Shakespeare's Birthplace Entry Ticket Stratford-upon-Avon

Shakespeare's Birthplace on Henley Street

Shakespeare's Birthplace is a large timber-framed house of the sixteenth century, with black oak beams, pale plaster panels and small leaded windows, and it was the biggest house on Henley Street in its day. John Shakespeare, a glove-maker and wool dealer who later became bailiff of the town, lived here with his family, and William was born here in April 1564. He spent his childhood in these rooms and, according to the house's own history, the first years of his marriage too.

In 1847 the house was bought for the nation, and it has been open to visitors ever since, making it one of the oldest literary attractions in the world. Many people ask whether Shakespeare's Birthplace is worth visiting: if you are interested in his plays or simply in Tudor England, it is the most direct way to step into the everyday world that shaped him.

Inside the house: rooms, workshop and exhibition

Your visit begins with an introductory exhibition that sets the scene with original objects, images and a clear story of his life, family and career between Stratford and London. You then enter the house itself: the parlour and hall furnished as they might have been in the 1570s, the room where he is believed to have been born, and the workshop where his father cut and stitched fine leather gloves.

Scan the codes in each room to watch short video guides on your phone that bring the stories of the house and the family to life. Look out for an old window pane scratched with the names of visitors from past centuries, a reminder of how long people have travelled here. Allow about an hour for the house and exhibition.

The Birthplace garden and New Place Gardens

Behind the house, the Birthplace garden is planted with the trees, flowers and herbs that appear in his plays and poems: roses, rosemary, lavender, rue and many more. In summer it is a fragrant, peaceful corner of the town centre and a lovely place to sit after the house.

Your ticket also covers New Place Gardens on Chapel Street, about five minutes' walk away. This is the site of the second-largest house in Stratford, which he bought in 1597 and where he died in 1616. The house was demolished in 1759, but the site has been re-imagined with sculptures, a knot garden and outlines that show where the rooms once stood. It sits beside the medieval Guild Chapel and the old grammar school building.

Planning your visit: opening hours and how to get there

Shakespeare's Birthplace is on Henley Street in the pedestrian centre of Stratford-upon-Avon. Entry is by timed slot, available from 10:00 to 15:00 on the booking panel; arriving at the start of the day or later in the afternoon is usually calmer than late morning. Allow about one and a half hours for the house, the exhibition and New Place Gardens.

To get to Stratford-upon-Avon, direct trains run from London Marylebone in about two hours and from Birmingham in about one hour; the house is around ten minutes' walk from the station. By car, several town-centre car parks are within a short walk. Holy Trinity Church, where Shakespeare is buried, and the riverside gardens along the Avon make an easy addition to the same day.