A perfect theatre weekend in Stratford-upon-Avon

Stratford rewards a slow weekend. Here is the shape of one we recommend to guests most often.

Friday evening

Arrive after four, drop your bags and take the towpath north to the canal basin while the light goes. Eat early at the RSC rooftop restaurant — they will seat you by six if you have a ticket — then walk fifty yards to the main house for a 7:15 curtain.

Saturday

Breakfast until ten, then Shakespeare’s Birthplace on Henley Street before the coach parties. Lunch at the market if it is a Friday or Saturday, otherwise the Old Thatch Tavern. In the afternoon, cross the footbridge to the recreation ground and walk down to Holy Trinity, where Shakespeare is buried. A matinee at the Swan makes a good end to the day.

Sunday

A later breakfast, then either the walk across the fields to Anne Hathaway’s Cottage or twenty minutes in the car to Warwick Castle. Check out is eleven but we will keep your bags as long as you need.

Ask at reception before you plan anything — we hold a small ticket allocation and can often get seats when the website says sold out.

Planning a visit? Book your stay at Riverside Hotel.