the riverside church with his grave in the chancel.
• The Royal Shakespeare Theatre - a 2010 thrust stage on the Avon, with the Swan next door.
• Anne Hathaway's Cottage - the thatched farmhouse and gardens out at Shottery.

When to go

The theatre season runs most of the year, with the strongest programme from spring to autumn; book weeks ahead for popular productions and matinees. The houses open daily and are busiest from late morning. Summer weekends bring coaches and river crowds. Winter is cheap, quiet and perfectly workable if you are here for the plays.

Honest expectations

The town trades hard on the name, and the souvenir end of the high street is grim. A combined houses ticket is the only sensible way to buy, and it still costs. Anne Hathaway's Cottage and Mary Arden's Farm need a bus or a long walk. What survives is heavily restored, and the Birthplace interiors are furnished by inference rather than evidence.

Nearby

Warwick and its castle, the Cotswold edge villages and Charlecote Park downstream.