Stratford has over 250 guesthouses and B&Bs plus around a dozen hotels and motels, but accommodation can still be hard to find during the Festival's busiest weekends in July and August. The walls of the Information Centre are plastered with pictures and descriptions of many of these establishments and standards are high. Both tourist offices will help you find somewhere to stay, but one good and convenient recommendation is Avonview Manor B&B , 63 Avon St (tel 519/273-4603, www.avonviewmanor.on.ca ; $60-80), which occupies an expansive Edwardian villa overlooking the north bank of the River Avon across from the town centre. The four bedrooms here, all with shared bathrooms, are tastefully decorated and immaculately maintained. Another excellent choice is Blackwater House , 122 Douglas St (tel 519/273-6490, fax 273-2544; $125-175; May-Oct), in a trim, high-gabled Victorian house in a quiet residential area, ten-minutes' walk from the centre on the north side of the river. The interior, with its antiques and watercolours, has three en-suite guestrooms, and there's a pool in the garden. A third and even more central option is the Deacon House , 101 Brunswick St (tel 519/273-2052 or 1-877/825-6374, fax 519/273-3784; $100-125), whose six lovely guestrooms - five en suite - occupy a good-looking Edwardian villa with a wide veranda.

Stratford has plenty of excellent cafA©s and restaurants , with one of the best being Fellini's Italian CafA© & Grill , 107 Ontario St, which offers a good range of fresh pizzas and pastas at reasonable prices. There are also tasty snacks and light meals at Let Them Eat Cake , by the Market Place at 90 Wellington St, and pastries and gourmet coffees at Balzac's , 149 Ontario St. Rundles , 9 Coburg St (tel 519/271-6442; closed in winter), is arguably the classiest restaurant in town, serving up imaginatively prepared French-style cuisine at finger-burning prices.