The gorgeous little UK market town so perfect tourists say it's impossible to make better

Even if you've never read Romeo and Juliet or Hamlet it isn't hard to fall for Stratford-upon-Avon's abundant beauty. Wandering around its cobbled streets on a cloudy day, it looks as good as ever and exudes the English charm it is so renowned for.

But being William Shakespeare's birthplace guarantees that for tourists this Warwickshire town can never be accused of being much ado about nothing.

While it might have become famous for its literary heritage, Darren Tosh, operations and marketing director at Warwickshire's tourism board, says the town has a huge amount to offer even to those who aren't interested in The Bard.

He explains: "We've got the culture. We've got the history. I still walk around here and notice new things which I haven't seen before."

Darren adds that Stratford has become a "crown jewel" within the UK which means it receives more funding and resources than it otherwise would.

He says: "Shakespeare was born here and lived parts of his life here. We've got a globally recognised brand because of this - Shakespeare is the only author that is mandatorily taught to all schools in the curriculum in the UK. It has brought a worldwide audience into our quite small town."

Like many tourists hotspots, however, the town has experienced change since the Covid pandemic.

Darren says there used to be many more international tourists from certain parts of the world but since the pandemic, the makeup of visitors has changed. Recently, though, more and more visitors have been making their way back to Stratford-upon-Avon.

According to Shakespeare's England, the UK has seen day visits decline by around 12% since 2023 but for Stratford-upon-Avon, it has seen an increase of almost 7% year-on-year.

Living in the town himself, Darren says there aren't too many complaints from residents on the number of visitors.

He says: "The summer is really busy for us and in autumn it does tend to be a bit quieter.

"It will pick up again across the Christmas period, but then it will be quieter again until next summer.

"In spring, there's Shakespeare's birthday parade which happens in April and then we have the Stratford Motoring Festival and a food festival which has just been on too.

"We have a Victorian market, independent shops and nice boutiques which are great to find some unique items at."

Darren says that one thing the town is working on is improving the infrastructure for transport, particularly allowing for extra trains to run from major cities such as London and Birmingham.

He adds: "Essentially without tourists, Stratford wouldn't survive as the thriving town which it has become."

One such visitor is Chris Thornton, 66, who is visiting from Lichfield. He says: "I come here a couple of times a year and it's great for a walk and for shopping.

"We love coming here, we'll probably come back for the Christmas market.

"I don't think there's anything they could improve to make it better here - we love it, it's perfect really."

Chris says he thinks the town deserves to be an international tourist destination and that in summer it's "fabulous".

As Christmas rolls around, the town is preparing for the festive season. Along the high street, shop workers begin to decorate the branches of Christmas trees while others have begun to put out their festive menus.

It's a mild day and although it's cloudy, there's no rain so visitors and locals make the most of a high street stroll while they can.

Laura Coloam, 34, is an English teacher visiting the town to further her understanding of Shakespeare's work.

She says: "I'm visiting for the day from Lincolnshire and I'd say I'm a little bit of a Shakespare fanatic.

"I think it's a great tourist destination here - I brought my little girl here and even for her at three years old, there was loads for us to do as a family.

"We did the river tour and it was great. We live quite far away so I don't get to visit very often or I'd come here more often.

"I think a lot of people here are tourists and even for this time of year there are a lot of people around. I imagine it would be great around Christmas time too."

Stratford-upon-Avon has a large selection of independent businesses which you'll often find huddled together in historic buildings or hidden away in scenic alleyways.

One local business owner, Angela Paskin, 76, sits surrounded by the shiny jewellery and glistening pin badges she sells at her accessories shop.

She says the busiest months are July and August and that she has had customers from all over the world including Italy, Australia, Spain, China and Japan.

Angela says: "I think it's mostly managed well with the amount of tourists we get but it would be great if more people came at Christmas because the lights are amazing.

"People love Stratford for the ambiance and they're right. I love it at Christmas personally. But we have great restaurants too.

"I wish there were more clothes shops but other than that it's good here. I think we could offer more in terms of shopping. We do have good markets which people come for - and they're on in summer and winter."

Sitting in the corner of her shop, she says one customer she spoke to recently travelled from Tenby in Wales to Stratford-upon-Avon just for its world-class theatre.

Angela says the town is an easy place to get to due to it being in the Midlands and she says more people should visit.

On the road that's home to Shakespeare's birthplace, tourists and locals shuffle down the street, some posing for pictures with a statue and others slowly strolling along, taking in the traditional architecture.

Kim Kollmar, 56, is on holiday from Canada. Kim and her husband, Frank Kollmar, 56, are passing through the town on the way to London, where their son is studying.

She says: "We're doing a trip in the Cotswolds at the moment and we've never been to Stratford before.

"We've always wanted to visit these parts of the UK and we were just walking down this street and saying how charming it is.

"We wanted to see the birthplace of Shakespeare the most - and the whole town is really lovely. We're definitely interested in the history of the area and that's why we stopped by."

To visit or not to visit? There's really no question.