Stonehenge Day Trip From London
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Located in the middle of an open field about 80 miles west of London lies Stonehenge. Shrouded in legend and mystery the ring of tall stone monoliths attracts millions of visitors each year.
Stonehenge Day Trip from London: (Jump To)
Somewhere in my brain is a list of places I've always wanted to visit. It changes almost constantly and I’ve never taken the time to write it down; Probably because of its constant flux. There are a few places that made this mental list as a child and have stuck there ever since. Those places are, for me, the most magical when I actually get to visit. Stonehenge is one of those places.
We visited as part of an organized day trip which also included stops at the small town of Bath and a tour of Windsor Castle. Stonehenge was the final and most anticipated stop of the day. You can book this tour through our partner, Viator.
Read about our Day Trip to Bath from London.
How To Visit Stonehenge From London
If you’re only looking to visit Stonehenge from London you can easily take the train from London to Salisbury where for £11 (about US$14) frequent direct round-trip buses are available. Travel time from the station is just over 30 minutes.
What is There To See at Stonehenge?
Once you arrive, the main parking and bus depot is located down the hill from the monument at a welcome center. Inside you’ll find the main ticket booth, a cafe, a gift shop, and a rather uninspired museum. Behind the building is a small exhibit showing examples of the dwellings of the time and examples of how they believe stones were transported.
From the welcome center, a shuttle bus system will take you to the stones. You could also choose to walk the 1.4 miles, but there’s nothing to see along the narrow walkway unless you love the beauty of the rolling English countryside.
After exiting the bus a very short walk leads you to the path around Stonehenge. You are not allowed to enter the monument, only to walk the circular path surrounding it. We were given audio guides which we listened to for a few moments before turning them off to enjoy the magic of our surroundings. We made two full loops around the monument catching it from every angle.
Gazing at the giant monoliths that have stood for generations you feel connected to the humans of the past that labored to bring the stones here. You wonder about their lives and what motivated them to build this impressive structure. There are many unanswered questions.
Seeing the monument took about thirty minutes. If you’re super-into Stonehenge there are a number of other nearby landmarks that help explain more about the civilization who lived in the area. The most impressive of these amount to little more than grassy hills, so we did not opt for a larger in-depth tour.
Had we been on our own and not been herded back into our tour bus, I would have stayed to see Stonehenge at sunset. Sadly, that was not possible due to the schedule of our tour.
We rode the tour bus back to London. I watched out the window as the rolling hills turned into a cityscape. It was a perfect day making a childhood dream come true.
Another great day trip (that’s a little closer to London central) is Greenwich.
