Shakespeare’s town and a medieval castle in one day, from your London hotel.
Driver waits at both stops.
- From £620 (≈ $835) · whole car · 10 hours
Licence PHOP950Tripyana’s Stratford-upon-Avon day trip from London is a private Mercedes with a chauffeur: your driver collects you at your London hotel at 8am, reaches Warwick Castle as it opens, then Shakespeare’s Birthplace and the River Avon in Stratford, waiting at both stops, and brings you back about ten hours later. The fare is £620 for the car, up to three passengers, not per person; entry tickets are extra.
Short notice? Same-day and next-day trips are often possible — book online or message us to confirm a driver.
How does a Stratford-upon-Avon and Warwick Castle day trip from London work?
Warwick Castle opens at 10am, so the castle comes first and Shakespeare’s town after lunch. A later pickup, up to noon, suits a shorter visit to one of the two.
Warwick Castle day trip from London: the castle in the morning, Stratford after lunch
- 08:00 Pickup at your London hotel, then about two hours north-west through Oxfordshire.
- 10:00 Warwick Castle as the gates open, 2 hours 30 minutes.
- 12:30 Nine miles south to Stratford-upon-Avon, 15 minutes.
- 12:45 Lunch beside the River Avon, 1 hour.
- 13:45 New Place gardens, Shakespeare’s last home, 30 minutes before the gardens close at 3pm.
- 14:15 Shakespeare’s Birthplace on Henley Street, timed entry, 1 hour 15 minutes.
- 15:30 The river bank by the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, 30 minutes.
- 16:00 Depart; back at your London hotel around 6pm: ten hours in all.
What is there to see in Stratford-upon-Avon and at Warwick Castle?
Two very different places: a market town of Tudor houses, and a castle with over 1,100 years of history.
- Shakespeare’s Birthplace — the half-timbered house on Henley Street where he grew up.
- Shakespeare’s New Place — the site of his family home, now gardens.
- Anne Hathaway’s Cottage — the thatched farmhouse at Shottery where the couple courted, five minutes by car from the centre; take it instead of the river walk, or add 45 minutes to the day.
- Holy Trinity Church — Shakespeare’s grave in the chancel, £5 per adult; from November to March the church opens to visitors on Saturdays and Sunday afternoons only.
- The River Avon and the Royal Shakespeare Theatre — the Riverside Café and shop open from 10am; swans, boats and lunch on the bank.
- Warwick Castle — towers, ramparts, the State Rooms and live shows and attractions that change with the season.
How long do you need at Warwick Castle?
About 2 hours 30 minutes, the morning slot in the plan: the State Rooms, the ramparts and whichever show the day’s schedule allows. With children, that time goes on:
- The trebuchet — the castle bills it as one of the largest working siege machines.
- Birds of prey — eagles, owls and falcons flying low over the lawns by the river.
- Horrible Histories Maze — a hedge maze with gory tales from the past, a good burst of energy before lunch.
- The Castle Dungeon — actors and dark rooms; the castle recommends it for ages 10 and over, so younger ones can skip it.
Show times change with the season, so check the castle’s daily schedule before you go and tell your driver which show you want to catch.
How much does a private day trip to Stratford and Warwick Castle cost?
One fixed figure per car for about ten hours, in writing before you pay and the same on the day; the price depends on the vehicle, not on the number of passengers.
Mercedes E‑Class
3 seats · 2 bags
£620(≈ $835)
Mercedes V‑Class
7 seats · 7 bags
Family choice
£710(≈ $960)
Range Rover
4 seats · 4 bags
£980(≈ $1,300)
The price covers the return trip; extra hours are chosen and priced when you book.
Dollar figures are approximate; you are charged in GBP.
Seating and boot space for a family with a pushchair are on the Mercedes V-Class page.
The day is timed from pickup to the last drop.
Larger parties can travel in several cars to one run sheet, with a single contact on your side.
What the price includes
Door-to-door pickup
Any London hotel or apartment, or a Heathrow terminal at no extra charge; London City adds £80 and Gatwick, Stansted or Luton £120, charged once; on arrival days the driver meets you inside arrivals with a name board.
Fuel, parking and tolls
Motorway miles and both car parks are ours; nothing to pay on the day.
The driver waits at both stops
Walk at your own pace at the castle and in Stratford; waiting inside your booked hours costs nothing.
Your bags stay in the car
Coats, shopping and the pushchair wait in the boot between the two towns.
Child seats
For every age, fitted on request at no charge; tell us the children’s ages when you book.
Not included
Entry tickets, pre-booked on the two official sites, and meals.
Do we need to book tickets in advance, and what are the opening times?
Yes, on both official sites, and both are cheaper online than at the gate. We match the pickup time to your Birthplace slot.
- Shakespeare’s Birthplace: adult £25 online (£27 on the door), children 3 to 17 half price, under-3s free. The ticket includes New Place gardens and stays valid for 12 months. Book Birthplace tickets ›
- Anne Hathaway’s Cottage: £5 per adult when added to a Birthplace ticket, or £15 online on its own. Book Cottage tickets ›
- Warwick Castle: one-day entry from £26 online, £39 on the day; under-2s free. The castle asks visitors to pre-book to be sure of entry. Book Warwick Castle tickets ›
- Stratford opening hours: in November and December 2026 the Birthplace and the Cottage open daily 10am to 4pm (last entry 3.30pm), 10am to 2pm on 24 December, closed 25 and 26 December; New Place gardens 11am to 3pm.
- Warwick Castle hours: in November and December 2026 daily 10am to 4pm; closed on Christmas Day.
November and December: Christmas at the Castle
Christmas at the Castle runs from 21 November 2026 to 3 January 2027: an open-air ice rink below Guy's Tower, Stories with Santa, a pantomime and a food village, each booked as an extra on the castle's own site. For the light trail after dark we reverse the day, Stratford in the morning and the castle from mid-afternoon, and the later return is priced into your plan before you pay.
A matinee is the other winter choice: The Three Musketeers plays on the RSC's main Stratford stage from 28 November to 9 January 2027. Send us the start time and we build the day around it.
Stratford-upon-Avon Christmas market
The Stratford-upon-Avon Christmas market fills the town centre on two weekends in 2026: 28 and 29 November, then 5 and 6 December, with 12 and 13 December held in reserve if bad weather cancels one. The district council expects over 200 stallholders, open 10am to 8pm on the Saturday and 10am to 5pm on the Sunday.
Both weekends fall inside the castle's Christmas season, so a market day keeps the usual order: the castle in the morning, Stratford from lunch, the Birthplace before its last entry and the stalls after.
Waterside and Bridge Street close to traffic from 6pm on the Friday before each market weekend, so on those days the drop-off point moves outside the closed streets. Staying on for the Saturday evening brings you home later.
Can we change the day: Oxford, the Cotswolds, Stratford only, or ending in Birmingham or at Heathrow?
Yes. Every change below goes into the written plan and the fixed price before you pay.
Oxford and Stratford-upon-Avon in one day
Oxford lies on the way back to London, about 40 miles from Stratford, roughly an hour by car and a short detour from the road home. Three towns in one day means less time in each. With Oxford added, we suggest one Shakespeare house instead of two, and about two hours inside the castle walls rather than a full morning. In Oxford you then have around 1 hour 30 minutes: a walk along Broad Street to the Radcliffe Camera, the Bridge of Sighs on New College Lane and the front quad of one college.
Colleges set their own visitor hours, charge their own entry and can close for exams, graduations or private events. Christ Church in particular asks for timed tickets booked ahead. Check before you travel, and tell us which college matters most so the stop is timed around it.
The day finishes later, so families with young children often prefer Oxford on its own. Our Oxford day tour from London gives the colleges a full eight-hour day, at a lower price.
Stratford-upon-Avon and the Cotswolds
Swap the castle for Broadway and Chipping Campden, about an hour in each, in the same ten hours and at the same price; or keep the castle and add one village.
- Chipping Campden about 25 minutes south of Stratford: a curving High Street of honey-stone houses and the old Market Hall, where the Cotswold Way begins. An hour there keeps the day near ten hours if Stratford gets about two hours instead of three; keep both in full and the later finish goes on your written quote.
- Broadway 16 miles south-west of Stratford, 27 minutes; an hour in the village, with the drive there, adds about 1 hour 30 minutes to the day. For the villages further south, book the Cotswolds day trip instead.
Stratford-upon-Avon without Warwick Castle
The whole day belongs to Shakespeare’s town, at an easier pace. An 8:00am pickup puts you on Henley Street at about 10:15, ready for the Birthplace.
- Morning — Shakespeare’s Birthplace first, then the garden at New Place, Shakespeare’s last home.
- Lunch by the river — the swans, the boats and the theatre on the bank of the Avon.
- Afternoon — the car to the Hathaway family’s farmhouse at Shottery, then Holy Trinity Church.
- Time left over — a matinee on the main stage, or Kenilworth Castle on request.
Which Shakespeare houses, an evening play or Kenilworth?
- Short on time: choose Shakespeare’s Birthplace on Henley Street, then New Place gardens a short walk away. Finish at Holy Trinity Church by the river.
- A longer afternoon: add Anne Hathaway’s Cottage at Shottery for the thatched farmhouse and its gardens. Hall’s Croft, the house of his daughter Susanna, is currently closed to general visits.
- Kenilworth Castle: the red sandstone ruin linked to Elizabeth I lies a few miles north of Warwick. Swap it for one Stratford house, or add it on request.
- An evening play: a Royal Shakespeare Company performance is possible on request, with a late return to London; the answer is in the questions below.
End the day in Birmingham or at Heathrow
- Birmingham staying in the city? The day can end at your Birmingham hotel instead of London; the London to Birmingham chauffeur page shows how the one-way drive is priced.
- Heathrow flying out that evening? The day can end at the airport with the bags already in the boot.
How do I book a Stratford-upon-Avon and Warwick Castle day trip from London?
Book online now. Choose the date, a departure between 8:00am and 12:00 noon and your car — the fixed price for the whole car appears before you pay. A departure after 8:00am shortens the time at the castle or in Stratford.
Questions before you book? The Tripyana assistant in the corner of this page answers at any hour. Already booked? Open “Change my booking” in your confirmation email and the same assistant changes your date, pickup time, address, flight or number of passengers for you.
Or ask for a written quote for a changed route or a longer day:
Send us the date and the group
Use the contact form with your date, London pickup address and number of travellers; add your Birthplace time slot if booked.
We confirm the fixed price
We reply by email with the figure for your vehicle class and a written plan for the day.
Confirm and relax
Pay by card, or cash to the driver; instant confirmation from the booking page, and pickup at the agreed time.
Frequently asked questions about the Stratford and Warwick trip
How far is Stratford-upon-Avon from London by car?
About 100 miles from Mayfair, two hours by car in normal traffic. Warwick Castle is nine miles from Stratford, 15 minutes by car, and the drive back to London is the same two hours.
Is ten hours enough for both Stratford and Warwick Castle?
Yes, with an 8am pickup: 2 hours 30 minutes at the castle, 3 hours 15 minutes in Stratford including an hour for lunch, and 4 hours 15 minutes of driving, including the 15 minutes between the two.
Is Stratford-upon-Avon worth a day trip from London?
Yes, especially paired with Warwick Castle. Shakespeare’s Birthplace, New Place and the river fill an afternoon, and the castle fills the morning; by private car the whole day is about ten hours from your London hotel.
Is Stratford-upon-Avon in the Cotswolds?
Not quite: it sits just outside the northern edge. Chipping Campden and Broadway, the nearest Cotswold villages, are under half an hour south by car, and either can be added to the day.
How much does Warwick Castle cost to enter?
One-day tickets cost less online than on the day, and under-2s go free; the prices, opening hours and the official booking link are in the tickets section above.
Which vehicle suits a family of five?
A Mercedes V-Class: seven seats, three rows and room for a pushchair. Child seats for every age are fitted at no charge. Couples usually take the E-Class.
Can the day end in Birmingham or at Heathrow instead of London?
Yes. Birmingham is about 20 miles beyond Warwick, and Heathrow Terminal 5 is 90 miles from Stratford. Give us the final address when you ask for the quote and the figure is confirmed in writing before you pay.
Is the price per person or per car, and what is it in US dollars?
Per car, return, never per person. In US dollars that is about $835 for the E-Class, $960 for the V-Class and $1,300 for the Range Rover at today’s rate; you are charged in pounds sterling.
Can I cancel, and how do I pay?
Cancel at least 24 hours before pickup and any card payment is refunded in full; inside 24 hours the fare is charged. Pay by card in the booking form, or choose cash and settle with the driver in pounds sterling on the day.
Is the driver also a tour guide?
No. Your chauffeur is a professional driver, not a licensed tour guide: the job is the drive, the timing and waiting at the castle and in Stratford while you visit.
Is the trip suitable for wheelchair users or limited mobility?
Yes, with some planning. Your driver uses the castle drop-off near the main entrance, avoiding the uphill walk from the car park, and the castle lends a few wheelchairs free. A lift reaches the Great Hall and the State Rooms; the 540-step tower and wall walk has no wheelchair access. A carer enters free with proof such as a Blue Badge. The Birthplace ground floor is level from the garden, with a subtitled film of the upper floor.
Can we see an evening play in Stratford and return to London the same night?
Yes, on request. A Royal Shakespeare Company evening performance brings you back to London late at night. Book your theatre seats first and send us the curtain time; the longer day is confirmed in writing before you pay.
One price for the whole car, London to Warwickshire and back.
Send the date and we reply with the fixed figure and the plan for the day. More destinations are under day trips from London by private car.
Tripyana Ltd is a UK-licensed company — private hire operator licence PHOP950 · Company No. 16308293.
How long is the drive at each hour of the day? Our hour-by-hour drive times for day trips from London