By rail
Salisbury, ~1.5 h from London
United Kingdom
Stonehenge, United Kingdom
A mysterious stone circle on the plain
Getting there
By air
Heathrow (LHR), ~1.5 h
Best time to visit
All year; the solstices for sunrise gatherings
Don't miss
Stonehenge
Salisbury Cathedral
Old Sarum
The Avebury circle
Things to do
The visitor centre
Salisbury Cathedral
Old Sarum
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: Stefan Kühn · CC BY-SA 3.0
What to pack
Layers
A quieter corner
Avebury, where you can walk among the stones
Questions travellers ask
When is the best time to see Stonehenge?
Any time of year, but the solstices bring sunrise gatherings. Bring layers for a stone circle out on the plain.
Is there a stone circle I can walk among?
Yes — Avebury, where you can walk among the stones. It's the hidden gem of a Stonehenge trip.
What else is there to see around Stonehenge?
Start at the visitor centre, then add Salisbury Cathedral and Old Sarum. A country pub makes the right lunch stop.
Can I reach Stonehenge by train?
Take the train to Salisbury, about 1.5 h from London. Arriving by air, Heathrow (LHR) is about 1.5 h away.
About Stonehenge
- Inland
Where it is
Stonehenge is a prehistoric stone circle on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, in southern England, about 3 km west of the town of Amesbury and north of the city of Salisbury.
History
Stonehenge was built in stages, beginning with a circular ditch and bank around 3100 BC; the great sarsen stones were raised between about 2600 and 2400 BC, and the smaller bluestones were brought from the Preseli hills in Wales. Its purpose is still debated, but the monument is aligned with the midsummer sunrise and the midwinter sunset, and it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site, together with Avebury, in 1986.
People
The villages of Salisbury Plain and the nearby town of Amesbury live from farming, tourism and the armed forces, which train on the plain. Thousands of people, including modern Druids, gather at the stones to celebrate the solstices.
Known for
- The prehistoric stone circle
- Summer and winter solstice gatherings
- The Avebury stone circle nearby
- Salisbury Cathedral and its Magna Carta
- Old Sarum hillfort
Did you know?
In 2024 researchers found that the Altar Stone at the heart of Stonehenge came from the Orcadian Basin in north-east Scotland, some 700 km away.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.