Things to do in Stratford-upon-Avon: 12 days out, priced

If you live in a CV37 postcode, the single most useful thing on this page is the first entry: the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust lets residents into all three of its houses free, all year, as many times as you like. Most people who live here have never claimed it.

Everything below was checked against the venue’s own website on 9 August 2026. Prices are adult, standard, walk-up or online as stated. Three of the twelve cost nothing at all.

What a day out actually costs

The three Shakespeare houses, and the CV37 rule

The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust now opens three properties: Shakespeare’s Birthplace on Henley Street, Anne Hathaway’s Cottage at Shottery and Shakespeare’s New Place on Chapel Street.

Anyone living in a CV37 postcode gets in free to all three, all year, with unlimited visits, on the trust’s Residents Go Free ticket. Pre-booking is recommended at the Birthplace because it runs timed entry.

If you are paying, the ticket structure rewards buying online and buying the Birthplace first:

Birthplace tickets booked online are valid for twelve months, so a visiting family can come back through the year on one purchase. Under-3s are free throughout.

1. Shakespeare’s Birthplace, Henley Street CV37 6QW. Open daily 10am to 5pm, last admission 4.30pm. New Place gardens are included.

2. Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, Shottery. Open daily 10am to 5pm. The 1463 farmhouse, the Hathaway bed, the cottage gardens and orchards and a sculpture trail. Worth doing as the £5 add-on rather than on its own.

3. Shakespeare’s New Place, Chapel Street. Open daily 11am to 5pm, last admission 4.30pm.

Free in the town centre

4. Holy Trinity Church, Old Town CV37 6BG. Free. Shakespeare was baptised, worshipped and is buried here. Entry to the church is free; access to the chancel, where the grave and memorial are, costs £5 per adult and £1 for under-18s, free for pre-schoolers. Core hours are Monday to Saturday 10am to 4.45pm and Sunday 1pm to 3.15pm from April to October; in winter it opens Saturdays 10am to 3.45pm and Sundays 1pm to 3.15pm. It is a working parish church, so it can close at short notice for funerals. Dogs are welcome on leads.

5. The Royal Shakespeare Company, Waterside. Free to walk into. The building is open most days, the Riverside Cafe and shop from 10am, and the permanent exhibition The Play’s The Thing is free, as are the artworks and the Vic Lee mural of the town’s history beside the Swan Theatre. On non-performance days the building shuts at 4pm.

If you want to see a play, the cheapest routes are worth knowing: tickets start at £10 in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and £15 in the Swan; anyone aged 14 to 25 or in full-time education pays £10; and discounted Rush tickets go on sale online at midday every Friday for the following week, at £25 or £10 for restricted view. Note that a £3.50 transaction fee has applied to online and telephone bookings since 2 March 2026, and that it does not apply if you book in person at the Stratford box office counter.

6. Stratford Greenway. Free to use. Five traffic-free miles of former railway running south-west out of town towards Milcote and Long Marston, part of the National Cycle Network. Walking, cycling, running and horse riding, surfaced throughout and usable with a wheelchair or pushchair, though it is not tarmac and is uneven in places. Two railway-carriage cafes sit on the route, Bobby’s at the Seven Meadows car park and Milcote Cafe at Milcote. There are no toilets on the Greenway itself.

Parking at the Greenway car parks is £1.30 for an hour up to £6 all day, and free for motorcycles. Opening hours run from 8am to 4pm in midwinter and 8am to 9pm from May to August.

Paid attractions in town

7. Stratford Butterfly Farm, Swan’s Nest Lane CV37 7LS. Hundreds of tropical butterflies flying free, plus insects and arachnids, in a heated glasshouse a short walk over the river from the theatre. Adult £11.95, senior or student £10.95, child 3 to 16 £8.95, family £34.95, under-3s free, carers free. Allow 60 to 90 minutes. It opens every day of the year except Christmas Day, which makes it the reliable wet-weather option. The venue’s own advice: book a 10am slot or arrive after 3pm to avoid the crush.

8. The MAD Museum, 4-5 Henley Street CV37 6PT. Mechanical art and automata, more than 70 interactive exhibits, and the only permanent venue of its kind in the UK. Adult £8.80, concession £7.50, child 6 to 15 £6.50, family £25.00, under-5s free. Open 10am to 5pm daily, 5.30pm on Saturdays. No pre-booking needed. It closes about one day a month for maintenance, and the next is Monday 7 September 2026.

9. Tudor World, Sheep Street CV37 6EE. A small independent living-history museum in a Grade II sixteenth-century building, with a stocks, a witch trial and a four-poster bed you can lie on. Museum £8 adult, £7 concession, £4.50 child 5 to 15, £20 family, open 10.30am to 5.30pm every day except Christmas. Its two tours are the better value: a 90 to 120 minute walking tour of the town led by “Shakespeare” at 2pm on Saturdays, £10 adult and £5 child, and a lantern-lit ghost tour at 6pm every evening, £9.50*, which is not suitable for children.

10. Avon Boating, Bancroft Basin. Boats run seven days a week until 1 November. Rowing boats and self-drive punts are £11 per person by the hour (2 to 6 people), motor boats £40 per half hour for up to five, and an electric launch £65 for 45 minutes for up to six. Rowing boats, punts and motor boats are first come, first served with a queue, and cannot be pre-booked. There is a wheelchair-accessible Wheely Boat.

Worth the drive

11. Charlecote Park, Wellesbourne CV35 9ER. A Victorianised Tudor house in a deer park landscaped by Capability Brown, five miles east of Stratford and run by the National Trust. House, parkland and garden: adult £19.80 with Gift Aid or £18.00 without; child 5 to 17 £9.90 or £9.00; family £49.50 or £45.00. Parkland and garden only is £17.60 or £16.00 adult. National Trust members go free. No pre-booking for individuals or families; groups of 15 or more must book ahead. Dogs are welcome on the parkland walking routes.

One current quirk: the government’s temporary VAT reduction runs from 25 June to 1 September 2026, so the National Trust says the price you actually pay at the till may be less than the price advertised.

12. Compton Verney, near Kineton CV35 9HZ. An eighteenth-century house by Robert Adam in 120 acres of Capability Brown parkland, now an art gallery with a serious collection and a strong exhibition programme. Adult £19.75 pre-booked with the Gift Aid donation, £21.50 on the day, or £17.94 pre-booked without the donation. Children 18 and under go free. Universal Credit and Pension Credit holders pay £2.00. Open Wednesday to Sunday only, grounds from 10am and galleries from 10.30am, closed Mondays and Tuesdays except bank holidays.

Both are a drive rather than a train ride: neither has a station, and Stratford’s own rail service, covered on our trains to London and Birmingham page, runs in the other direction.

Check before you set off

Stratford’s attraction line-up has changed more than the guidebooks admit.

• Mary Arden’s Farm and Hall’s Croft are no longer open to visitors. The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust now lists three properties, not five. Older articles and printed guides still send people to Wilmcote for the farm.
• Ragley Hall, near Alcester, now presents itself as an exclusive private venue for weddings, filming and ticketed park events rather than a house-and-gardens day out. When we checked its website in August 2026, the homepage was still advertising a “2025 calendar”. Check what is actually on before driving over.
• The Bridgeway multi-storey car park gives you the first hour free, and nowhere else in town does. Full charges and the £1-a-day park and ride are on our Stratford parking and roadworks page.

Frequently asked questions

Can Stratford residents get into the Shakespeare houses free?

Yes. Anyone living in a CV37 postcode can claim the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust’s Residents Go Free ticket, which gives unlimited free access to Shakespeare’s Birthplace, Anne Hathaway’s Cottage and Shakespeare’s New Place throughout the year.

How much is Shakespeare’s Birthplace?

£25.00 for an adult booked online, or £27.00 on the door, with children 3 to 17 at £12.50 online. The ticket includes New Place gardens and is valid for twelve months. Adding Anne Hathaway’s Cottage costs £5.00 rather than the £15.00 standalone price.

What is there to do in Stratford for free?

Holy Trinity Church (the chancel with Shakespeare’s grave is £5 extra), the Royal Shakespeare Company building with its free exhibition, artworks and mural, and the Stratford Greenway, five traffic-free miles of former railway. Parking at the Greenway is £1.30 an hour to £6 all day.

What is the best thing to do in Stratford when it rains?

Stratford Butterfly Farm is heated, indoors and open every day of the year except Christmas Day. The MAD Museum and Tudor World are both indoors and both under £9 for an adult.

How much does it cost to see a Shakespeare play at the RSC?

Tickets start at £10 in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and £15 in the Swan Theatre. Anyone aged 14 to 25 or in full-time education pays £10, and discounted Rush tickets go on sale online at midday every Friday for the following week. Booking in person at the Stratford box office avoids the £3.50 transaction fee.

Is Charlecote Park free for National Trust members?

Yes. National Trust members pay no admission. Pay-as-you-go visitors pay £19.80 adult with Gift Aid for the house, parkland and garden, or £17.60 for parkland and garden only.

Sources

• Shakespeare Birthplace Trust house ticket prices for all Birthplace, Anne Hathaway’s Cottage and Schoolroom prices and the CV37 Residents Go Free ticket, and Visit for the three open properties and opening hours.
• Holy Trinity Church opening and closing times for free entry, the £5 chancel charge and seasonal hours.
• Royal Shakespeare Company: your visit, See For Free and ticket prices, discounts and offers for free entry, the free exhibition, £10 tickets, Rush tickets and the transaction fee.
• Stratford Greenway, Warwickshire County Council for the route, opening hours, parking charges and cafes.
• Stratford Butterfly Farm admission and opening times.
• The MAD Museum for prices, hours and the September maintenance closure.
• Tudor World visiting information for museum, walking tour and ghost tour prices and times.
• Avon Boating for boat hire prices and the season end date.
• Charlecote Park, National Trust for admission prices, member entry and the temporary VAT reduction.
• Compton Verney: plan your visit for admission prices and opening days.

Prices and opening times change, and small independent venues close at short notice. Every figure here was checked against the venue’s own website on 9 August 2026, but confirm before you travel.