This specially designed tour takes you to literary sites associated with William Shakespeare, including his birthplace in the pretty town of Stratford-upon-Avon, and Shakespearean locations in London. The tour is completely private. You and your party will be our only guests. What’s more, the pace is unhurried. You’ll have plenty of time to immerse yourself in Shakespeare’s world and enjoy every site you visit (literary, non-literary, film and TV locations).
The Shakespeare Tour has been thoughtfully designed by the experts at Literary Tours of England. However, we’re flexible: the tour can be modified to reflect your personal tastes and preferences. The itinerary can even be adjusted en route to take account of weather conditions, local events, etc. If you wish, your tour can be extended to include more time in London and/or other areas of England.
The tour includes:
- Met by guide at LHR
- Personal guide/driver
- Comfortable vehicle
- 4-star luxury hotels
- Breakfast every day
- Expert city guides
- Site/attraction entrance fees
- Tips, service charges, etc
- 24/7 local support
For lunch, afternoon tea and dinner (per your preference) your tour guide will help you find the type of eating establishment and food you like, from country pub to fine cuisine.
Day 1: Drive to Stratford-upon-Avon
You are met at London’s Heathrow Airport by your personal driver / tour guide. The relaxing drive to Stratford takes about one and a half hours. Your four-star hotel is right in the town center, within walking distance of all amenities.
Day 2: Explore Stratford
A full day to enjoy this ancient town and its Shakespeare associations.
William Shakespeare is an almost mythical figure, about whom we know remarkably little except that he was the greatest English writer of all time: 38 plays, many of them masterpieces, plus 154 sonnets and two narrative poems. Shakespeare was born in 1564 in the medieval market town of Stratford-upon-Avon and spent the first twenty or so years of his life there. We’ll first visit Shakespeare’s parents’ fine half-timbered house on Henley Street, where baby William was born and raised. He also spent the first five years of his marriage there with his wife, Anne Hathaway. You’ll see the room that’s supposed to be where he came into the world and you’ll revel in the extravagant gift shop and world-class bookshop. Next we’ll take the short walk to Shakespeare’s New Place, which he purchased in 1597 as the family home. Although the house was demolished long ago, a garden commemorates the importance of the site. Around 1613, his fame and fortune secure, Shakespeare returned from London to Stratford and it’s in New Place that it’s believed he wrote his later plays. He died in the house in 1616 at the age of 52. A further short walk brings us to Hall’s Croft, the beautifully furnished home of Shakespeare’s daughter Susanna and her husband. The main part of this fine timbered property was built in 1613.
Day 3: Explore Stratford and nearby villages
Another full day to enjoy this lovely area and its Shakespeare associations.
We’ll take the one-mile drive to the village of Shottery to visit Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, arguably the most famous thatched cottage in the world. Built in 1463 of cruck construction, later much extended, only the kitchen and parlor remain from the original farmhouse. Little is known about Anne except that she was of yeoman lineage. Shakespeare married her when he was 18; she was seven years older and three months pregnant. Next we’ll drive to Wilmcote (another small village just outside Stratford). Here we’ll visit Mary Arden’s Farm, the home of Shakespeare’s mother, Mary Arden. It’s still a working Tudor farm, giving visitors an insight into what life was like when Mary lived there with her seven sisters. Back in Stratford, we’ll take you on a delightful stroll along the bank of the Avon. Starting at the magnificent Shakespeare statue in Bancroft Gardens – and taking time to admire the river’s swans – we’ll come to the splendid Royal Shakespeare Theatre, permanent home of the Royal Shakespeare Company. It’s worth going inside, if only to check out another excellent bookshop, and we’ll reserve seats for a show if possible. Our gentle walk ends at Holy Trinity Church, the site of Shakespeare’s beautifully tended grave.
Day 4: Drive to London
Enjoy the historic university city of Oxford along the way.
The drive from Stratford to London only takes two hours, so we’ll have plenty of time to make a stop in Oxford on the way. The city center is so compact that walking is the best way to visit many of the sights. Among the available guided walks are those that focus on the university colleges, locations used in the Harry Potter films (2001-11) and locations used in the wonderful TV series Inspector Morse (1987-2000), its sequel Lewis (2006-15) and prequel Endeavour (2012 to date). Nicknamed “The City of Dreaming Spires” by Matthew Arnold, Oxford is famous the world over for its university (the oldest in the English-speaking world). JRR Tolkien spent most of his life here: he wrote The Hobbit (1937) while teaching at Pembroke College. CS Lewis – author of The Chronicles of Narnia (1950-56) – taught at Magdalen College for 29 years. Both were members of The Inklings, a group of Oxford-based writers that met for literary conversation in the Eagle and Child pub. University College houses the extravagant memorial to Percy Bysshe Shelley, one of England’s greatest romantic poets. Your four-star hotel is in central London, within walking distance of all amenities.
Day 5: Explore London
A full day to enjoy Shakespearean and other historic sites.
Following the so-called lost years of Shakespeare’s life (1585-92), when his whereabouts and what he was doing are pretty much a total mystery, he ended up in London. This was when Shakespeare began to change his focus from writing poetry to writing plays. He was also establishing himself as an actor. The primary site is the Globe theatre, in Southwark on the south bank of the River Thames. Opened in 1997 and located only 200 yards from the original, which was destroyed by fire in 1613, the Globe’s design is based on contemporary drawings of theatres from the Golden Age of Elizabeth I. We’ll take the excellent tour and look at the fascinating exhibition about the theatre’s construction. We’ll reserve seats for a show if possible. Shakespeare probably lived in Southwark for much of his time in London. So we’ll also visit the splendid Southwark Cathedral to see the impressive Shakespeare memorial and stained-glass window. Then we’ll head for Westminster Abbey to view the white marble statue of Shakespeare in Poets’ Corner. We can linger for a while in this place of literary pilgrimage. Finally we’ll go to London’s nearby theatre district to see the huge marble statue of Shakespeare in the middle of Leicester Square and go to a show.
Day 6: Drive to Heathrow Airport
We’ll enjoy more sites in London if time permits, before making the short drive to Heathrow Airport.