Discover Shakespeare’s World with iBestTravel

Follow in the steps of William Shakespeare, the greatest playwright of all time, and discover his inspiration. From frothy pints in the Bard’s hometown to Juliet’s famed balcony, these are the best places to go to celebrate and honor William Shakespeare.

Stratford-upon-Avon, England

It all started on Henley Street, Stratford-upon-Avon, in 1564. In a half-timbered wattle-and-daub house on a busy thoroughfare in this Warwickshire town, William Shakespeare was born. The 16th-century pad could hardly have foreseen its future stardom. Today, it’s one of England’s most famous dwellings, converted into a museum that recreates Will’s world, complete with period furnishings and a Tudor herb garden. However, the whole town embodies the spirit of Shakespeare-upon-Avon: pay your respects at Anne Hathaway’s charming cottage (the former home of his wife), Mary Arden’s House (his mother’s home), and the Royal Shakespeare Company Theatre, the home of his living literary legacy.

Helsingør, Denmark

The first Kronberg Castle in Helsingør dates back to the 1420s, erected on the eastern tip of Zealand to guard the narrow Øresund Strait. Thanks to Frederik II’s renovations in the late 16th century, it became one of Europe’s key Renaissance fortifications. This reputation travelled fast, and when penning Hamlet around 1600, Shakespeare placed his troubled prince right here. Now forever known as Elsinore, the castle embraces its literary associations. Frequent productions of Hamlet are performed within Kronberg’s walls, which have seen Laurence Olivier, Derek Jacobi, and Jude Law take on the role of the great Dane.

Trains run from Copenhagen Central to Elsinore (approximately 45 minutes). Kronberg is a 15-minute walk from the station.

Verona, Italy

‘But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?’ Likely, the flash of a thousand cameras! The balcony of Verona’s Casa de Giulietta is a tourist hotspot. Although Shakespeare’s teen-love tragedy was set in the city, it is fairly dubious that this humble 13th-century courtyard had anything to do with the inspiration for Romeo and Juliet. Nevertheless, Verona boasts an enormous Roman amphitheater, red-brick Castelvecchio, cobbled old streets, and the twisting River Adige, all exuding plenty of real romance.

Access to the courtyard of Juliet’s House is free; however, there is a fee to enter the house and stand on the balcony.

Scotland

Macbeth has a bad reputation—Shakespeare depicted the 11th-century Scot as a power-hungry murderer alongside an unhinged wife. However, a driving route known as the Macbeth Trail throughout Scotland links locations from Shakespeare’s play to the actual man. Glamis Castle (where Macbeth was called the ‘Thane of Glamis’), Lumphanan (the Aberdeenshire village where Macbeth was killed in battle in 1057), and Cairn O’Mount (where Macbeth took his supporters en route to Lumphanan) are all along the trail, interspersed with dramatic Scottish scenery.

The castle and gardens at Glamis, located 20km north of Dundee, are open for tours from March to October.

Alexandria, Egypt

Antony & Cleopatra spans the Roman Empire, but it’s the scenes set in Alexandria that are highly exotic and tragic. In today’s Mediterranean city, mementos of Cleopatra are scant. Her royal palace was destroyed by earthquakes and lies sunken in the ancient harbor, while the Pharos lighthouse, one of Cleopatra’s ancestors’ constructions, is likewise submerged. Currently, the best option is to promenade the Corniche and ponder the glories that wait beneath the waves.

The Alexandria National Museum, located in an Italianate mansion on Tariq Al-Horreya St, documents the history of the city.

Mount Parnitha, Greece

Mount Parnitha National Park has no direct relation to Shakespeare; however, since the main setting of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a non-specific ‘wood outside Athens’, it serves as a fitting homage. Despite the capital’s suburbs encroaching on much surrounding countryside, this swathe of caves, gorges, peaks, trails, and fir forests—just 30km northwest—is an enchanting wilderness. Inhaling its fragrant pine, walking among wildflowers, and gazing up at Karavola, the park’s highest summit at 1413m, it’s easy to imagine Titania and Oberon dancing amid the trees.

Bus 714 runs from central Athens to Thrakomakedones, where a cable car ascends into Mount Parnitha National Park.

Messina, Sicily, Italy

Shakespeare set Much Ado About Nothing in Messina, northeast Sicily. Was this merely a creative choice, or something more significant? Sicilian professor Martino Iuvara proposed a theory in 2002: Shakespeare may have hailed from Messina. He suggested that young Sicilian noble Michelangelo ‘Crollalanza’ (‘Shakespeare’ in Italian) emigrated to England and later wed Anne Hathaway—an excellent translator. Perhaps this theory holds some truth. When it’s drizzling in Stratford-upon-Avon, the sunshine, pizzas, and piazzas of Messina might appear a more appealing tribute to the Bard.

Ferries connect Messina to Villa San Giovanni on Italy’s mainland (approximately 20 minutes).

Vancouver, Canada

Some historians believe that Francis Drake visited what we now call Vancouver in 1579, while most suggest the Spanish arrived first, but not until 1791. Regardless, Shakespeare would have known little of this distant western land and certainly did not set any works here. However, each year, Vancouver celebrates Will as if he’s one of their own. Every summer since 1990, the Bard on the Beach festival has provided accessible occasions for Shakespeare appreciation: two stages set in picturesque Vanier Park display a program of plays and talks against a breathtaking backdrop of mountains, seas, and skies.

Shakespeare’s Globe, London, England

Shakespeare’s Globe, one of the first purpose-built playhouses in London, was constructed on the Southbank in 1599—and Shakespeare was a shareholder. Unfortunately, it burned down in 1613 during a performance of Henry VIII, but in 1997 a new Globe opened, approximately 230m from the original site. The theater season at the Globe runs from April to October, while the exhibition and site tours are available year-round.

Maruyama, Japan

Did you hear the tale of the Bard and the bullet train? It wasn’t until 1997 that Surrey-based architects built a piece of Elizabethan England near Tokyo. The flashing neon of Japan’s capital is still visible from Maruyama’s Shakespeare Country Park. An animatronic Will welcomes visitors to this cluster of half-timbered cottages arranged around a village green, complete with stocks and a maypole. Imported British oak supports the replica birthplace, Mary Arden’s house, and a windmill, all constructed using traditional methods—but earthquake-proofed for its new location, 16,000km and five centuries away.

Shakespeare Country Park is around 80km northeast of Tokyo. The on-site theatre showcases Shakespeare’s plays (in Japanese).