Shakespeare & Stratford-upon-Avon 

In 1846 the American showman Phinias T. Barnum announced his intention to buy Shakespeare's birthplace in Henley Street and have it removed brick-by-brick to the States, where it would be rebuilt. This prompted the founding of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, who managed to scupper Barnum's plans and bought the site in 1847. They now own another five sites in the area.

The Birthplace Museum is probably the most famous site and usually people's first stop. The visitor centre covers just about every angle on the wordsmith, although one soon realised hard facts are somewhat sparse.

Anne Hathaway's Cottage was the former home of Shakespeare's wife and lies about 1 mile from Stratford in the hamlet of Shottery. It is a delightful Elizabethan farmhouse with lovely gardens and orchards surrounding it.

• Halls's Croft was the marital home of Shakespeare's daughter Susanna and her husband John Hall, who was a prominent local physician. It has been painstakingly restored throughout and also features exhibits on the medical practices of the time.

Stratford-upon-Avon Travel Guide