Shakespeare's Birthplace and Anne Hathaway's Cottage shut at 4pm from 2 November. Hours after 23 December are not out yet: last year's, prices, CV37 entry.
From Monday 2 November, Shakespeare’s Birthplace and Anne Hathaway’s Cottage open daily from 10am to 4pm, with last entry at 3.30pm. The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust has published its hours only up to Wednesday 23 December 2026. It has not yet said what happens over Christmas and New Year.
Last year’s pattern is the best guide: both houses opened on Christmas Eve until 2pm, closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, and opened again from 27 December. If you live in a CV37 postcode, you get in free all year.
The quick answer
- 2 November to 23 December 2026: Birthplace and Anne Hathaway’s Cottage 10am to 4pm daily (last entry 3.30pm). New Place Gardens 11am to 3pm.
- Christmas and New Year hours: not published yet. Last year both houses closed on 25 and 26 December and closed early, at 2pm, on Christmas Eve.
- Birthplace ticket £25 online, £27 on the door. CV37 residents go free, and up to four guests pay half price.
Opening times to 23 December
From the Trust’s opening times page (Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, opening times):
| Place | To 1 November | 2 November to 23 December |
|---|---|---|
| Shakespeare’s Birthplace and shop | 10am to 5pm (last entry 4.30pm) | 10am to 4pm (last entry 3.30pm) |
| Anne Hathaway’s Cottage | 10am to 5pm (last entry 4.30pm) | 10am to 4pm (last entry 3.30pm) |
| Shakespeare’s New Place Gardens | 11am to 3pm (last entry 2.30pm) | 11am to 3pm (last entry 2.30pm) |
| The Garden Café, Anne Hathaway’s Cottage | 10am to 4pm to 25 October | 10am to 3.30pm from 26 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
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.
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) and Saturday 5 December (1pm to 4pm). £65, including a hot drink and mince pie, ages 16 and over, booking essential (Shakespeare Birthplace Trust).
- 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 from 24 December onwards, and whether the January conservation closure happens again. Last year’s Christmas hours were live on its site by early January, but we do not know when they first appeared. We will check again in late October and update this page.
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