Stonehenge
Amesbury, Wiltshire, United Kingdom
The 4,500-year-old stone circle on Salisbury Plain, lined up with the solstice sun.
Checked 6 October 2026
A circle of giant sarsens and Welsh bluestones raised around 2500 BC on Salisbury Plain, 2 km from a modern visitor centre run by English Heritage. Book on english-heritage.org.uk by midnight the day before to save up to 15%. On a normal ticket you walk round the stones on a path; only the early-morning and evening Stone Circle Experience gets you inside the circle, and its small sessions are worth booking as soon as your dates are fixed.
About Stonehenge
Stonehenge is a ring of standing stones on open chalk downland in Wiltshire, about 13 km north of Salisbury. Its outer circle of huge sarsen uprights was capped with a continuous ring of lintels. Inside stood a horseshoe of five trilithons, two uprights joined by a single lintel, with smaller bluestones set between them. The stones were shaped and fitted with joints taken from woodworking, mortise and tenon and tongue and groove, which no other prehistoric monument has. English Heritage calls it the most architecturally sophisticated stone circle in the world.
It was built in stages. The first monument, around 3000 BC, was a circular bank and ditch with cremation burials. The stone circle went up around 2500 BC. The sarsens came from West Woods near Marlborough, about 25 km north. The bluestones were brought from the Preseli Hills in south-west Wales, more than 200 km away. In 2024 researchers traced the Altar Stone, at the centre, to north-east Scotland, which makes the transport puzzle bigger still.
The axis of the monument points to the midsummer sunrise and the midwinter sunset. On the summer solstice the sun rises behind the Heel Stone and its first rays reach the centre. Nobody knows for certain what Stonehenge was for: a temple to the sun, a place of burial, a gathering place for midwinter feasts. Excavations at nearby Durrington Walls found huge numbers of pig bones from animals killed in winter.
Stonehenge was sold at auction in Salisbury in 1915. Cecil Chubb, a local man, bought it for £6,600 and gave it to the nation three years later. Since 1986 it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site together with Avebury. Today English Heritage runs the stone circle and the visitor centre, and the National Trust looks after more than 800 hectares of downland around it, full of burial mounds, the Avenue and the Cursus, which you can walk for free.
What to see
The stone circle
The visitor path goes all the way round the circle, partly hard surface and partly grass, at its closest about 5 m from the stones. There is a one-way system, but you can stop as long as you like. Normal tickets don't let you inside the circle and you may never touch the stones. There is no shelter and there are no toilets at the stones.
Stone Circle Experience (inside the circle)
An hour's guided visit inside the stones in the early morning or evening, outside normal opening hours. From £70 adult. At most 52 people per session, in two groups of 26. Not run in October and November. The thing to book first if you want to walk among the trilithons.
The walk across the landscape
Instead of the shuttle bus, walk the 2 km from the visitor centre across National Trust downland past Bronze Age burial mounds (25–40 minutes). Information panels explain the barrows, the Cursus and the Avenue. Many visitors take the bus out and walk back, using the walkers' lane along the bus road.
Exhibition and visitor centre
Nearly 300 objects from Stonehenge and nearby sites, on loan from Salisbury Museum and Wiltshire Museum in Devizes, with films and models that explain how and when the stones were raised. You can see it before or after the stones.
Neolithic houses
Reconstructions of houses like those found at Durrington Walls, outside the visitor centre, with two large 'touching stones' next to them: the only Stonehenge stones you are allowed to touch.
Heel Stone and the Avenue
The Heel Stone stands outside the circle by the old entrance. On the summer solstice the sun rises behind it. The Avenue, a 2.5 km earthwork that leads to the circle, can be followed on foot on National Trust land.
Solstices and equinoxes
Around the summer solstice (20–21 June), the winter solstice (about 22 December) and the equinoxes, English Heritage opens the monument field for free 'Managed Open Access' at sunrise. You can walk right up to the stones. It is crowded, alcohol-free and comes with strict rules.
Stonehenge tickets: which to buy and where
Most visitors should buy a day ticket from English Heritage on english-heritage.org.uk before midnight the day before. That saves up to 15% against the on-the-day price, and the ticket is valid all day. Prices change by day: weekdays outside the peak season are cheapest. Paid tickets can't be changed or refunded. A normal ticket only lets you walk round the stones; going inside the circle means a separate Stone Circle Experience ticket.
The official ticket site
English Heritage
English Heritage is the charity that runs Stonehenge for the nation. Tickets are only sold through its own site, english-heritage.org.uk, where checkout opens in a booking window on the same page. Prices are shown with and without an optional 10% Gift Aid donation.
Day ticket, booked online by midnight the day before
Adult £24.65–£29.32 depending on the day (£27.20–£32.30 with Gift Aid). Child (5–17) from £12.32, concession from £22.35; under 5s free
(€29–35 · €32–38 · €15 · €26)
Official ticketsSkips the ticket line
- Includes
- Entry all day, the shuttle bus to the stones, the path round the stone circle, the exhibition and the Neolithic houses. The audio guide is a free app.
- Best for
- Almost everyone
English Heritage (official) · as of October 2026See this ticket → (opens in a new tab)Day ticket bought on the day (online or at the gate)
Adult £29–£34.50 depending on the day (£32–£38 with Gift Aid)
(€34–41 · €38–45)
Official ticketsDoes not skip lines
- Includes
- The same as the advance ticket, at full price. Entry depends on space on busy days.
- Best for
- Last-minute plans only; booking the evening before already saves about £4–5 a head
English Heritage (official) · as of October 2026See this ticket → (opens in a new tab)Stone Circle Experience
From £70 adult (18+); from £40 child 5–17; under 5s free; discount for English Heritage members
(€83 · €47)
Official ticketsSkips the ticket line
- Includes
- A one-hour guided visit inside the stone circle and round the outlying stones, early morning or evening, outside opening hours. Shuttle bus from the visitor centre. Not run in October and November. Now booking to March 2027.
- Best for
- Anyone who wants to stand inside the circle and take photos with no crowds
English Heritage (official) · as of October 2026See this ticket → (opens in a new tab)Stonehenge Explorer Tour
£295 adult; £195 ages 12–17; £1,475 for all five places
(€350 · €230 · €1,745)
Official ticketsSkips the ticket line
- Includes
- A three-hour afternoon tour for at most five people with two guides: Woodhenge by private vehicle, a guided walk through the monument field and about 15 minutes alone inside the stones during conservation checks. Thursday–Monday April–November 2026, Friday–Sunday December–March. Not for under 12s.
- Best for
- A special occasion: expert guides, time inside the stones and almost no one else
English Heritage (official) · as of October 2026See this ticket → (opens in a new tab)Stonehenge Tour bus with Old Sarum and Stonehenge entry
£43.50 adult; £29 child 5–15; £131 family (bus only £20.50 adult)
(€52 · €34 · €155 · €24)
ResellerSkips the ticket line
- Includes
- Return hop-on hop-off bus from Salisbury station and city centre with commentary, entry to Stonehenge and Old Sarum. You don't need to book a Stonehenge time. A version with Salisbury Cathedral costs £53 adult.
- Best for
- Visitors without a car coming by train to Salisbury
The Stonehenge Tour (Go South Coast / Salisbury Reds) · as of October 2026See this ticket → (opens in a new tab)English Heritage Overseas Visitor Pass
9 days £58, 16 days £69 (one adult); two adults £102/£113; family £116/£127
(€69 · €82 · €120 · €135)
Official ticketsSkips some lines
- Includes
- Entry to more than 100 English Heritage sites, including Stonehenge, Dover Castle and Tintagel, over consecutive days. Buy online and collect at the first staffed site you visit with your confirmation, proof that you live abroad and the card you paid with.
- Best for
- Overseas visitors touring England who'll visit at least two or three other English Heritage sites
English Heritage (official) · as of October 2026See this ticket → (opens in a new tab)
How to buy
- Go to english-heritage.org.uk, open Stonehenge, then Prices and Opening Times, and click the red booking button. The checkout opens on the same page.
- Pick your date. The calendar marks days as Standard, Saver or Super Saver, and the price changes with the day, so compare a few dates if you are flexible. Book by midnight the day before for the advance price.
- Choose with or without Gift Aid. The Gift Aid price includes a 10% donation; the plain price is the ticket price. Gift Aid only helps the charity if you pay UK income tax.
- English Heritage members book free, and National Trust (England) members book free with the code G03ANZ at checkout. Bring your membership card.
- Keep the email with the barcode on your phone. Without your booking confirmation you won't be let in. Paid tickets can't be changed or refunded, so check the date.
- For the Stone Circle Experience, book separately from the Stone Circle Experience page as soon as your dates are fixed.
Look-alike sites
The only official seller is English Heritage, on english-heritage.org.uk. Search results and ads show plenty of sites with Stonehenge in their name, some run by tour companies and ticket resellers, that sell entry, 'inner circle' tours or 'skip-the-line' tickets at higher prices. Some look like an official site. Before paying, check that the address bar ends in english-heritage.org.uk. Stone Circle Experience tickets are also sold there directly; tour companies that include inner circle access are selling their own tour, not an official ticket.
We can never guarantee a ticket seller, tour company or deal. Prices, opening hours and what is included change, often without notice: check the details on the seller’s own page before you pay, and book through the official site where you can. How to avoid ticket scams · Disclaimer.
Guided tours of Stonehenge
On a normal visit you don't need a guide: English Heritage's free audio guide app covers the stones, the landscape and the exhibition in 13 languages. A tour is worth it mainly if you don't drive and want Stonehenge, Bath and Windsor in one day from London. Some coach tours from London and Salisbury also sell inner-circle access; booking the official Stone Circle Experience yourself (from £70) is far cheaper, but you have to get there yourself early in the morning or late in the evening, when the Salisbury bus isn't running.
Free audio guide
Stonehenge audio guide app
English Heritage
Download it before you go from the App Store or Google Play, or over the free Wi-Fi at the visitor centre. 13 languages, plus an audio-described version in English. There are no handsets for hire any more; headphones cost £2 at the shop.
Coach day trip from London
London: Windsor, Stonehenge, Bath and Roman Baths Day Trip
Golden Tours (sold on GetYourGuide)Live guide in English or Spanish, coach from London, return at about 20:00 near Gloucester Road station. Admissions to Windsor Castle, Stonehenge and the Roman Baths are included only if you pick an option with them. Reviews in September 2026 say the day is rushed, with only an hour or two at each stop. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
from €84 (shown in euros; entries only if you choose them)
See this tour → (opens in a new tab)Small-group day tour from Bath
The Cotswolds and Stonehenge tour from Bath
Mad Max ToursUp to 16 people in a minibus with a local driver-guide: Castle Combe, Lacock, the Avebury stones and Stonehenge (normal visit, not inside the circle). English Heritage and National Trust members get in free. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
from £65 (Stonehenge entry extra, paid to the guide at a group rate)
(€77)
See this tour → (opens in a new tab)
We can never guarantee a ticket seller, tour company or deal. Prices, opening hours and what is included change, often without notice: check the details on the seller’s own page before you pay, and book through the official site where you can. How to avoid ticket scams · Disclaimer.
Stonehenge deals and discounts
Book the official day ticket by midnight the day before, on a cheaper day if your dates are flexible: that is the cheapest normal entry (£24.65–£29.32 adult in October 2026, against £29–£34.50 on the day). Real savings beyond that are membership: English Heritage and National Trust (England) members get in free, and overseas visitors can use the Overseas Visitor Pass.
Book by midnight the day before, and compare dates
Booking online by midnight the day before saves up to 15% on the on-the-day price. The advance adult price is £24.65–£29.32 depending on the day (October 2026): the booking calendar marks days as Standard, Saver or Super Saver, so if your dates are flexible, pick a cheaper one.
Free for National Trust (England) members
National Trust members in England get in free. Book online with the code G03ANZ and bring your membership card; you may be asked for photo ID. It doesn't cover the National Trust for Scotland or other countries' national trusts. Members also park free, but need to give their number plate at the admissions desk.
English Heritage membership
Members get in free, park free and get a discount on the Stone Circle Experience. An individual adult membership is £84 a year (£44 for ages 18–25 or students), joint £149, and up to six children go free with each adult member. With an adult Stonehenge ticket at £24.65–£34.50, it pays for itself if you visit two or three more English Heritage sites in the year. You can join on the day at Stonehenge.
Overseas Visitor Pass
If you live outside the UK, the pass gives 9 days (£58) or 16 days (£69) of entry to more than 100 English Heritage sites, Stonehenge included (prices for visits from 25 March 2026 to 16 March 2027). Two-adult and family passes are £102/£113 and £116/£127. It pays off once you add two or three more sites such as Dover Castle or Old Sarum.
Free solstice and equinox access
At the summer solstice, the winter solstice and the equinoxes, English Heritage opens the stones free at sunrise (Managed Open Access). In 2026 the summer solstice opening ran from the evening of 20 June to the morning of 21 June, and the autumn equinox opened at first light on 23 September. Parking is booked and paid separately and sells out; no alcohol is allowed.
Free walks in the Stonehenge landscape
The National Trust land around the stones is open to walkers for free. From King Barrow Ridge, its Bronze Age burial mounds and the byways you see the circle from a few hundred metres away. It's not the same as the visit path, but it costs nothing. Amesbury is about 3 km away on foot.
Best time to visit Stonehenge
Time of day: come at opening (09:30) or in the last couple of hours before last entry. Coach tours from London arrive from late morning, and the stones are busiest around midday. In winter the site closes at 17:00 and last entry is 14:30 or 15:00 (English Heritage's pages give both); summer closing is later, at 18:00 or 19:00 depending on which official page you read. A late visit has to be planned, so check the times in the booking calendar for your date.
Season and week: weekdays from autumn to spring are the quietest and the cheapest days to book. Weekends, British school holidays and July–August are busiest. Stonehenge stands on an exposed plain with no shelter at the stones, so bring warm, waterproof layers at any time of year; a dry, clear winter morning can be the best visit of all.
What to avoid: the solstice weekends, unless you're coming for the solstice itself. Normal visiting changes around them, and the roads close. The A303 runs right past the stones and is often congested, which is why a tunnel was planned: allow extra time if you drive. The planned road tunnel was cancelled, so there are no tunnel works.
Tips and tricks
Gathered from travel forums, locals and the sight’s own advice, rewritten in our own words. What worked for others, not a guarantee.
Take the bus out, walk back
The shuttle bus takes 5–10 minutes. Walking from the visitor centre takes 25–40 minutes across fields past burial mounds. Ride out to the stones, then walk back through the landscape, or get off at Fargo Plantation, the stop about halfway, and walk the rest. Wear sturdy shoes: the round trip on foot is about 4 km.
From English Heritage Stonehenge Q&A and access pages, 2026
Download the audio guide before you leave
There are no audio handsets for hire any more. The free English Heritage app has tours of the stones, the landscape and the exhibition in 13 languages. Download it at home or over the visitor centre Wi-Fi, and bring your own headphones (they sell them for £2).
From English Heritage audio guide page, 2026
Book the inner circle months ahead, and plan how to get there
Sessions take at most 52 people, and forum users say spring and summer dates go early, so book as soon as your dates are fixed. They also say the hardest part is the journey. Morning sessions start before the Salisbury bus runs and evening ones end after it stops, so you need a car, a taxi from Salisbury or a night nearby. If you want the exhibition and audio guide too, come on a normal ticket the day before or after.
From Rick Steves England forum threads, 2019–2025
Inside the circle means looking, not touching
Even on the Stone Circle Experience you can't touch, lean on or stand on the stones; staff remind you before you get off the bus. Visitors who have done it say the scale is what makes it worthwhile: the uprights are taller than they look from the path.
From Rick Steves England forum, 2019 and 2023
Dress for the plain
There is no shelter and no toilet at the stones, and wind across Salisbury Plain makes it feel colder than in town. Bring layers and rain gear, even in summer. Early-morning visits in May can be really cold, forum users say.
From English Heritage Stonehenge Q&A, 2026; Rick Steves England forum, 2023
Travel light
There is no cloakroom or left luggage, and bags may be searched or scanned on arrival. Pocket knives, picnic knives and scissors are not allowed. Leave the suitcase at the hotel or at Salisbury.
From English Heritage Stonehenge Q&A, 2026
Bring a picnic
Picnics are allowed in the monument field with a view of the circle and at other spots around the visitor centre. The café sells grab-and-go food: pasties, soup and sandwiches.
From English Heritage facilities page, 2026
Add Woodhenge and Durrington Walls
Woodhenge, about 3 km north-east, is free with free parking and shows where a ring of timber posts stood around 2500 BC. Durrington Walls, the huge henge next to it, is where the builders of Stonehenge probably lived. Visitors who did both say it makes the stones easier to understand.
From English Heritage Woodhenge page, 2026; Rick Steves England forum, 2023
Check the bus timetable before you book
The Stonehenge Tour bus leaves Salisbury station hourly from 10:05. On the winter timetable (from 7 September 2026) the last bus out is at 14:05 and the last one back from Stonehenge at 17:15; summer times are later. English Heritage itself warns that the bus times may not fit your plans.
From The Stonehenge Tour timetable, 2026
How to get to Stonehenge
- By train and bus: direct trains from London Waterloo to Salisbury take about 1h30. From the station forecourt the Stonehenge Tour bus (Salisbury Reds) leaves hourly from 10:05, reaches Stonehenge in about 35 minutes and comes back via Old Sarum. Bus-only return £20.50 adult; with Stonehenge and Old Sarum entry £43.50. A taxi from Salisbury station is about 19 km.
- By car: about 2 hours from central London on the M3 and A303. Sat nav SP4 7DE, then follow the brown signs to the visitor centre (off the A360). Parking costs £4 for non-members, paid with the RingGo app; English Heritage members park free. Bicycle racks are in the car park.
- From London by tour: many coach day trips leave from Victoria, often combined with Bath, Windsor or Salisbury. They save you the logistics, but time at Stonehenge is usually one to two hours.
- From Bath: about 1 hour by car. Small-group day tours from Bath combine Stonehenge with Avebury and Cotswold villages.
- On foot: Stonehenge is about 3 km from Amesbury on byways and bridleways across National Trust land; Activ8 and X5 buses run to Amesbury. To the stones themselves you still need a ticket from the visitor centre.
Scams and problems to watch for
Look-alike ticket sites
Sites with Stonehenge in their name, and paid search ads, can rank above English Heritage and charge more for the same day ticket or bundle it into a tour. The only official site is english-heritage.org.uk. If you're anywhere else, you're on a reseller or tour company.
Day trips sold as 'inner circle' that aren't
Walking among the stones is only possible outside opening hours (before 09:30 or after closing), on the Stone Circle Experience or on a tour that has booked an access slot. A London day trip that reaches Stonehenge around midday can't include it, however the advert words 'close to the stones' or 'inner circle'. Check the time you'll be at the stones and whether the description says you walk inside the circle.
Paying for 'skip-the-line' entry
Stonehenge tickets are valid all day, and any ticket booked online lets you walk straight to the admissions point. Everyone may go through the same bag check, and there's no fast-track lane to buy. A pricier 'skip-the-line' ticket gets you nothing over the official advance ticket.
Tour prices that don't include entry
Many cheap coach tours show a low price that does not include Stonehenge entry, or include it only if you pick a more expensive option. Check what 'includes' says before comparing. If you're an English Heritage or National Trust member, a tour without entry is the cheaper choice.
Paying for an audio guide
The official audio guide is a free app, and English Heritage no longer hires out handsets. A tour or ticket that charges extra for 'the audio guide' is charging for something that is free.
Parking on the byways
Old advice online suggests parking on the dirt byways near the stones for a free look. The National Trust says there is no parking in the Stonehenge landscape, and at solstice cars on verges, byways and lay-bys are towed. Park at the visitor centre (£4) and walk from there.
Accessibility
The visitor centre, car park and stone circle are reachable by wheelchair on tarmac and grass paths, weather permitting; the wider landscape is not suitable for standard wheelchairs. The shuttle buses are fully accessible and take Class 2 mobility scooters up to 600 mm wide and 1,000 mm long. From the bus stop to the circle is about 200 m with a slight slope, and the grass path round the stones can be closed in parts when it's very wet. Two wheelchairs are lent free, first come first served, at the admissions desk. There are 22 accessible parking bays 100 m from the visitor centre, accessible toilets and an adult changing area at the centre, but no toilets at the stones. Seating at the stones is limited and has no backs or arm rests. A carer comes free: book their place online or tell staff on arrival. The app has an audio-described tour in English, the exhibition has tactile objects, and there are braille guides and transcripts. Assistance dogs are welcome everywhere, including the stone circle; other dogs are not allowed in the monument field or on the bus. Call 0370 333 1181 before a Stone Circle Experience if you have access needs.
Combine it with
Old Sarum
The Iron Age hillfort, Norman castle and first cathedral site above Salisbury, on the Stonehenge Tour bus route. Entry is included in the bus combo ticket and free for English Heritage members.
Salisbury Cathedral
Britain's tallest spire and largest cloister, with one of the four surviving original copies of the 1215 Magna Carta. The Stonehenge Tour bus stops in the city centre, and the bus combo ticket with the cathedral gives you 48 hours to visit.
Woodhenge and Durrington Walls
Free sites about 3 km north-east of Stonehenge, with free parking: the outline of a timber circle and the vast henge where the builders probably lived and feasted.
Avebury
Britain's largest stone circle, built roughly 2850–2200 BC, with a village inside it. It is free and open in daylight, and you can walk among the stones. It lies well north of Stonehenge, so go by car or on a tour.
Bath
Georgian city with the Roman Baths, about an hour's drive north-west. Many day trips from London pair it with Stonehenge; from Bath, small-group tours run to Stonehenge and Avebury.
Questions people ask about visiting Stonehenge
How much are Stonehenge tickets?
Booked online by midnight the day before, an adult ticket costs £24.65–£29.32 depending on the day (October 2026), or about 10% more with the optional Gift Aid donation. On the day it's £29–£34.50. Children 5–17 pay from £12.32, under 5s are free, and English Heritage and National Trust (England) members get in free.
Can you go inside the stone circle at Stonehenge?
Not on a normal ticket: during opening hours you walk round the stones on a path, at the closest about 5 m away. To go inside, book English Heritage's Stone Circle Experience, an hour in the early morning or evening from £70 adult (October 2026). It isn't run in October and November. At solstices and equinoxes, free open access also lets you walk among the stones.
Do I need to book Stonehenge tickets in advance?
It isn't required, but it's cheaper. Booking by midnight the day before saves up to 15%, and the ticket is valid all day. Paid tickets can't be changed or refunded. The Stone Circle Experience has to be booked ahead; sessions are small, so book it as soon as your dates are fixed.
How do I get to Stonehenge from London without a car?
Take a direct train from London Waterloo to Salisbury (about 1h30), then the Stonehenge Tour bus from the station forecourt. It runs hourly from 10:05 and costs £20.50 return, or £43.50 with Stonehenge and Old Sarum entry (October 2026). Alternatively, take a coach day trip from Victoria, usually combined with Bath or Windsor.
How long do you need at Stonehenge?
Allow two to three hours: the shuttle or the walk to the stones, time at the circle and an hour in the exhibition. Add an hour or more if you want to walk through the landscape. From London, a visit by train and bus takes most of a day.
Is Stonehenge free for National Trust members?
Yes, for National Trust members in England. Book online with the code G03ANZ and bring your card; you may be asked for photo ID (October 2026). It doesn't apply to the National Trust for Scotland or other countries' national trusts.
What time does Stonehenge open and close?
From October 2026 to March 2027 it's open daily 09:30–17:00. Last entry is 14:30 on the Q&A page and 15:00 on the main page, so arrive by 14:30 to be safe. In summer it closes later, but English Heritage's pages disagree (18:00 from late March to late September on one, up to 19:00 on another; last tickets 16:30 in June–August), so check the calendar for your date. It's closed on 25 December, and solstice days have different times.
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Before you go
The things that apply at every big sight: booking ahead, what skip-the-line really means, and the scams that follow tourists everywhere.