to ask if you've ever been to Stratford upon Avon

[PinkStarAtNight]

I would appreciate tips please!

We are planning a weekend there first August Bank Holiday. We will be there two and a half days. We want to see all the main things; Shakespeare's birthplace and associated houses, tour of the RSC, river boat tour etc

We have booked to see a play at 2pm on the Monday. Nothing else booked so far - I'm wondering how far in advance do we need to book tickets for things like Shakespeare's House? Do they usually get fully booked very soon, could we leave it until the week before we go?

Also, any tips for how to maximise our time or just anything you think we need to know about Stratford upon Avon before going...would really appreciate the experience of mumsnet 😊

Thank you in advance!!

Kenilworth Castle is not far away and is a beautiful spot. They have occasional outdoor theatre at night in the ruins, but you'll need to check the schedule.

When I last went there (albeit several years ago) I visited the Tourist Information place first thing and got a 5-in-1 ticket that covered everything I wanted to see (Shakespeare birthplace, Hathaway cottage, butterfly farm etc.) and it was very reasonably priced, so I would recommend popping in to see what they can offer.

We were there about twenty years ago, nice walk along the river, and had parked a little way out. Walking back to the car there was a lady had a little outdoor cafe thing going on in her front garden so we stopped for coffee and cake. Kinda surreal looking back.
Anyway, nice place to visit.

The butterfly place is a decent afternoon, and like a PP said you can use clubcard vouchers.

The river is a nice place to sit on the bank and have an ice cream.

There's a nice playground, which also has a paddling pool if you take kids swimming stuff or a change of clothes.

It was very busy though, we tried to book somewhere to eat and couldn't so ate at the hotel

2.5 days, that's a long time to spend in a small town

The butterfly farm is great for small kids but it's very small. I think we went round three times to make it worthwhile

I think you'll need to go further afield too. Warwick castle is worth a look

In nice weather a boat on the Avon in Warwick or Stratford is nice

MAD Museum! We go all the way to Stratford upon Avon JUST for the MAD Museum

Kenilworth castle is also just down the road 😁

Warwick Castle isn't far away either.

Hidcote Gardens are nearby and some of the most beautiful in the world.

Things to do:
Shakespeare's Birthplace
New Place
Ann Hathaway's Cottage
RSC tour
Rowing boat on the river
Holy Trinity Church - see Shakespeare's tomb with its curse
Magic Alley (magic shop and experience)
MAD Museum (fab engineering/design museum/experience)
The Butterfly Farm
Crazy Golf
Big wheel
Escape room
Bancroft Gardens - look at canal boats, street performers, etc.
Play at RSC
Play at Attic Theatre
Play at Bear Pit Theatre

Good family places to eat:
The Udder Guy on Sheep St (burgers etc)
Red Hot Mamma's (amazing pizzas)
Hooray's (every flavour of ice cream imaginable)
Boston Tea Party (lovely, healthy options)
Prospero Lounge (informal, bar-style dining)
The Dirty Duck (pub with RSC ties)

Good stuff out of town:
Warwick Castle
Charlecote Park (National Trust)
Coughton Court (National Trust)
Kenilworth Castle
Compton Verney (art gallery and stately home with amazing grounds)
Disc Golf

Have fun! It's a lovely town.

It's such a lovely place. I can spend ages there.

The backstage tour is great.

They have a nice market outside the theatre in a Sunday.

You could do this?

www.mysteryguides.co.uk/products/stratford

I took my sons there last Easter holidays and it was lovely. Really pleasant town that has preserved its history in a lovely way. We went to Shakespeare’s birthplace and the school which was great. We also went to mad museum whcih was fun. Also Anne Hathaway’s cottage.

On the second day we went to Warwick castle which (despite people saying on here was awful), we loved and spent the entire day from opening to closing there, doing all the shows, exhibits etc, it was such a fun day out.

‘He’ is still there ( as far as anyone knows)

‘Good friend, for Jesus sake , forbear
To dig the dust enclosed here
Blessed be the man who spares these stones
But cursed be he who moves my bones ‘

Resquiet in pace….

My friend went for the day last weekend and was very disappointed not to see more, she is booking a long weekend to see the rest. OP my one bit of advise is to wear comfy shoes, there's a lot of walking, make sure you know what's on which side of the river to keep your mileage down

The Dirty Duck is still the actors' bar and likely always will be.

Vintners is a lovely local restaurant. Highly recommend for pre- or post-theatre dinner.

We live between Warwick and Stratford. All the above mentioned Stratford places but just walking around town and looking at the actual buildings is fascinating due to their age. There are lots of walking tours and some that are available to follow yourself online. Lots of quaint old pubs and plenty of coffee and tea shops as well. Some fabulous restaurants for evening too. If you want to travel a bit and have a car - Coughton Court isnt too far and Alcester is another smallish town that is very quaint and also has Ragley Hall just outside town opposite which is a very nice pub for food.

Kenilworth and the Castle (mostly ruin has to be said) is good and then there is Warwick with the Castle but also Lord Leyster Hospital, its own beautiful buildings and history and again lots of more local indie shops rather than the usual suspects. Warwick is accessible by train from Stratford as is Leamington Spa another bigger town with more of the usual shopping suspects and again its own unique history with the Spa buildings etc. Lovely parks and also great food places.

Personally 2.5 days is a nice amount of time for Stratford with some theatre experience and plenty of different museums etc. As someone said the Mad Museum on Sheep street I think it is, is a little different and fun and often there are special markets on over bank holidays - food, craft etc

The MAD museum is a favourite of ours. It expensive but fills an hour and a half, great if your kids lovely marbles!!

*it's not expensive 🤦🏼‍♀️

I think 2 1/2 days is too long. I’m surprised no one has mentioned the swarms of foreign language students who descend in huge groups and congregate on busy corners. The places mentioned are interesting but I would second having a trip to Kenilworth Castle.

Shakespeares school room is also good.

The schoolroom was so much fun. We had a fab tour and talk included in the ticket price. My kids got “schooled” 15 Century style by a strict schoolmaster which we all loved, it was probably better than the birthplace actually (although I liked both).
Stratford itself was very nice. It seemed very prosperous and friendly. We were living in Guildford at the time where half the shops are boarded up but Stratford had none of that and had balanced being a modern town with holding onto the history very well.

No you can’t. The birthplace museum and a play would sort out a whole day on their own. There are other interesting buildings in the town (New Place, the Guildhall church, the old school, the church where the Shakespeares are buried/memorialised for eg) plus the properties a little way out. It’s also a pretty town that deserves a bit of looking at in its own right. 2 and a half days is about right if you are happy to be on the go.
I’ve never booked for the museums/houses but I’ve also never been on a Bank Holiday weekend, so it might be worth doing.
Go and have tea and scones/cake in The Four Teas (very near the theatre) - it’s 40s themed and very well done.

All what did you do in a half day? There are 3 Shakespeare Birthplace Trust buildings just in the town itself, and Anne Hathaway’s cottage a walkable distance out. There’s the theatre tour. The churches. Stratford itself. The river. You must have missed a whole lot of stuff.

As said, it's quite nice walking along the river, getting a boat trip etc.