A Day in Stratford-upon-Avon


During the last few months I have been on a mission to discover more of my home country and last weekend, I ticked another town off my bucket list, Stratford-upon-Avon. Stratford-upon-Avon is a medieval town in the West Midlands most commonly known for being the birth place, hometown and resting place of Sir William Shakespeare. The 800 year old town attracts thousands of tourists each year due to it's astounding beauty and original Tudor buildings, five of which were Shakespeares family homes and you buy passes to go inside them and see their original features.


The River Avon is a small narrow river which runs through Stratford-upon-Avon and it was the first place we visited after parking the car.  The river bank was busy with tourists as the weather was warm and there were ice-cream stalls in abundance and plenty of river boat cruises for those who wanted a small tour of the River Avon or to rent out a little wooden boat and row down the river themselves.


From the moment you enter Stratford-upon-Avon you are greeted with all the Tudor style buildings, all kept in excellent condition with the most beautiful little flower baskets, all of which looking quintessentially English. Strolling around the town there are so many 'Instagrammable' beauty spots that you cannot help, but fall in love with this place. It's wonderful to see a town that is kept so traditional and undamaged by modern society - there's very little modern day buildings around and although many of the buildings have been restored in some way, they have all been done so elegantly and in fitting with the original Tudor style of town.


Holy Trinity Church is the final resting place of William Shakespeare and hundreds of people travel to Stratford-upon-Avon specifically to see his burial site. Unfortunately there was a wedding on when we tried to visit, but the church itself is a wonderful place to look around and is situated right next to the Avon bank gardens where actors from the Royal Shakespeare company regularly perform. The shows are free to watch and it's lovely place to bring a picnic on a sunny day.


When it comes to dining out in Stratford-upon-Avon, visitors are spoiled for choice. There are lots of street food stalls and even street-food barges next to the river, plenty of beautiful restaurants throughout the town and lots of traditional English pubs to choose from. We had lunch at The Windmill, a 16th century black and white pub on Church Street, where there is a dog friendly beer garden around the back. I ordered the Falafel and Avocado salad which was so fresh and filling and it was perfect to eat on the hot day that we visited Stratford.


Overall I was really impressed with Stratford-upon-Avon and I'm happy that I visited. As someone who loved studying Shakespeare at high school, I really enjoyed learning more about the man himself and seeing where he grew up. If you're looking for a quintessentially English town with lots of history, plenty of wonderful independent shops and lots of places to eat and drink, Stratford-upon-Avon should be on your UK bucket list.

Have you been to Stratford-upon-Avon before?
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32 comments

  1. Beautiful photos! This place looks heavenly. I swear, looking at all of your posts and reviews makes me want to travel <3 You take such lovely photos.

    xo Azu

    www.raven-locks.blogspot.com

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  2. I was just talking about Stratford upon Avon yesterday as someone was telling me I'd love it up there. Your images have convinced me more x

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  3. Oh we visited Stratford upon Avon as part of my 'mystery tour' hen party and I loved it. My friend had her fortune told :D I'd love to return one day x

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  4. I have been there (a long time ago now) and it was so beautiful! Your pictures reminded me of that!
    the-creationofbeauty.blogspot.com

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  5. Oh what a beautiful place! I'd love to stroll through town and try out some of the food stalls and pubs.

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  6. Gorgeous pictures - I've never been but heard lots of good things!

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  7. Stratford-upon-Avon looks so quaint!

    Alix | www.apintsizedlife.com

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  8. I love Stratford, just one of my favourite places. Great for Shakespeare and shopping.

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  9. I've never been here, but the architecture and the buildings look beautiful. I definitely need to explore the UK some more x

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  10. Stratford - such a glorious place but I haven't been in ages.

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  11. I have never been but you've reminded me to put it on the list because I'd love to go!

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  12. How lovely - I adore Stratford-Upon-Avon, such a great wee spot for a mini break.

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  13. This is on my list of places to visit this summer. Rowing down the river would be fun.

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  14. love these old tudor houses and the river cruise.

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  15. It looks like a beautiful town, I love quaint little English towns like this! Your salad looks amazing, too <3

    Jess xo | The Indigo Hours

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  16. Wow you make it look so beautiful. This is such a glorious place and that river cruise looks spot on!

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  17. Beautiful photos!
    Enjoy your day!
    Xoxo, Victoria

    https://fashionstylebeautyandmore.blogspot.ca/

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  18. Oh wow what a beautiful place to visit. I would love to go here for the day xxx

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  19. Wow!!!! it was wonderful I like to be there for a evening :) How to find the Best Essay Writing Service

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  20. I've never been there before but the photos look so beautiful! Looks like my kind of place that I'd enjoy !

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  21. Wow the photos are gorgeous, I need to visit x

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  22. Its been years since I visited Stratford upon Avon - All of our local school take English trips there which is a great idea to learn about the place behind Shakespeare.

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  23. I would absolutely love to visit stratford-upon-avon one day soon! I've always wanted to visit there because of it's history! Beautiful photos, what a lovely day out!

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  24. I absolutely love Stratford-Upon-Avon and have been a few times. The riverside is so pretty especially on a summers day. I am glad you enjoyed it x

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  25. I sued to love visiting Stratford-Upon-Avon as a kid.
    Had many a good days out there wandering around and taking in the beautiful scenery.

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  26. Stratford is on my list of places to visit, it looks so picturesque and just as I imagine it to be from the books I have read within which it features.

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  27. I looove Stratford, haven't been for the last couple of years but I think I'll be taking the boys there soon :-)

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  28. Stratford is so beautiful! I love all the old tudor buildings. Definitely one of the prettiest towns in the UK :)

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  29. Stratford-upon-Avon looks so beautiful. Love the tutor houses. I bet it feels like you stepped back in time. So pretty

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  30. Looks like a lovely little town, very picturesque.

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  31. Lovely places to visit for vacation and the pics are great also thanks for the post Online Video captioning rates with Best quality

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