Shakespeare's Globe

What to expect

Shakespeare's Globe is a modern reconstruction of the open-air theatre where Shakespeare's company performed in 1599. The original burned down in 1613 and was rebuilt, then demolished in 1644. The American actor Sam Wanamaker started the project to build a new one, and it opened in 1997 on the South Bank, about 230 m from the original site. It is built of English oak with no structural steel and has the first thatched roof allowed in London since the Great Fire of 1666.

If you come as a visitor rather than for a play, the usual way in is a guided tour, which takes you into the theatre itself and explains how Elizabethan audiences watched a show. Plays run from roughly May to early October, with standing tickets in the yard for the groundlings. In winter the candle-lit indoor Sam Wanamaker Playhouse next door stages the productions.

Don't miss

• The thatched roof over the open-air theatre
• The circular yard where groundlings stand
• The three tiers of seating
• The thrust stage
• The candle-lit Sam Wanamaker Playhouse

Tips for your visit

• Decide whether you want a tour of the building or a performance, as the two are different visits.
• A summer evening show with standing tickets is the most authentic way to experience it.
• Wear warm clothes for performances, since the theatre is open to the sky.
• Combine it with Tate Modern and the riverside walk, which are both close by.