Stratford-upon-Avon has been named among the UK’s best places to live for 2027.
The riverside town was included in Muddy Stilettos’ list of the UK’s Top 260 Best Places to Live, published at the end of October.
Published annually, the guide picks out the best places to live in each county and looks at what they offer, from schools, commuting and house prices to where to eat, shop and spend a weekend.
Stratford-upon-Avon is one of eight places in Warwickshire to make the list, alongside Shipston-on-Stour, Henley-in-Arden, Arrow, Snitterfield, Kenilworth, Warwick and Leamington Spa.
Why Stratford-upon-Avon made the list
“Welcome to Bard country!” the guide begins.
It calls Shakespeare’s birthplace “a buzzy riverside tourist town where culture and community thrive”, from food festivals and workshops to “world-class theatre at the Royal Shakespeare Company”.
It also points to “top schools, classy restaurants, historic hotels and more stunning Tudor-style architecture than you can shake a stick at”.
The Boathouse on the Avon is “Stratford’s ultimate alfresco hotspot”, according to the guide, while The Dirty Duck on Waterside is “a legendary actors’ haunt”.
“You’ll also often find a troupe of actors putting on a show in Bancroft Gardens,” the guide says.
On community life, it names the Dragon Boat Race on the River Avon, where residents and businesses “go head to head” for The Shakespeare Hospice, and the duck race, “yellow plastic ones, not real”.
Over the festive period, it adds, the town hosts a Victorian Christmas market.
On schools, the guide notes that the town has two grammar schools, King Edward VI and Stratford Girls’ Grammar.
How much it costs to live in Stratford-upon-Avon
The average house price in Stratford-upon-Avon is around £442,447, according to the guide.
Detached homes sold for an average of £669,644, semis £422,185 and terraced homes £371,617, it says.
The guide’s “hot property” is a five-bedroom detached Tudor house in the old town, on the market for £1.425 million.
Most trains to London need a change at Leamington Spa or Dorridge, and the fastest take just over two hours.
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