Stonehenge is one of the must-visit historical sites in the UK. No trip to the UK is complete without visiting this famous site. Here’s how to do a Stonehenge day trip from London.
Stonehenge is a fascinating historical site in the UK. It’s one of the most famous places to visit in the UK, and it’s famous all around the world. Visiting Stonehenge as a day trip from London is quite easy. You can get to Stonehenge by public transport in a couple of hours from London. The journey involves a few changes so it’s not super easy, but it’s still manageable. So you can do a Stonehenge day trip from London using public transport.
Alternatively, if you prefer an easier option, you can take a day tour to Stonehenge from London. These day tours often include visits to other great sights in the area, such as Windsor Castle and Bath. Keep reading for details on how to do a Stonehenge day trip from London by public transport or on a tour, with the top things to see and do in Stonehenge when you get there.
How do I get to Stonehenge from London by public transport?
Doing a Stonehenge day trip from London by public transport is manageable, but it will take a bit of planning as the journey will involve several changes. There’s no direct train or bus to Stonehenge from London, so your journey will involve a combination of a train and a bus.
First, you’ll need to take a train. You’ll need to take the train from London Waterloo station to a town called Salisbury. London Waterloo is a big station in London and it’s well connected to lots of different tube lines. So, wherever you’re staying in London, you’ll be able to get the London Underground tube to London Waterloo station. London Waterloo is a big station, so make sure you leave yourself plenty of time to get to the station. It takes a while to walk from the Underground station to the main station, and then find your platform.
It’s easiest, and cheapest, to book your train tickets online in advance. You can save a lot of money booking your train tickets online. I recommend booking your train tickets from London Waterloo to Salisbury online through Trainline (affiliate), which will give you the best prices and choice of times. The train from London Waterloo to Salisbury should take about 1.5 hours.
Once you get to Salisbury station, you’ll need to take the bus to Stonehenge. The Stonehenge bus runs from Salisbury station, and it takes about 30 minutes to reach Stonehenge.
Is there an easier way to do a Stonehenge day trip from London?
There’s definitely a much easier way to do a Stonehenge day trip from London. If you’d rather not use public transport, you can take a day tour to Stonehenge. This option can be a bit more expensive than taking the train. But it’s so much easier. You’ll be picked up at a location close to your hotel in London. And then you’ll get taken right to the entrance to Stonehenge.
A lot of these tours from London to Stonehenge also include stops in some of the other beautiful places in this part of the UK. You can include trips to Windsor Castle, Oxford, or Bath. So if you’re short of time on your UK trip, taking a tour can be a really time-efficient way of seeing several different places in the UK in one day.
I recommend taking this tour of Stonehenge from London (affiliate). This tour also includes visits to Winsor Castle and Oxford as well. Alternatively, this tour to Stonehenge from London (affiliate) is also a great option, and it includes visits to Windsor Castle and Bath.
Can I drive to Stonehenge from London?
I definitely wouldn’t recommend driving from London to Stonehenge. Driving out of London is very difficult and stressful. There’s always lots of traffic, and a lot of confusing one-way systems and bus lanes in London. Plus, to drive in London, you’ll need to pay the congestion charge. I drive all over the UK, but I would never drive in London.
Once you get out of London, the drive to Stonehenge is fairly easy. So if you’re staying somewhere in the UK that isn’t London, you can drive to Stonehenge. But if you’re staying in London, I recommend visiting Stonehenge either by public transport, or with a tour.
How long should I spend at Stonehenge?
The amount of time you can spend at Stonehenge can vary a lot. If you’re short of time, you can see all of the main things in about an hour. With an hour at Stonehenge, you’ll be able to have a quick look around the Visitor Centre and then head to the famous stone circle. If you’re visiting Stonehenge as part of a day tour from London, you’re likely to have limited time here. But you can definitely still have a great experience with limited time at Stonehenge.
However, you can easily spend a lot more than an hour at Stonehenge. If you’re coming to Stonehenge on public transport, I recommend spending about 3 hours in the area to really immerse yourself in the history and beautiful views.
What are the top things to see and do at Stonehenge?
There’s plenty to do at Stonehenge for several hours. The two main sites are the Stone Circle (of course), and also the Stonehenge Visitor Centre and Exhibition.
Stonehenge Visitor Centre and Exhibition
The Stonehenge Visitor Centre is at the entrance to Stonehenge, so it will be the first thing you see when you arrive. There are toilets and a cafe here.
There’s also an exhibition about Stonehenge in the Visitor Centre. It’s a really interesting, small museum. You can learn more about the history of Stonehenge, and what historians and archaeologists have discovered here. There’s an immersive video experience where you get to stand ‘in’ the stone circle. And then there’s a room with various artefacts that have been discovered in the area.
What is the history of Stonehenge?
Stonehenge dates back to the Neolithic Period, and the stone circle is thought to have been created about 2500BC. The site evolved over time, with burial mounds appearing nearby in the early Bronze Age. Archaeologists believe Stonehenge may have served as a ceremonial site, a burial ground, or even an astronomical observatory. The stones are carefully aligned with the summer and winter solstices, suggesting a connection to ancient rituals.
Despite centuries of study, the exact purpose of Stonehenge remains a mystery. Some theories suggest it was a meeting place for different communities, while others think it was a monument to the dead. It’s amazing that despite so much research, no one really knows why Stonehenge was built.
The Stonehenge Exhibition will show you all about the history of this part of the world.
Bus or walk to the Stonehenge Stone Circle
After learning about the history of Stonehenge at the Exhibition, you can then go to see the Stone Circle. You have two options to get to the stones: either walk, or take the free shuttle bus. The walk takes about 30 minutes, and it’s a pleasant walk across fields. If the weather is nice and you enjoy walking, I recommend doing this walk. It’s well signposted, and on the way you’ll be able to see some evidence of some of the burial mounds that you learned about in the Exhibition. You’ll also enjoy some lovely views of beautiful English countryside.
If you’d rather not walk, the shuttle bus is really easy. Staff at Stonehenge will show you where to queue for the bus. The buses run really regularly – it only takes about 5 minutes to get to the stones, and at busy times the buses run back and forth constantly throughout the day.
Stonehenge Stone Circle
The highlight of any Stonehenge day trip from London will be actually walking around the Stone Circle. This is definitely the highlight of the day. You can’t walk inside the Stone Circle – it needs to be protected from the millions of visitors this place receives every year. But you can still get really close to the stones. There are times when you’re only a few metres away from the stones.
All the way around the stone circle, you get great views of the stones. There are also some areas of grass where you can have a picnic. You can bring food with you, or you can buy something at the Visitor Centre cafe and bring that to the Stone Circle with you. It’s lovely to sit on the grass on a sunny day and enjoy a picnic while looking at Stonehenge.
It doesn’t take long to walk around Stonehenge. But it’s definitely worth taking your time to absorb the history of the area. And of course to take plenty of photos.
Back to the Stonehenge Visitor Centre for the final attractions
When you’re ready, you can either walk or take the bus back to the Visitor Centre. Back at the Visitor Centre, you’ll go straight into the gift shop. There’s a large gift shop here, where you can buy souvenirs from your day out.
There are also a few extra things around the Stonehenge Visitor Centre that you can visit if you have time at the end of your day. There are some replica Neolithic houses. You can go inside these houses, and imagine how people used to live, thousands of years ago. There’s also the challenge to see if you’re strong enough to pull the weight of one of the Stonehenge stones. Spoiler alert: you won’t be strong enough to pull it on your own!
Once you’ve enjoyed the final things around the Stonehenge Visitor Centre, you can head back to your tour bus, or to the bus that will take you back to Salisbury train station and then take the train back to London.
Should I stay overnight near Stonehenge?
If you’d like to spend more time in this beautiful part of the UK, you can stay overnight in the area. You could stay overnight in nearby Salisbury, and take some time to visit the hugely impressive Salisbury Cathedral. Alternatively, you could stay overnight in nearby Bath. Bath is a beautiful city, with stunning Georgian architecture and lots of interesting museums. Check out some hotels in Bath here (affiliate).
Hope you enjoy visiting Stonehenge as a day trip from London! Make sure you also check out some of the other top things to do in the UK. You could visit the beautiful English Cotswolds, including a trip to Cotswold Lavender. Or you could check out the nearby city of Oxford, or the top things to do in and around Bristol. If you’re looking for more history, you could also visit Stratford-Upon-Avon in England.
