£7 for students. Also known as Broughton Castle, this lovely estate built in 1300 AD offers in-depth and personal tours of the home that is still lived in by the Fiennes family and free reign of the garden area. One of the better estate tours I have been on, as it is well-kept and they are passionate about preserving the legacy of their home. If you're lucky, you may see the Baron and Baroness wandering around the grounds - they are quite friendly and approachable! It is absolutely beautiful, and you can ask the tour guide any question and she will magically know (or maybe she's making it up - I would).
2. Warwick CastleY'all, if there's one thing I hate more than tourists (or school groups), it's touristy places. This place is not cheap at £25 and I felt like I was at some Disney knock-off (and not in the good way). The tour of the inside of the castle was beautiful, but it felt quite staged. There are creepy wax figures you can pose with, but do not try to be one of those tourists and cross over the ropes to pose in the restricted areas - they have subtly placed warning signs that there are motion detectors (not that I had planned on some scandalous posing, of course). Climb the towers, but be warned that they aren't kidding when they say it is a lot of stairs. It appears that you're only going up one towers, but believe you actually climb three with no way down until the end. I suppose the place would be nice if you had kids, but I would only recommend it if you can get a Group-On deal or something. Also, BYOF - the cafe is bloody expensive and over-crowded. You should only need about 2-3 hours to check out the whole place. Peace out by sundown, as everything starts to close down and it gets c-c-cold.
3. Anne Hathaway's Cottage
I was really upset when they told me Anne Hathaway was Shakespeare's wife, not Fontine. Sigh. By "cottage" they actually mean "really old thatch roofed large twelve room abode". It has been well-preserved, and I found the tour guide to be pleasant enough and quite knowledgeable. The gardens are quite large, although it was mostly dead when I went in the middle of winter. Tickets are weird - you can buy all kinds of packages to get you into all things Shakespeare, but the cheapest entry is £9. The tickets are valid for a year (which is pretty neat), so you can probably pass yours along to a friend after you are done, although I never actually saw mine as I went in a large group and do not know if they have names on them. Allow for at least an hour, up to two, although all of Shakespeare's goodies should take all day.
4. Shakespeare's Birthplace
Shakespeare is really the only thing that makes Stratford-upon-Avon worth visiting, and even then, it's not a whole lot to see. I felt that the birthplace was a bit touristy, but if you can handle the throngs of foreigners and 8th grade school groups, go for it. The building is well-preserved and there is a small museum in front of it with interactive videos. Each room inside of the birthplace has one or two era actors who recite his works, give short talks on different parts of Shakespearean life, and entertain the multitudes of awkward birthplace/conception jokes. The cheapest package ticket that includes both the cottage and the birthplace (and a few other places) is £18.
Be sure to check out Holy Trinity Church, an easy 15 minute walk along the Thames, to see his grave inside of the building. The church asks for a 50p donation, or proof of purchase at any of his other landmarks.
