Cruise ship tour to Stonehenge and Salisbury or just Stonehenge skipping Salisbury.

I have intentionally avoided Stonehenge-I went to Avebury instead. I spent one night in Salisbury and loved it.

We haven't read the description from Viking, so it isn't clear if the longer excursion adds enough time to adequately cover both places. Because they are both attractive, and Stonehenge is clearly a must-see (of course, my OPINION), why wouldn't you do both? Is lunch included if you do both? Is there something you want to do in Portsmouth? Is one much more expensive?

I have not been to the Orkney Islands, but I've seen small stone monuments in Brittany. I don't think you can directly compare something with a windy sea view and an iconic, major circle that is land-locked. Note that I don't have any New Age, mellow-music attachment to Stonehenge. I just wanted to see it, and I'm glad I made the (independent, with car) effort to do so. My use of the word "independent" is not a slam against ship excursions. I can't think of any attraction that would be less affected by the regimentation of a ship excursion than Stonehenge. You'll probably skip some lines, and have limited free time. Think about the "Brittania" TV show and get back on the bus ...

I have been to both - I guess you should see both , but I much preferred Salisbury- Stonehenge does not feel that magical with thousands of other tourists walking a roped off boardwalk around the perimeter - and tons of buses pulling up every ten minutes .

Note : Portsmouth is in itself a great place to visit if at all interesting in seagoing !

Salisbury and it’s cathedral have been on my bucket list for years. Don’t miss it! Or hire a private guide for that port.

If you are planning on taking one tour or the other do the one that covers both. I too have seen the stones on Orkney as well as Avebury and prefer both to Stonehenge, but if you haven't seen Stonehenge then by all means go.

Stonehenge wouldn’t be in my top 100 places to see in the UK - Avebury and Orkney are better - you can get up close and personal. Salisbury is a charming place. What are you interested in?

Mid April means Easter school holidays, so Stonehenge will be overrun with kids, Salisbury less so.

Stonehenge is well over an hours drive from Portsmouth in each direction. If I were in this area, I would head to the New Forest and visit Beaulieu and Lymington.

Stonehenge is worth the visit, don't miss it.

If you can swing Stonehenge and Salisbury, do it.
The Cathedral is awesome and you get to see the Magna Carta.

If you haven't read Follett's Pillars of the Earth, read it.

I would see Stonehenge and then the Cathedral at Salisbury. Don't know what they are charging you for this tour but you may like to know that trains leave Portsmouth hourly for Salisbury - at x23 minutes from the harbour station and the journey takes about 1 hour 16 minutes & is around £22 return. www.nationalrail.co.uk (Things may be a bit different on Sundays due to engineering work. Today, trains are not using Southampton - which is normally en-route). https://www.visitwiltshire.co.uk/salisbury

The Stonehenge Shuttle bus from Salisbury costs £30 which includes fast track access at Stonehenge as well as Old Sarum = an iron age hill fort above Salisbury.http://www.thestonehengetour.info/timetable

So, doing it yourself = about £52.

Also >https://www.historicdockyard.co.uk and next to the historic dockyard >https://gunwharf-quays.com

It depends much more on your personal preferences. I went to both on a 6-day tour many years ago. I think we went to both on the same day. Most of the group were underwhelmed by Stonehenge, but the day was grey and it was a bit muddy and dreary. You couldn't get close to the stones either. For me it was "some big stones". I loved Salisbury cathedral, but there are other very impressive and beautiful cathedrals in the UK so if you're going to see others on your trip, maybe that would be just ABC (another bloody church).

Another person in the "Yep, those are big stones, now what?" camp for Stonehenge. We thought it was very anti-climactic. Cool, yes, but I was literally done there in about 10 minutes. Did it in conjunction with a day trip to Bath, which we liked much better.

If you're going to spend the time and money for the excursion to Stonehenge, why not add Salisbury? It's one of England's best cathedrals (IMO) in a charming town, with a good regional museum, and also a nearby church with recently discovered medieval frescoes (I forget the church's name but you'll find it googling Salisbury tourism sites).

The cost difference must be marginal compared to the additional enjoyment and learning Salisbury provides.

I think that the more different layers of history you see in the region and how long different cultures have thrived there, the less Stonehenge seems like just a pile of rocks. Salisbury builds on the sense that Wiltshire is a very old place with the edges worn down from the hills.