Stonehenge day trip from London

Being one of the oldest prehistoric monuments in the world and a UNESCO world heritage site, Stonehenge is definitely an exciting day trip from London. Here are some useful tips on how to plan your perfect Stonehenge day trip from London.

What is Stonehenge?

Stonehenge was built approximately 5000 years ago and it is believed i was a burial ground as human bones were found on the site. There are many other myths about the function of the place: a healing site, a memorial site, a ritual site, etc. The only thing we can be certain is that Stonehenge was an important place for neolithic people, as it would have taken huge effort took and time to transport the rocks.

How to get to Stonehenge from London on your own

Stonehenge is located in Wiltshire county, about 15 km from Salisbury. A great idea is to sleep in Salisbury to visit Stonehenge.

Stonehenge is also one of the best day trips from London as it is located about 150 km away from the capital.

If you want to get from London to Stonehenge by public transport, you will have to combine different buses or trains as there isn’t a direct transport to get there.

• TRAIN + BUS

The best option is to take a train from South Western Railway from London Waterloo station to Salisbury. The trips takes around 1 and a half hours and the train ticket costs around 20 pounds each way.

From Salisbury station you can take a bus or a taxi to get to Stonehenge (takes around 1 hour).

• BUS

The cheapest way to get to Stonehenge from London is to take a National Express bus from Victoria Station or Heathrow Airport. The buses get you to either Salisbury or Amesbury. From these cities you need to take another bus or a taxi to get to Stonehenge.

The whole trip will take around 2.5 hours. I don’t recommend this option unless you plan to stay in Salisbury for the night.

• CAR

A great option to get explore England is to rent a car and visit different cities and towns including Stonehenge. The car trip from London to Stonehenge takes about 2 hours.

Tours from London to Stonehenge

The other option is to take a tour from London. Some tours also include Bath, Salisbury, Oxford or Windsor. I don’t usually take tours as I find them annoying but this time I chose to take one and I think it’s the best option. There are many companies providing a Stonehenge day trip from London.

If you have more time, I would recommend to get to Stonehenge independently and visit Salisbury and Stonehenge at your own pace.

Some tour options:

• Stonehenge half-day tour: this tour includes the entrance fee to Stonehenge, the transportation by bus and the audio guide at Stonehenge.
• Stonehenge & Bath full day tour: this tour includes the admission ticket to Stonehenge and to the roman baths at Bath, transportation by bus and professional tour guide.
• Stonehenge, Windsor & Bath: this full day tour includes 3 attractions: Stonehenge, Bath city and Windsor Castle.

Stonehenge admission ticket

These are the admission ticket prices for entering Stonehenge (updated in march 2025):

• Adults: £25
• Children (7-17 years old) £15
• Students and adults above 65 years old: £22
• Family price (2 adults and up to 3 children): £65

Buy your entrance ticket to Stonehenge in advance here

The entrance ticket includes an audio guide.

Visiting Stonehenge

The Stonehenge complex is very well maintained. Before reaching the stone circle, you pass through the visitor center where you are given the audio guide included in the ticket entrance. From the visitor center you can walk to the stones or take a free bus (about 10 minutes).

Once at the Stonehenge monument, there are several marked paths to see the stones from different perspectives. Access to the stone circle is not allowed, unless you request special access through the Stonehenge page. They are special visits that are not available every day or at any time.

I can’t put into words how windy it was at Stonehenge! It is always windy, even in sunny days. Once there I could barely take photos, so you will see some of them are blurry.

On your way back you can visit the exhibition centre, which is really informative. You get into an amazing 360 degree view from inside the Stones and see them change throughout time. There is also a gift shop and a restaurant.

In spite of the awful weather, I really enjoyed my day trip to Stonehenge. Next time I would definitely visit Salisbury and roman baths as well.

Tips for visiting Stonehenge

• Opening times: 9:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (October to March) / 9:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. (April, May, September) / 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. (June to August)
• The last admission is 2 hours before closing.
• The visit usually takes around 2 hours.
• For the summer and winter solstice thousands of people gather at Stonehenge.
• Salisbury is the closest city to Stonehenge. A good option if you have more time is to sleep in Salisbury and visit Stonehenge from there. Another option is to sleep in the city of Bath, which is very beautiful.
• Bring a jacket! The site is very windy, no matter the time of the year you visit.

Other London posts that you might like:

• London Pass vs London Explorer Pass
• 20 tips for visiting London for the first time
• Complete 4 day London itinerary
• Best cheap hotels in London
• Best free museums in London
• How to get to Oxford from London
• Day trip to Windsor Castle from London

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