Stonehenge Day Trips from London
©Sung Shin
A trip to Stonehenge, about 130 kilometers west of London, is one of the most amazing experiences you should have during a trip to England. Little is known about its origins, only that it dates back to the late Neolithic period, but the most famous prehistoric monument in Europe is wrapped in a magical halo that causes real fascination to those who have the opportunity to contemplate it.
Although you can take the train or bus to visit Stonehenge on your own, taking into account the distance it is from London and how difficult it is to get there by public transport, my advice is to take an organized tour to Stonehenge in a comfortable bus, which will make things easier for you and where you have the assistance of a guide to better understand the meaning of this enigmatic megalithic monument. I tell you what are the best options:
The organized tour to Stonehenge with the best price
Perfect if you want to enjoy the most of your visit to one of the most famous monuments in England optimizing your time and in the most comfortable way possible. Includes audio guide and time to explore the site at your own pace
I 100% recommend you to make time during your trip to the British capital to take this full day excursion to Stonehenge and see in person the most famous megalith in the world. It is an amazing place that will impress you! To make the most of the day, the tour starts early, at 7 AM. You will be able to take the bus at two different points in the city (London Bridge Street and Harrington Gardens) to go to Stonehenge.
Ahead lies a two-hour drive to Salisbury Plain, a lonely, treeless, uninhabited wasteland where this ancient monument, thousands of years old, is nestled.
The best thing about this Stonehenge tour is that it offers the convenience of an organized tour with the independence of an audio guide, so you can explore the famous megalith, the museum and the reconstruction of a Neolithic settlement at your own pace and at your own leisure.
Once there you will have 3 hours to enjoy this magical place to which since time immemorial the human being attributed a special meaning of connection between the earthly and the supernatural, which today many researchers continue to study to unravel its enigmatic symbolism.
At the end of the tour you will get back on the bus that will take you back to London, where you will be able to relax and remember everything you have learned and experienced at Stonehenge during this exciting trip.
Why I like this tour**: This tour offers the advantages of joining an organized tour (no need to worry about schedules or transportation) and the advantages of touring the site at your own pace. You will be able to follow the audio guide commentary to understand everything you see without having to stick to the steps and schedules of a group, as you will have up to 3 hours to walk around the site at your own pace.
Recommended if...** you want to enjoy this mystery of humanity to the fullest but don't want to invest too much time or money during your trip to London.
Visit Stonehenge and visit Bath, the most beautiful city in England
If you want to spend the whole day out of the City, nothing better than discovering not only Stonehenge, but also the beauty of Bath, the city of Jane Austen. You can visit the Baths of Bath as an optional
If during your trip to London you can set aside a whole day for a trip outside the city, my advice is to take the opportunity to see as many of the nearby sites as you can in one go. For example, Stonehenge and Bath. Not only will you have the opportunity to discover the most popular prehistoric monument in Europe but also one of the most charming cities in the British countryside, which happens to be located very close to Stonehenge. Sounds great, doesn't it?
The adventure begins at 8:30 AM when the group meets at the Victoria Coach Station (Stop W) to board the coach for Stonehenge, the first stop on the tour.
The journey is very short because the guide of the excursion makes a short explanation about what you will see at the destination. Only two hours after leaving London you will arrive at Salisbury Plain, the site of this magnificent megalithic monument thousands of years old.
During the visit you will have time to admire Stonehenge at your leisure while listening to the narration of the audio guide. Seeing this prehistoric construction with your own eyes is like taking a trip back in time to the origins of mankind and an unforgettable experience.
The second stop on the tour is Bath. The one-way trip takes about an hour and along the way you can also listen to a short introduction to this charming city in the county of Somerset. If Bath is famous for anything it is for its Roman baths of medicinal waters, for its university, for being the home of the famous writer Jane Austen and for its elegant streets dotted with beautiful mansions of the eighteenth century.
On the Bath tour you will see such highlights of the city as the Pulteney Bridge, the Jane Austen Centre, the Assembly Rooms or the Royal Crescent and enjoy free time to explore the city at your own pace or, if you select the option, to enter the Roman Baths (though not bathe in them as this is not authorized).
At the end of the tour to Stonehenge and Bath you will get back on the coach to return to London after an intense day full of emotions and memories.
Why I like this tour**: this tour allows you to see two of England's most iconic landmarks in one day for a reasonable price and in just one day, so it won't take up too much of your time in London.
Recommended if...** you are one of those who want to know the more, the better. On this tour you will enjoy the beauty of Bath and the enormity of the Stonehenge complex.
When to visit Stonehenge?
Declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco, this monument is worth a visit at any time of the year but there are particularly special moments such as summer and winter solstices (when the sun reaches its highest point in the sky and crosses the axis of the monument with precision, sneaking between its rocks).
During the summer solstice, groups of Druids accompanied by a wide variety of people come to Stonehenge to practice rituals with a magical background in which they celebrate the union between the sun and the Earth. It is a most curious event!
When to book your Stonehenge tickets?
Since it is a very popular tourist attraction, I advise you to book your tickets online as far in advance as possible to secure your place on the tour on the date you want.
How long does it take to get to Stonehenge from London?
This prehistoric monument is located almost two hours from the British capital.
What to wear to see Stonehenge?
This megalithic monument is located outdoors in the middle of a place that is not protected from wind and rain. Before going on an excursion I advise you to take a look at the weather forecast for the area to try to choose a day with stable weather.
With the above in mind, my advice is to bring warm clothes because except for the hottest days of summer, the cool (or even freezing!) breeze blows almost all the time. Don't forget to pack a raincoat in your backpack in case there is a risk of rain on the day of the visit. It is essential to adapt your clothing to the weather on the day of the excursion.
On the other hand, as in any excursion, the most advisable thing to do to see Stonehenge is to wear comfortable shoes since you will be walking for several hours.
Is Stonehenge a monument to visit with children?
Absolutely. The little ones can run around the meadow and be amazed by the size of the rocks, while the older ones will have the opportunity to get closer to history by going on a fun excursion.
But... what really is Stonehenge?
You have probably seen it before in books and documentaries on countless occasions, as it is the most famous prehistoric monument in Europe and one of the icons of Great Britain.
Surrounded by a pit, Stonehenge is a megalithic construction in the form of two concentric rings composed of large vertical stone blocks that form a unique stamp recognizable from miles away.
Little is known about this place, being an enigma for anthropologists and historians around the world. Only that it was built between 3000 and 1500 B.C. (towards the end of the Neolithic and beginning of the Bronze Age) and that it was part of a larger structure that included ceremonial avenues and stone circles.
Everything else is hypotheses, from who built it to its purpose. Some theories point to the fact that it could be an astronomical observatory to predict the seasons, since at the summer solstice the sun rose through the axis of the megalith.
Others argue that Stonehenge was a religious temple or a funerary monument used as a necropolis for notables of the time, as hundreds of burials have been found nearby.
While research continues to try to shed a little more light on this mysterious megalithic monument, Stonehenge has now become an important setting where modern Druids perform mystical rituals on the night of St. John.
What will you see at Stonehenge?
My experience visiting Stonehenge
After a pleasant journey of almost two hours through England, the bus dropped us off near the Stonehenge visitor center and before arriving there we had to go through an airport-like security check where they checked our belongings.
Although within the enclosure where Stonehenge is located there is also a museum and a reproduction of a prehistoric settlement, we were clear that the first thing we wanted to see was this legendary megalithic monument. So we headed to the area where you take the free minibus to get there as soon as possible, as it was quite crowded and there were some queues.
I had seen it in photographs many times and imagined it many times but nothing compares to seeing it in person. It is a mixture of excitement and disbelief. I had before me one of the few remaining vestiges of prehistoric times in the world. How could they build something like this with hardly any means?
It makes you want to get as close as possible to feel the rocks and try to unravel this enigma older than the pyramids of Egypt, but a rope fence delimits the distance to keep with the monument and the itinerary to follow.
You have to be satisfied with contemplating it from afar but the visit allows you to go around Stonehenge to take pictures from all angles and enjoy the beautiful green landscape that surrounds it.
Being there you get an idea of why this place was so important for the first civilizations. There is something that makes it very special and that is difficult to explain in words, you have to see it!
Discovering the Neolithic
During the tour, if you pay attention, you will see some signs that point out other places of interest such as an ancient necropolis or a road from 2300 B.C. that connects the megalith with the Avon River. It is believed that this road connected with a ceremonial route to celebrate the passing of the seasons according to the movement of the sun.
You can learn much more about this in the museum at the visitor center. After the visit to Stonehenge we head back to the starting point to enter the exhibition that delves into the history of this place and its significance as well as the lives of the people who erected this monument thousands of years ago.
Here you can see various prehistoric objects (tools, jewelry, pottery...) extracted from various archaeological excavations as well as the forensic reconstruction of the face of a man who may have been at Stonehenge 5,500 years ago.
I also advise you to visit the recreation of a Neolithic settlement in this area, which was created from excavations carried out in Durrington dating from that period.
Although on the tour to Stonehenge we have the assistance of an audio guide that explains what we are seeing I think this museum is the perfect complement to better understand this stage of history so unknown to the general public, so I recommend that you spend some time during the visit.
You may not be a big fan of museums but Stonehenge has a cool interactive part that always makes the experience more enjoyable. Especially if you are traveling with kids.
If you like this excursion, you might be interested in...
If you have already visited London on other occasions and want to discover other gems of England, I recommend you take a look at the article The best excursions from London: where you will find some of the most entertaining and interesting things to do during your vacation. It will be difficult to choose just one!
In case after the Stonehenge tour you want to focus on exploring London to learn a bit more history, don't miss the articles about the Tower of London or the Westminster Abbey: as well as The best London tours and excursions: or The best sightseeing buses: to get to know the most outstanding corners of the city.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to go to Stonehenge from London?
Since Stonehenge is situated around 145 km (90 mi) west of London, it takes around 2 hrs 20 min to reach both via car or train.
Can I independently travel to Stonehenge?
You can, however there are caveats. The train from Waterloo to Salisbury, the nearest rail station at 15 km (9 mi) away, is usually quite expensive, so you'll then need to get the independent Stonehenge shuttle bus to reach the legendary henge. For this reason, most travellers find that a guided tour is the easiest solution as you're taken directly to Stonehenge.
Can I touch the stones at Stonehenge?
Not usually, basically the stones are protected by a velvet rope 364 days of the year. There is however, one exception is the Summer Solstice festival, where you can camp on the grounds for the night to witness the sunrise and the first day of summer.