After a wonderful day touring Bristol, it’s time to head on over to Stratford-upon-Avon, the hometown of England’s most well-known playwright…. dear old Shakespeare! I’ll tell you a little secret – I honestly haven’t read any of Shakespeare’s works in full. But, I’ve consumed dozens of books, movies, and artwork that’s been inspired by his works – so I felt pretty psyched to discover the place where it all began.

Honestly, Stratford-upon-Avon is such a lovely town – brimming with so much character (in large part, thanks to Shakespeare), but also imbued with its own quaint English countryside charm. Honestly, I feel like there’s so much to do in these small towns. Take Stratford-upon-Avon for example, they’ve got THREE theatres, there are weekly student-held free plays, canoeing across the river, festivals and markets galore, and even racehorsing (in the neighboring county)! And if you’ve still got the time, lots of volunteering opportunities for the old, the sick and the disabled. What a great place to grow up in!

Without further ado, let’s dive in and share the love!

Table of contents

• How to get to Stratford-upon-Avon?
• Where to stay in Stratford-upon-Avon?
• What to see and do in Stratford-upon-Avon?
• How much does it cost to tour Stratford-upon-Avon?

How to get to Stratford-upon-Avon?

To get to Stratford-upon-Avon from Bristol was pretty difficult. I thought it would be a breeze initially as the two cities/towns seemed pretty near, and they were! Alas, the public transport system isn’t that straightforward… In all, it took me 3 hours and 2 (!!!) trains before I finally arrived at Stratford-upon-Avon. Below are the details:

• Depart from Bristol Temple Meads Station at 9:15AM
• Arrive at Stratford-upon-Avon Station at 12:15PM
• Total cost: GBP 32.28 (a bit pricey…)

Do note: Bristol Temple Meads is different from the Bristol Coach Station (roughly ~30 mins walking distance!)

IF you’re coming from London however, you may opt to do a guided bus tour instead – you’ll cover way more ground (just not as in-depth, and of course, be prepared to pay a bit). For this, I’d recommend Golden Tours – I’ve used them before and they’re lovely!

Where to stay in Stratford-upon-Avon?

While at Stratford-upon-Avon, I ended up staying at YHA – which is a Grade II listed Georgian mansion. Fancy sounding right? It’s a beautiful place truly, and it cost me GBP 21 – for a 6-bed womens-only room, with shared shower and toilet. Plus, you get free use of their lounge full of stuffed chairs and lighting-fast WiFi (compared to the other hostels). Unfortunately, if you come here during the summer and it’s inordinately hot, their rooms don’t have fans, so you’ll just have to open a window

What you need to be aware of though… YHA Stratford-upon-Avon is pretty far from the town center, where all the tourist sites are. How far? It’s roughly a ~45 mins walk (I would know, I walked it!), or a ~15 mins bus ride. If you’re here Mon-Sat, the bus shouldn’t be a problem; but if you come on a Sunday – the bus schedule is pretty scarce (1 bus a day, and the last bus from the town center to YHA is at 6:15pm!)

Obviously, I went on a Sunday LOL, which is why I ended up walking to town (because the next bus was still ~45mins away). It was a nice stroll, and the houses I passed through were really lovely… Nevertheless, I’d like to not do that again! Therefore… I bought the all-day bus pass for GBP 4.2

Note: To get to YHA Stratford-upon-Avon from the train station requires you to walk ~8 minutes to the bus stop (in front of NatWest bank), and take the bus for ~15 mins

What to see and do in Stratford-upon-Avon?

Almost everything in Stratford-upon-Avon is related to Shakespeare (I mean honestly, if you were Shakespeare’s birthtown, wouldn’t you want to capitalize on it?). For me though, if you only have an afternoon at Stratford-upon-Avon – these are the must-sees:

#1 Shakespeare’s Schoolroom and Guild

If you’ve got time to only enter one place – this is it! I really enjoyed learning about Shakespeare’s childhood formative years, and was really amazed to realize how profound an influence his lessons, schoolmasters, as well as the travelling plays he saw in this very schoolroom had on him and his later work!

Don’t worry, it’s not dry and boring at all. In fact, if you have kids with you, I guarantee they’ll love it! Not only are the guides here super friendly and enthusiastic about their roles (you’ll get a playacting schoolmaster!), but there are also loads of activities your kids (and you) would love to try – e.g.,

• Dress up as a schoolmaster of old (typically priests). The style of dress certainly isn’t flattering… It’s also terribly hot and very heavy. I don’t know how they could stand it! BTW, in the photo, you’ll see an example of what a writing desk would’ve looked like during Shakespeare’s time

• Practice your penmanship! I had fun trying to copy the stylistic way of writing in the year 1575. Not sure I succeeded – why don’t you judge?

What I really appreciated though – this schoolroom is still in use today (with the exact same layout!). I wasn’t sure what was the point at first. I mean, it’s a terribly small space – and they have a school right beside it (they only use the schoolroom in the mornings, before the schoolroom is opened to the public). But the playacting schoolmaster told me that it was to impart upon them a sense of history and responsibility. Imagine being told you’re sitting in the very same place as Shakespeare! What a dream for many an aspiring writer around the world

You’ll get all this for just GBP 6.4 (I got a 20% discount because I availed of a Smart Save coupon)! Amazing deal right? Expect to spend ~1 hour in here

 

#2 Church of Holy Trinity

This is the place where the celebrated William Shakespeare is buried. You do have to pay GBP 3 to see the actual grave though (I was too cheap to pay… coz honestly, I figure all graves look the same anyway?). Nevertheless, I think it’s a good place to check out.

Right across the church is a huge park – where the Royal Shakespeare Company stages free open air performances throughout the months of June, July and August!

#3 Royal Shakespeare Company

If you’re a theater aficionado, you must definitely watch a theatrical play here! Else, have a cuppa coffee at the rooftop terrace for a beautiful panoramic view of Stratford-upon-Avon. As for me, I decided to take advantage of the free Mad King & Fat Knight exhibit – paintings and drawings by the incredibly creative and talented Anthony Sher!

 

Once you’ve hit those three places, you’re now free to wander around! You can…

• Admire the beautiful architecture, especially along High Street

• Visit the other Shakespeare landmarks, incl. Hall’s Croft, Shakespeare’s New Place (his last home where he died), and Shakespeare’s Birthplace
• Go canoeing or laze around by the river

• Enjoy the Stratford Walking Tour (not free unfortunately, but I heard it’s very good!)
• Join the ranks of the nice old British folks as they sit outside cafes and enjoy their nice cuppa coffee, along with a wonderful Pat Gorman hand-made turkey, ham and cranberry cold pie, plus a nice Victoria raspberry sponge cake on the side. Food below were consumed at Hobsons Patisseries!

Other places you should definite consider checking out would be:

• Vigour Cafe: for their pierogi
• Fourteas: for their tea and beautiful ambience

How much does a trip to Stratford-upon-Avon cost?

In all, I spent ~GBP 94, with the following breakdown:

• Transport: GBP 40
• Food: GBP 26
• Accommodation: GBP 21
• Sightseeing: GBP 6.4

 

If you’re interested to read about my 9 day cross-country trip around the United Kingdom, please see below blogs!! 🙂

• Europe: A logistics and travel guide for first-time travelers
• Day 1: What to see and do in Bristol
• Day 2: What to see and do in Stratford-upon-Avon
• Day 3: What to see and do in Windermere
• Day 4: Enjoying the Lake District Tour
• Day 5: Enjoying the Loch Ness and Scottish Highlands tour
• Day 6: What to see and do in Edinburgh
• ++ A Pottertrail walking tour review
• Day 7: A musicals-filled London day
• Day 8: London day trip to Brighton and Seven Sisters
• Day 9: What to see and do in Shoreditch
• ++ Shoreditch Street Art and Graffiti Tour