Shakespeare's Birthplace and Anne Hathaway's Cottage open 10am to 4pm to 31 Dec, close at 2pm on Christmas Eve and shut 25-26 Dec. January hours TBC.
From Monday 2 November to 31 December, Shakespeare’s Birthplace and Anne Hathaway’s Cottage open daily from 10am to 4pm, with last entry at 3.30pm. On Christmas Eve both close at 2pm, and both are shut on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust has now published its hours to the end of the year. January is still to come.
Updated 27 October: the Garden Café at Anne Hathaway’s Cottage now has a short day on Saturday 5 December, 10am to 11.30am, and the Friday 4 December wreath workshop has sold out. January 2027 hours are still not out.
Updated 6 October: the Trust has published its Christmas Eve and Christmas closures and its hours to 31 December, plus a short day on 20 October; it has also added a Santa’s grotto for under-5s on 12 December.
If you live in a CV37 postcode, you get in free all year.
The quick answer
- 2 November to 31 December 2026: Birthplace and Anne Hathaway’s Cottage 10am to 4pm daily (last entry 3.30pm). New Place Gardens 11am to 3pm.
- Christmas Eve: open 10am to 2pm (last entry 1.30pm); New Place Gardens 11am to 2pm. Closed 25 and 26 December.
- January 2027 hours: not published yet. Last year the Birthplace shut for conservation work from 5 to 16 January.
- Birthplace ticket £25 online, £27 on the door. CV37 residents go free, and up to four guests pay half price.
Opening times to 31 December
From the Trust’s opening times page (Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, opening times):
| Place | To 1 November | 2 November to 31 December | 24 December | 25 and 26 December |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shakespeare’s Birthplace and shop | 10am to 5pm (last entry 4.30pm) | 10am to 4pm (last entry 3.30pm) | 10am to 2pm (last entry 1.30pm) | Closed |
| Anne Hathaway’s Cottage | 10am to 5pm (last entry 4.30pm) | 10am to 4pm (last entry 3.30pm) | 10am to 2pm (last entry 1.30pm) | Closed |
| Shakespeare’s New Place Gardens | 11am to 3pm (last entry 2.30pm) | 11am to 3pm (last entry 2.30pm) | 11am to 2pm (last entry 1.30pm) | Closed |
The Garden Café at Anne Hathaway’s Cottage opens 10am to 4pm until 25 October, then 10am to 3.30pm daily from 26 October to 28 March 2027, with one exception: on Saturday 5 December it opens only 10am to 11.30am, with takeaway until 1pm. That is the day of the Trust’s afternoon wreath-making workshop there (below). No other Christmas exceptions are listed for the café.
There was one short day earlier in the autumn, Tuesday 20 October, when the Birthplace and Anne Hathaway’s Cottage closed at 2pm. January 2027 hours, and any winter conservation closure at the Birthplace (last year 5 to 16 January), were still unpublished on 27 October.
Mary Arden’s Farm and Hall’s Croft stay closed to general visitors. The Schoolroom and Guildhall run their own opening times.
What happened last Christmas and New Year
These were the Trust’s 2025/26 winter hours, from its opening times page as captured on 4 January 2026 (archived copy). They are last year’s, not this year’s.
| Date (2025/26) | Birthplace | Anne Hathaway’s Cottage | New Place Gardens |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 December | 10am to 2pm | 10am to 2pm | 11am to 2pm |
| 25 and 26 December | Closed | Closed | Closed |
| 27 to 31 December | 10am to 4pm | 10am to 4pm | 11am to 3pm |
| 1 January | 11am to 4pm | 11am to 4pm | Not listed separately |
| 5 to 16 January | Closed for conservation work | Open | Closed for conservation work |
The Garden Café was shut from 22 to 26 December and on 31 December and 1 January.
This year’s 24 to 26 December hours match last year’s exactly. The January closure is the one to watch. Last year the Birthplace and New Place Gardens shut for almost two weeks after New Year for conservation work, while Anne Hathaway’s Cottage stayed open. If you are planning a January visit, check before booking.
Prices
From the Trust’s ticket prices page (Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, house ticket prices). Tickets are valid for 12 months.
| Ticket | Online | On the door |
|---|---|---|
| Birthplace with New Place Gardens, adult | £25.00 | £27.00 |
| Birthplace with New Place Gardens, child (3 to 17) | £12.50 | £13.50 |
| Birthplace with New Place Gardens, concession | £21.25 | £22.95 |
| Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, adult | £15.00 | £17.00 |
| Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, child | £7.50 | £8.50 |
Add Anne Hathaway’s Cottage to a Birthplace ticket and it costs £5 for an adult and £2.50 for a child. The Schoolroom and Guildhall is £10 for an adult when bought with a Birthplace ticket. Under 3s go free. The Birthplace uses timed entry, so arrive within your slot.
Free if you live in CV37
The Residents Go Free ticket gives anyone who lives permanently in a CV37 postcode unlimited free entry to the Birthplace, Anne Hathaway’s Cottage and New Place Gardens. Guests who live elsewhere pay half price, up to four guest tickets per booking, and only when they visit with you (Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Residents Go Free).
- Book online or ask on arrival. You only need a time slot for the Birthplace.
- Bring proof of address with your name and a CV37 postcode: a utility bill from the last three months, a driving licence, this year’s council tax bill, or a tenancy agreement or mortgage statement from the last three months.
- One parent’s proof covers up to four children under 18.
That makes the Christmas holidays, when family come to stay, the best-value time for residents to use it.
Christmas events
- Christmas wreath making at the Garden Café, Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, on Friday 4 December (5pm to 8pm), now sold out, and Saturday 5 December (1pm to 4pm). £65, including a hot drink and mince pie, ages 16 and over, booking essential (Shakespeare Birthplace Trust).
- Santa’s grotto for the under-5s in the Garden Café on Saturday 12 December, 10am to 2pm: £12.50 per child, up to four children per booking, a 10-minute visit with a gift, hot chocolate and gingerbread. Booking required, non-refundable, and there is no parking at the café (Shakespeare Birthplace Trust). More on our Santa’s grotto page.
- A free family trail runs across the houses until 31 December, no booking needed.
Elsewhere in town: the Christmas market, the lights switch-on, Santa’s grotto and the pantomime. For a National Trust house instead, Charlecote Park’s Christmas runs from 16 November. Driving in: parking in Stratford.
Still to confirm
The Trust’s hours for January 2027, and whether the January conservation closure at the Birthplace happens again. We will check again in late October and update this page.
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