Coventry & Warwickshire Tourist Information

Things to Do in Coventry & Warwickshire

Warwickshire and Coventry are rich in heritage attractions, elegant and stylish specialist shopping centres and award winning restaurants and gastro pubs. Two of England's most spectacular castles, Kenilworth Castle and Warwick Castle, are in Warwickshire and this area of England has produced some of Britain's greatest authors including the Victorian author George Eliot born near Nuneaton in North Warwickshire and the great bard William Shakespeare born in Stratford-upon-Avon in South Warwickshire's Shakespeare Country. The game of rugby football also heralds from Warwickshire when in 1823 at Rugby School the ball was first run in the hand. Coventry is a post-war architectural gem shaped by one of Britain's most celebrated post-war architects Sir Basil Spence. Coventry museums include the unique Coventry Transport Museum, a world class interactive museum catering brilliantly for children. The cutting edge Herbert Art Gallery & Museum in Coventry is a family museum award winner. Coventry Cathedral ruins today contain the Blitz Experience Museum, with tours available up the old cathedral's St Michael's Tower.

South Warwickshire's Shakespeare Country incorporating Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick, Kenilworth and Leamington Spa attracts millions of visitors from around the world annually. In Stratford-upon-Avon many houses linked to Shakespeare and his family survive in the town including Shakespeare's birthplace home. Stratford is also the home of one of the world's most famous theatre companies, the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). A year round programme of Shakespeare plays and new theatre feature in the RSC theatres in Stratford-upon-Avon and the town offers Shakespeare walking tours and an annual big Shakespeare Festival.

Historic riverside Warwick clusters around the magnificent medieval Warwick Castle, a superb family friendly castle in England with on-site castle dungeons and adventure playground. Boasting a superb choice of chic restaurants, award winning gastro pubs and a great specialist shopping scene, Warwick is tailor-made for short breaks and offers a beautiful centre awash with historic medieval and Tudor timber-framed buildings. Lovers of specialist shops, unique designer boutiques and best designer shopping centres won't want to miss a visit to beautiful Royal Leamington Spa which features spectacular Regency and Victorian architecture. Kenilworth in south Warwickshire also offers a superb selection of specialist shops and is home to the stunning medieval fortress ruins of Kenilworth Castle as well as the central Abbey Fields containing beautiful gardens and abbey ruins.

Stunning rural locations in Warwickshire perfect for walking holidays and within easy reach of both Shakespeare Country and the Cotswolds include Shipston-on-Stour through which long distance footpath Shakespeare's Way passes. Roman Alcester west of Stratford displays its precious Roman finds in a central heritage centre and is famous for its outstanding choice of traditional real ale pubs serving fine beers brewed locally. In North Warwickshire, market town Coleshill affords easy access to Birmingham whilst Nuneaton is a mecca for lovers of the author George Eliot. Rugby in north Warwickshire pays due home to its links with the game at the Webb Ellis Rugby Football Museum. Tours of the legendary Rugby School where the game was born are also available and essential visiting for art fans in Rugby is the Rugby Museum and Art Gallery, home to one of England's best collections of 20th century British Art. Work by Spencer, Hepworth, Lowry and Freud all feature here. Another not to be missed centre for art in Warwickshire is the award winning Compton Verney gallery situated 9 miles east of Stratford-upon-Avon. This hidden gem art gallery is home to the UK's largest collection of British Folk Art alongside an important collection of British Portraits and two views of London by the Venetian artist Canaletto.

Picture Credits

Shakespeare's Birthplace image contributed by Frederick Blake. Warwick Castle and Wier image contributed by Chris Collard. Dragonfly sculpture at Hatton Locks image contributed by Roger Kidd. All images are copyrighted but licensed for further reuse under the Creative Commons License.