Our Weekend in Stratford-upon-Avon: Shakespeare, Game of Thrones & More

Game of Thrones, Curses and Insults

Getting From Norwich to Stratford-upon-Avon

We recently left Norfolk and headed west to Stratford-upon-Avon. The main reason for our trip was to see the new Game of Thrones production: The Mad King at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, a birthday present for our son, but while we were there we took the chance to do a whistle-stop tour of the touristy things too.
The drive from Norwich was surprisingly straightforward. Less than 3 hours (A11, A14 route) and zero drama, which is always nice.

Where We Stayed: YHA Stratford-upon-Avon

Accommodation-wise, we stayed in a private room at the YHA Stratford-upon-Avon Youth Hostel. Our youngest stayed there earlier in the year on a school trip to Stratford and a friend had stayed there as an adult attending a conference and all reviews were good.
We weren’t disappointed. It was youth-hostel basic, of course, but ticked all the necessary boxes for a good-value stay. There was free parking, an ensuite shower and a cooked breakfast, as well as a games room, bar and nice gardens on site.

Game of Thrones: The Mad King at the RSC

Arriving in the town centre itself as the sun shone, we were met by a market in front of the RSC Theatre, and Morris dancers en masse. You probably couldn’t have dreamed up a more quintessentially ‘English’ scene.

Before the play we ate at Zizi in the town. In the height of summer – and tourist season, with a huge new production at the RSC, we booked ahead. Zizzi was good and reasonably priced, made even better value by using some of our Tesco Clubcard Reward Vouchers towards the bill.

George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones: The Mad King is a new play based on Martin’s novels, adapted by Duncan Macmillan and directed by Dominic Cooke. It has received rave reviews and, for us, comfortably lived up to the hype. We wouldn’t dream of sharing spoilers, but as you might hope, it’s a production on an epic scale – cinematic, even. The cast were amazing and even at over three and a half hours long (with interval), it didn’t feel long. The seats in the RSC were refreshingly comfortable for theatre seats. I love the little ‘foot bar’ feature they have for you to put your feet on. I hope that’s what it’s designed for! More than that though, the staging, lighting, sound and story had you gripped from the very start – it was entirely immersive, making you feel part of the action.

It’s playing at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre until Saturday 5 September 2026 but is mostly sold out already so move fast if you want to see it there. I can definitely see it being adapted for the big screen before too long…

Shakespeare Things To Do in Stratford-upon-Avon

After a night in bunk beds, we drove back into Stratford-upon-Avon and took in as many Shakespeare-related sights as we could in a few hours before heading home.
With time against us, we didn’t pay to go inside many of the attractions, but there are plenty of cool things to do and tours we could have taken – we already have a small list for next time.

Many of Stratford-upon-Avon’s main sights are fairly close together in the town centre. We visited Holy Trinity Church to see Shakespeare’s grave (with a curse on it – love that!), saw Shakespeare’s Birthplace and childhood home, and explored the Royal Shakespeare Theatre a little more.
The RSC is a fascinating place in itself and had an exhibition on when we visited. The ‘Insult Chair’ was a highlight.

A Little Piece of Norwich in Stratford-upon-Avon

While walking between the places of interest on our list, we noticed that the town has a remarkably large number of ornate lamp posts that appear to have come from all over the place.

Apparently, they’re part of a free historic collection of more than 40 unique lamp posts from around the world, dotted around Stratford-upon-Avon’s Theatre Quarter. Started in 1986 by Keith Brodie, a Warwickshire County Council lighting engineer, the display represents some of the many towns, cities and countries that visitors travel from to visit Stratford-upon-Avon.

Of course, we found the one from Norwich City Council – which rather nicely ties this whole trip together.

Shakespeare’s Grave – and His Curse

Shakespeare’s Grave (which you do pay a nominal amount to view, along with his Will) is unusual in that it does not bear his name. It is instead carved with a curse traditionally said to have been penned by Shakespeare himself as a warning not to move his remains. It reads:

“Good friend for Jesus sake forbeare, To dig the dust enclosed here.
Blessed be the man that spares these stones, And cursed be he that moves my bones.”

Walking to Anne Hathaway’s Cottage

We walked out to Anne Hathaway’s Cottage which was a decent stride (about half an hour) but always a good way to get a feel for a place and see parts you might normally miss.

Stratford-upon-Avon is a pretty, culturally rich place with tons of historical sites to enjoy – most, unsurprisingly, related to Shakespeare. Yes, it’s touristy, as you’d expect, but actually possibly slightly less so than somewhere like Oxford. We met some extremely friendly Japanese tourists and, at their insistence, we’re now in some of their photos!

What We’d Do Next Time

Next time we’d go up the RSC Theatre tower, and maybe take one of their fab-sounding backstage tours, as well as going into Shakespeare’s New Place – the site that was William Shakespeare’s family home for 19 years. It’s good to leave something behind as a reason to visit again!