Royal Shakespeare Theatre and the RSC's free spaces
About
The Royal Shakespeare Company's home on Waterside is more than a ticket for a play. The RSC says the building is free to enter and open most days of the year to simply drop in: the Riverside Cafe and RSC Shop open daily from 10am, and on Sundays and other days without a performance the building closes at 4pm. The viewing tower is 32 metres above street level, reached by lift, and is free to visit every day from midday to 4pm except on matinee days or in bad weather. Guided tours run daily: the 60 minute Theatre Tour, a Costume Tour, a 75 minute Royal Shakespeare Theatre Backstage Tour and ghost tours. The Theatre Tour route is fully wheelchair accessible.
Photos
Highlights
- ✓Free to enter the building and use the Riverside Cafe
- ✓Viewing tower, 32 metres up, free from 12 to 4pm except matinee days or bad weather
- ✓Theatre, Costume and Backstage tours daily
- ✓Royal Shakespeare Theatre and Swan Theatre share the Waterside building; The Other Place is on Southern Lane
Tips
- →Tickets start from £10 in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and £15 in the Swan (RSC ticket page); a £3.50 online or phone transaction fee applies from 2 March 2026, but not at the Box Office counter in Stratford.
- →The 2026/27 season in Stratford includes As You Like It (to 7 November 2026), Middlemarch (from 1 October 2026) and The Three Musketeers (from 28 November 2026).
- →Box Office: 01789 331111; postcode CV37 6BB.
Best Season
More Attraction Activities
Shakespeare's Birthplace
The Henley Street house where Shakespeare was born in 1564. Timed entry; the ticket includes New Place Gardens and lasts twelve months.
Anne Hathaway's Cottage
Thatched Shottery farmhouse, a 30 to 35 minute walk from town by the Trust's reckoning, with gardens and a cafe.
Shakespeare's New Place
The garden on the site of Shakespeare's last home, at 22 Chapel Street. Free with a Birthplace ticket; listed 11am to 3pm from 1 September.