Hello
I love how everyone is forthcoming with ideas in this forum
Our family of 4 is travelling to London during April school break. We plan to fly into London on Sunday, take the train to Bath. Spend 2-3 nights there, see Bath and Stonehenge.
Return to London and have 4 complete days.
It's not optimal but time is limited for us.
I am hoping to spend a day in Bath/ do a day trip to Stonehenge and is there anything else I can see that day?
TIA
Which airport are you flying in to? If it's Heathrow then it may be easier to take one of the National Express coaches from the airport bus terminal to Bath. These are comfortable long-distance buses and NOTHING like buses in the US.
https://www.nationalexpress.com/en/airports
A trip to Stonehenge from Bath will take most of the day. What's your plan for this? You can use public transport - train to Salisbury (about an hour) then catch the Stonehenge shuttle bus from the train station out to the stones, see Stonehenge, then pick up the shuttle back to the station (goes via Old Sarum) and train back to Bath. There are also small van tours out of Bath that go to Stonehenge. I've used Mad Max tours in the past.
To be honest, if your primary objective is Stonehenge you might be better served to stay in Salisbury for 3 nights (plenty to do for a full day in Salisbury).
You'd definitely want 3 nights in either Bath or Salisbury if you are going to do Stonehenge. 3 nights = 2 full days. 2 nights = just one full day for touring.
Thank you for your reply. The idea of a direct bus from london Heathrow is more appealing that schlepping to trains. We do plan to take the train from Bath to Stonehenge. Accomodation in london is certainly challenging to sieve through.
Another vote for the Mad Max tour option. Its efficient because they know their way around. We had an all day tour that included Stonehenge, Avebury and a few stops in the Cotswolds. We found Stonehenge to be not worth more time than that
We stayed at the Brooks Guest House in Bath and dined at the amazing Scallop Shell restaurant that had the best fish and chips in England.
FYI no train goes directly to Stonehenge from Bath. You can take a train from Bath to Salisbury and then a bus to the Stonehenge Visitors Center.
Here is the link for the shuttle bus out to the stones from the Salisbury train station. It’s run by the local bus company, the Salisbury Reds. They refer to it as a ”tour” but it doesn’t really meet my definition of a tour. It’s really a hop on-hop off shuttle with a recorded narration.
https://www.thestonehengetour.info/about-the-stonehenge-tour/
You used to be able to buy a ticket from the driver but I didn’t look thoroughly at the website to see what the current rules are. Definitely get the combo ticket where they provide the Stonehenge entry ticket too. It just saves you from standing in line.
I love visiting this area and have been there a number of times. If the weather is pleasant, walk back to the Visitor Center via the path thru the fields to the tumuli in the area as well as the Cursus.
Thank you everyone. We just finalised our itinerary. We are reaching on April 18 and will be flying back home on April 25. Effectively, we have 6.5 days. Is it better to base ourselves in London and do days trips to bath and Stonehenge and spend the rest of the time in London
Alternatively we could go to bath directly from the airport and then spend 2 days and then come back to London to finish our trip.
Thoughts and ideas please. Thank you very much.
Base in London and day trip from there. Research train routes and costs now. Advance tickets will be much cheaper than day of…
Also look at London Walks (www.walks.com). They do a Stonehenge trip.
Lots of things to do in London.
Markets: Spitafields, Borough, Portobello Road, Truman Brewery to name a few. Mercardo Mayfair is interesting.
Check on line for same day 1/2 price theatre tickets.
https://officiallondontheatre.com/tkts/ (M
Meander about Spitalfields, Camden Lock Market, Carnaby Street, Portobello Road and the Food Court at Harrods.
Attend an Evensong.
Countless free museums. Wonderful gift shops and cafes inside them.
Walk along the Thames path. Have a pub lunch ( and yes children are allowed in pubs…so are dogs)
Look for the green parrots in Hyde Park. Or the fallow deer in Richmond Park.
Tour Highgate Cemetary to see Karl Marx’s tomb.
You will not be bored in London.
Book your accommodations now. Check availability at Premiere Inn at County Hall , Victoria, Blackfriars or Southwark.
Check The Londonist and Timeout London websites to see if there are any shows, exhibitions, events, etc that might be happening during your travel dates.
Great city. Enjoy it.
