Warwickshire trades on two things above all: a playwright and a pair of castles. Stratford-upon-Avon gave the world William Shakespeare, and keeps his memory beautifully — the house he was born in, the cottage he courted his wife in, the church he lies in, all within an easy walk. A short drive north stand Warwick and Kenilworth, one a working fairy-tale of a castle and the other a magnificent red-sandstone ruin where Elizabeth I was once entertained for nineteen days. This is a gentle two-day weekend that takes in both.
The Stratford sights are compact and mostly level; the castles involve some steps, uneven ground and the odd tower climb. We note access where it's confirmed and say "not yet checked" where it isn't, rather than guess.
Warwick Castle is run as a full day-out attraction and is busiest — and priciest — in the school holidays. Book online ahead for the best price, and arrive at opening to enjoy the ramparts before the crowds.
Day one — Shakespeare's Stratford
The whole Shakespeare story in one walkable town. The half-timbered house where he was born, his wife's picture-book cottage on the edge of town, the riverside theatre of the RSC, and the church where he is buried.
Shakespeare's Birthplace
The half-timbered Henley Street house where William Shakespeare was born in 1564, cared for by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.
This is where it all starts: the timber-framed house on Henley Street where Shakespeare was born in 1564 and grew up above his father's glove workshop. Inside you'll find recreated Tudor rooms, costumed guides who genuinely know their stuff, and often actors performing speeches on request in the garden. It is compact, so allow an hour or two rather than a whole morning, and arrive close to opening time before the coach groups fill the smaller rooms. Henley Street itself is pedestrianised and level, which makes it an easy, unhurried start to a Stratford day. Check open days and book ahead in high summer.
Our tip Go at opening time, by mid-morning the tour groups arrive and the little rooms get crowded fast.
Access
Accessible parking
Access last checked 5 Jul 2026 — always confirm with the venue.
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Anne Hathaway's Cottage
The thatched Shottery farmhouse where Shakespeare courted his future wife, wrapped in one of England's most photographed cottage gardens.
A mile or so out of town in the hamlet of Shottery stands the thatched farmhouse where Anne Hathaway lived before she married Shakespeare in 1582. The house is charming, but the gardens steal the show: billowing cottage borders, an orchard, sculpture trail and willow arbours that look their best from late spring through summer. Rather than moving the car, follow the signed footpath from Stratford town centre, it is a pleasant, mostly level walk of around a mile and turns the visit into a proper outing. There is a tearoom for the return leg. Check open days before travelling, especially in winter.
Our tip Walk out from town on the signed Shottery footpath rather than driving, it's the nicest approach and parking in Shottery is tight.
Access not yet checked — please confirm with the venue before you travel.
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Royal Shakespeare Theatre & Waterside
The RSC's riverside home, worth visiting even without a ticket for the Bancroft Gardens, tower views and canal basin.
Seeing the Royal Shakespeare Company on home ground is one of England's great cultural experiences, and tickets for big productions go quickly, so book well ahead. Even without a show, the Waterside is a delight: Bancroft Gardens and the Gower Memorial, narrowboats mooring in the canal basin, and a seasonal hand-wound chain ferry across the Avon. The theatre building itself usually offers tours, a café and, when open, a tower with wide views over the town and river; check availability on the day. Evening performances pair beautifully with a pre-show riverside picnic in summer. Lifts and level access make the public areas easy to enjoy.
Our tip Matinees are usually easier to book than evening shows, and you still get the riverside atmosphere afterwards.
Access not yet checked — please confirm with the venue before you travel.
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Holy Trinity Church
The beautiful riverside parish church where Shakespeare was baptised and buried, reached along an avenue of limes.
Stratford's loveliest quiet corner. Holy Trinity sits right on the Avon at the southern end of town, approached along an atmospheric avenue of lime trees. Shakespeare was baptised here in 1564 and buried in the chancel in 1616, beneath the famous verse warning against moving his bones; his funerary monument gazes down from the wall nearby. It remains a working parish church, so visiting arrangements flex around services, check before travelling, and expect an invited donation towards upkeep for the chancel. Pair it with a riverside stroll back along the Avon past the theatre gardens, which is the prettiest route into town.
Our tip Walk back to town along the river path past the theatre, it's far nicer than retracing the street route.
Access not yet checked — please confirm with the venue before you travel.
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Day two — the castles of Warwick and Kenilworth
Castle day. One of the most complete medieval castles in England above the Avon, a jewel of a Tudor almshouse in the town, the romantic ruins of Kenilworth, and a moated manor with a Catholic hiding-place past.
Warwick Castle
One of Britain's great medieval castles, rising over the Avon with towers to climb, state rooms and big seasonal shows.
Warwick Castle is the county's heavyweight attraction, and it earns the fuss: a genuinely magnificent medieval fortress above the Avon, seat of the Earls of Warwick, wrapped in centuries of kingmaking history and now run as a polished full-day experience. Climb the towers and ramparts for superb views (the spiral stairs are steep and narrow, not for everyone), tour the state rooms, and catch the seasonal shows, including a spectacular birds-of-prey display. It gets very busy in school holidays, so book online in advance and arrive at opening. Warwick's lovely town centre is right outside the gates, easily combined with the castle for a single-parking day.
Our tip Book online before you go and arrive for opening, you'll beat both the queues and the coach parties.
Access not yet checked — please confirm with the venue before you travel.
More Official site · Wikipedia
Also featured in Great British castles
Lord Leycester Hospital
A breathtaking huddle of medieval timber-framed buildings by Warwick's West Gate, home to retired servicemen since 1571.
Many visitors rate this above the castle, and it costs a fraction of the fuss. The Lord Leycester is a gorgeous tumble of medieval guild buildings leaning over the town's West Gate, founded as a home for aged soldiers by Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, in 1571, and remarkably, retired servicemen (the Brethren) still live here. Recently restored, it offers a galleried courtyard straight from a costume drama, a chantry chapel perched on the town wall, the tranquil Master's Garden and a very good café in the old kitchen. It is compact, so pair it with St Mary's church and a stroll through Warwick's streets. Check open days before travelling.
Our tip The courtyard is the most photographed corner of Warwick, visit late afternoon for the best light and fewest people.
Access
Accessible parking
Access last checked 5 Jul 2026 — always confirm with the venue.
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Kenilworth Castle & Elizabethan Garden
Vast red sandstone ruins where Robert Dudley wooed Elizabeth I, with a faithfully recreated Elizabethan garden.
Kenilworth is everything a ruined castle should be: vast, red, romantic and steeped in stories. It withstood one of the longest sieges in English medieval history in 1266, hosted John of Gaunt's great hall, and reached its glittering peak in 1575 when Robert Dudley staged nineteen days of legendary festivities to woo Elizabeth I. The recreated Elizabethan garden, complete with aviary and carved fountain, brings that summer vividly back, and you can climb Leicester's gatehouse and tower viewpoints for the full sweep of the ruins. Ground surfaces are uneven in places, so sensible shoes help. Walk in across Abbey Fields from Kenilworth's old town for the nicest approach, and check open days.
Our tip Approach on foot across Abbey Fields from the old town, the first view of the ruins is far better than from the car park.
Access not yet checked — please confirm with the venue before you travel.
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Also featured in Great British castles
Baddesley Clinton
A dreamy moated medieval manor that sheltered persecuted Catholic priests in hidden priest holes, with gardens and lake walks.
Hidden down a lane in what was once the Forest of Arden, Baddesley Clinton is the moated manor of your imagination, grey stone reflected in still water, a courtyard garden, and interiors little changed for centuries. Its most gripping stories are the hidden ones: as a refuge for persecuted Catholic priests in Elizabethan times, the house acquired ingeniously concealed priest holes, including one reached through the old sewer, which guides reveal with relish. Outside there are walled and lakeside walks and a good tearoom. It sits two miles from Packwood House, and the two are made to be visited together, quiet weekday mornings are the loveliest time. Check open days.
Our tip Pair it with Packwood House two miles away, the two together make one of the best half-days in the county.
Access not yet checked — please confirm with the venue before you travel.
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Before you set off
Stratford fills up fast on matinée days and in summer; the town car parks are well signed but go early. Warwick and Stratford are only eight miles apart, so this is an easy weekend with little driving. And if you'd like to add the Shakespeare-country houses — Charlecote, Compton Verney, Ragley — or apply your own access needs across the trip, open it in the planner and make it yours.