Visit one of the wonders of the world – Stonehenge. Stonehenge is the perfect day trip to plan while visiting London. Take a short Day Trip to the Secrets of Stonehenge – London, England.
Stonehenge is located in Salisbury, England only 2 hours west of London, England. This prehistoric monument is surrounded by mystery as no one truly knows the real reason why Stonehenge was built over 5,000 years ago.
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Driving to Stonehenge
Personally when I took my day trip to Stonehenge, I didn’t drive. I took a tour that I will talk about later, but if you do have a car rented for other reasons, this trip should be an easy drive. If not, a Stonehenge tour is perfect for a day trip from London.
If you decide to drive the trip to Stonehenge, from London is less than 2 hours away. It is always important to be mindful of foreign country traffic laws, especially if you’re from the U.S. to remember in the U.K. to drive on the opposite side of the road.
There is parking available at the Stonehenge site. There is also sometimes a parking charge during peak periods to non-members if you haven’t pre booked your ticket. According to their site, that charge is fully refundable once you purchase your ticket to Stonehenge.
From the visitor center there is a Visitor Bus that runs to and from the Stones. If you do not choose to take the Visitor Bus, there is a choice of walking routes.
What to do at Stonehenge?
Other than strategically aligned enormous rocks to look at, the Stonehenge site does have other facilities for visiting tourists. The site offers audio tours. You can download the free audio tour in advance. Be sure to bring some headphones or you can purchase some at admissions for £2.
On site is an exhibition that provides audio and visual experiences to understand the story and history of Stonehenge.
If you get hungry there is a cafe on site that serves grab-and-go hot and cold food and drinks. You can picnic in the monument field with the view of the Stone Circle or at other designated points around the Visitor Center.
And lastly, besides public toilets, is the Stonehenge gift shop offering plenty of books, gifts, and souvenirs.
Day Trip Tour to Stonehenge
When I took a day trip to Stonehenge, I booked a tour from London and it was the perfect trip. Specifically I took the Stonehenge and Bath Day Trip from London. There were some tours that were only Stonehenge and others that visited more places, but my group I was with settled for the tour with a visit to the city Bath as well.
First, we met in London around 8-8:30 in the morning and headed straight towards Stonehenge. The drive was super beautiful and a great way to see some of the England countryside. We arrived at Stonehenge and like previously mentioned waited for the Visitor Bus to bring us to the actual site.
Travel Tip: I visited in mid-March and although it wasn’t terribly cold, the wind sure made it feel that way! Be sure to bundle up depending on what season you visit.
Before we departed our tour bus, the guide gave us a time when we needed to return and it gave us plenty of time to tour and take pictures of the site.
Be sure to download the audio guide to educate yourself on what exactly you are looking at or be sure to grab a book that explains some of the history behind the formations. I promise things are a lot cooler when you know the history of what you’re looking at, this goes for all travels!
When we were done viewing Stonehenge and taking our pictures, we boarded back up on the Visitor Bus to head back to the Visitor Center, used the restrooms and read about the history of Stonehenge in its exhibition.
Trip to the city Bath
If you do choose the Stonehenge and Bath Day Trip from London tour, first of all, great choice! You’ll love it! Bath is a UNESCO-listed city and personally is the type of town you would picture when you think of England. Bath is located about an hour further West of Stonehenge making it about two and a half hours back to London.
The tour bus arrived to Bath around 12:30 to 1ish in the afternoon. I suggest bringing a snack with you during the first half of the day to hold yourself over to have a nice lunch in Bath. You will have a couple of hours to eat lunch and walk the Georgian streets of Bath.
In Bath you can view the Royal Crescent, walk along River Avon where you’ll find the unique Pulteney Bridge, or you can visit the Roman Baths.
Either way, I find this town the most beautiful and it’s definitely worth making this stop during your day trip to Stonehenge from London.
While you're in London don't pass up these awesome tours as well!
There is so much to see and do in London, England, but I highly suggest taking a day trip to Stonehenge. Stonehenge is one of the world’s most famous prehistoric monuments and remains such a huge mystery to what it was even for! Have you ever visited Stonehenge or are you going to add this site to your bucket list? What do you think the purpose of Stonehenge was for? Leave it in the comments below!
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Interested in the camera gear I use while traveling to capture my pictures?
- Camera: Canon EOS M50 with EF-M 15-45mm lense
- Small tripod: Fotopro Flexible Tripod
- Large tripod: Phopik 77”
- Memory cards: SanDisk 128GB
- Extra batteries: BM Premium batteries
- Camera bag: Bagsmart backpack
I’ve visited London, but I’ve never been–next time!
I have not been to stonehenge before! I didn’t realize that it is pretty close to London. Though is a short drive, it can be daunting and confusing to drive on the opposite side of the road. So it makes sense to take a tour instead!
Your photos are amazing! I want to visit so badly!
Wow, didn’t realize there were so many things to see and do in Stonehenge and Bath! Thanks for this suggestion. Perfect for first-timers. Lovely photos
Would you suggest the tour or driving/walking on your own?
I would suggest the tour – which is what I did. I traveled from London and in London there’s no need for a rental car, so I don’t think it’s worth it to rent a car just for this trip! If you want more freedom then renting a car is always a good choice, but I thought the tour was perfect for what I wanted!
Hi, Sarah
Which is the best place in Europe and how many days one should spend there. I am planning the trip after the corona pandemic. Can you give a suggestion? Thank