Stratford-upon-Avon

William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon on 23 April 1564 in a timber-framed house on Henley Street. He grew up here, went to school here, married here (Anne Hathaway, who lived in a cottage 1.5 km outside), and returned to die here on 23 April 1616 — exactly 52 years after his birth. Today the town is a living Shakespeare museum: five preserved Tudor houses linked to his family, the Royal Shakespeare Theatre by the River Avon where the Royal Shakespeare Company performs his plays daily, and Holy Trinity Church where he's buried with the famous epitaph cursing anyone who moves his bones.Stratford-upon-Avon sits in Warwickshire, England, 150 km northwest of London. Train from London Marylebone takes about 2 hours (direct). By car: M40 to Warwick, then A46. Start with Shakespeare's Birthplace on Henley Street — the original Tudor house with 16th-century furnishings and a live Shakespeare actor. Walk down to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre (RST) by the river — the observation tower has views across town. Holy Trinity Church (10 min walk along the river) has Shakespeare's grave. Lunch at Waterside. Afternoon: Anne Hathaway's Cottage (1.5 km, bus or walk).The epitaph in Holy Trinity Church reads: "Good friend, for Jesus' sake forbeare, To digg the dust enclosed heare; Bleste be the man that spares thes stones, And curst be he that moves my bones." Nobody has dared open the grave. The Royal Shakespeare Theatre (reopened 2010 after a £112 million rebuild) has a "thrust stage" projecting into the audience — just like Shakespeare's Globe in London. Outside the theatre, Bancroft Gardens has a bronze statue of Shakespeare surrounded by characters from his plays: Lady Macbeth, Hamlet, Falstaff and Prince Hal. Anne Hathaway's Cottage is a thatched 15th-century house with 12 rooms and a garden filled with the flowers Shakespeare mentions in his works.