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OK, so it's really touristy. But Stratford-upon-Avon is a wonderful place to visit. It is one of the busiest tourist centres outside London, but the choice of restaurants, bars and entertainments is not extensive - it is still an English market town. Stratford does, however, have the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, and to see one of the Bard's plays performed here is an experience not to be forgotten. Next to this theatre is the Swan Theatre, and further along the road is The Other Place, which started out as a ramshackle building for the R.S.C. actors to stage alternative productions, and has since become a theatre in its own right - to see a play performed on this stage can be intense and moving.
In the main theatre there is a cafe overlooking the river, and for this reason is worth a mention. If you look across the river from this cafe, towards the Clopton Bridge, you'll see the Boathouse restaurant, a good place for an enjoyable meal in very pleasant surroundings. Tel: 01789 297733
If you are walking past the theatre, towards the Holy Trinity Church where you will find Shakespeare's grave, then on the right there is the Dirty Duck pub (or The Black Swan - depending on which side of the sign you look!). It's usually busy, but squeeze in for a quick drink and a bite of lunch. The Slug & Lettuce at 38 Guild St also does food.
On a sunny day, simply stroll along the river to the church, or around the bustling shops and cafes, and try to imagine the Stratford of Shakespeare, the wealthy actor and playwright, returning to his family in the summer months when London could well be blighted by the plague.
To telephone Stratford-upon-Avon from abroad, dial your international access code, then 44, and miss out the first zero of the number.
