Chillon

Anne Hathaway's Cottage in Shottery, just outside Stratford-upon-Avon, is the former farmhouse where Shakespeare's wife-to-be was born and raised. The earliest part dates to 1463, and despite the name it is a twelve-roomed house with visible timber framing and several chimneys. Inside you can see original furniture, including the Hathaway bed, and learn about the family who lived here for 13 generations.

Tip: Pre-booking is recommended. Backpacks are limited and given out first come, first served, so ask for one when you arrive.

Broadway Tower is a Grade II listed, 18th-century tower on Broadway Hill, the second-highest point of the Cotswolds. Designed by James Wyatt and inspired by Capability Brown, it's a castle-style building with battlements, gargoyles and turrets. The top three floors are a museum, and a spiral staircase takes you up to the roof platform for the views.

Tip: Book tickets online in advance, as space is limited. The nuclear bunker tours also need booking through the website.

The Black Country Living Museum in Dudley is an open-air museum of rebuilt, replica and recreated shops, houses and industrial workshops, spread across 26 acres of former industrial land. Historic characters in period settings chat to visitors and demonstrate traditional skills, such as hand-forging nails and casting brass. The visit is self-guided, so you can explore at your own pace.

Tip: Allow 4 to 5 hours, and head first to the trams or trolleybuses to reach the village at the heart of the site.

West Midlands Safari Park, near Bewdley in Worcestershire, combines a drive-through safari with walk-through animal areas and an adventure theme park. The four-mile Safari Drive takes you past lions, giraffes, rhinos, tigers and more, including white lions and cheetahs, with the cheetah reserve billed as the UK's largest drive-by one.

Warwick Castle stands on a sandstone bluff at a bend of the River Avon. The Normans built a motte-and-bailey castle here in 1068, and it was rebuilt in stone in the 12th century. The 14th-century facade facing the town is one of the best-known examples of medieval military architecture in Britain.

Tip: Pre-book online to guarantee entry; advance tickets are cheaper and include a Rainy Day Promise.

Sudeley Castle is a Grade I listed castle in the Cotswolds, near the medieval market town of Winchcombe in Gloucestershire. It stands in a 1,200-acre estate in the Cotswold hills, with 10 notable gardens covering some 15 acres. After years in ruins following the Civil War, the Dent family restored it and made it a family home.

Tip: Seek out the castle's church to see Catherine Parr's burial place, then leave time for the gardens.

Stanway House is a Jacobean manor house in Gloucestershire, built in the late 16th and early 17th centuries for the Tracy family and still home to the Earls of Wemyss and March. The house, the triple-gabled gatehouse and the tithe barn dating from about 1370 are all Grade I listed, and much of the building is in warm Guiting yellow stone.

Worcester Cathedral rises above the River Severn and has been a place of worship for fourteen centuries. The present building was begun in 1084 and is Grade I listed. Inside you will find a Romanesque crypt, a chapter house dating from 1120, medieval misericords and a central tower completed in 1374.

Tip: Join a guided tour if one is running, as visitors rate the library tour highly. Summer holidays can be busier.