Getting Around Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon is a market town in Warwickshire on the River Avon, known worldwide as the birthplace of William Shakespeare. Shakespeare's Birthplace on Henley Street and Anne Hathaway's Cottage in nearby Shottery are cared for by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, and the playwright is buried in Holy Trinity Church by the river. The Royal Shakespeare Company performs in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and the Swan Theatre on Waterside.
Stratford-upon-Avon station has trains to Birmingham and to London Marylebone, and Stratford-upon-Avon Parkway serves the north side of the town. Add the train and its arrival time to the booking, and the car is scheduled for that arrival.
The historic centre is compact, and parts of Henley Street are pedestrian. For a hotel or holiday cottage there, send the full address with the booking and we will tell you how close the car can go. Warwick Castle is 9 miles away, 30–40 minutes by car, so a castle visit in the morning and a matinee in the afternoon fit into one day booked by the hour: one chauffeur and one vehicle stay with you for the time you reserve.
Airport Transfers to Stratford-upon-Avon
The nearest airport is Birmingham Airport, 27 miles north, 50 minutes to 1 hour 10 minutes by car. Its single terminal handled 13.66 million passengers in 2025. Further afield, East Midlands Airport is 57 miles, 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes. The right one depends on your airline and route.
Book with your flight number. For an arrival, your chauffeur checks the flight status and times the pick-up to when you actually land, and your booking confirmation shows where to meet the chauffeur. For a departure from Stratford-upon-Avon, what counts is the length of the drive, not the time on the clock: the first part of the trip runs on country roads before the motorway, so leave room for a slow tractor or roadworks. Journey times vary with traffic and weather. You set the pick-up time yourself, and the confirmation shows it.
Long-Distance & Day-Trip Travel from Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford lies just north of the Cotswolds. Bourton-on-the-Water, a Cotswold village on the River Windrush, is 25 miles south, 55 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes. Blenheim Palace, Winston Churchill's birthplace and a World Heritage Site, is 32 miles, 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes; Oxford is 54 miles, 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes.
Further afield, Bath, with its Roman Baths and Georgian crescents, is 85 miles south-west, 2 hours 5 minutes to 2 hours 40 minutes. London is 101 miles, 2 hours 25 minutes to 3 hours 10 minutes.
To be back in Stratford for an evening performance, book by the hour and keep the same chauffeur for the drive home; a one-way booking ends where you are dropped.
Groups & Event Travel in Stratford-upon-Avon
For a school party coming to an RSC matinee, or a theatre club combining a performance with the Shakespeare houses, a Sprinter van carries up to 12 people with their bags, and bigger groups go by coach, with up to 56 seats; the vehicle is matched to the load, wheelchairs and walking aids included.
When you book for other people, all their transfers can be kept in one account, each with its own booking and confirmation. If a tour group arrives on several flights, every arrival gets a transfer of its own.
Shakespeare's Birthday Celebrations, held on the Saturday nearest 23 April with a procession through the town, and race days at Stratford Racecourse bring extra visitors. Local vehicles and drivers are booked up early around the birthday weekend and in the summer season. If your plans go beyond a standard booking, write to support with the dates, addresses, number of passengers, flights and luggage, and the team will arrange it.
