Stonehenge and Salisbury

I was going to suggest that you do this tour, but I see they are not going until December. http://www.walks.com/our-walks/stonehenge-salisbury. We did it a few years back and it was so easy and we really enjoyed it.
No suggestions other than Salisbury is a nice town with lots of restaurants near the cathedral.

This tour, recommended by Rick Steves, looks like your best bet. They run hourly buses from the train station, the ride takes about half an hour, and your ticket is good all day so you can spend the time you want at Stonehenge. Check the website re tickets, I'd suggest paying more for priority admission to the site -- though this may not be an issue in December as it would be in the summer.

Try not to miss Salisbury Cathedral, one of England's best, unique (or nearly so) in having been built within a short time period so the architecture is a unified style. The nearby Salisbury Museum is also interesting. And St. Thomas' Church in the town has a 15th century "day of judgment" painting that was covered up during the Reformation and uncovered only in the last century, so it's in good shape.

We had a good lunch in the cathedral's café, but there are lots of options in the town.

I don't know about getting from Salisbury to Stonehenge, but definitely make seeing Salisbury Cathedral a priority as well. I have seen a lot of cathedrals on 16 Europe trips, and this ranks with Chartres and Strasbourg as one of my three favorites. It just has a lot of personality and the joy that the community takes in presenting it to tourists just enhances the experience. Take the guided tour of the upper levels, it really brings it to life. Salisbury is kind of bland outside of the immediate area of the cathedral but within that area it's fantastic. The city museum is quite nice if you have some extra time, too.

Yes, take the bus called The Stonehenge Tour. It is really not a tour per se but is the local transport company's shuttle from Salisbury out to Stonehenge and back via Old Sarum. You can buy a ticket from the bus driver. I recommend getting the one that includes the Stonehenge entry as the driver gets off the bus and gets the tickets from the kiosk in the car park so it saves you time if there is a line for tickets at the Visitor Center. I think in winter the earliest coach leaves from the Salisbury train station at 10. With short daylight hours I would try to get a train that arrives in time to get that 1st shuttle/tour.

Then see the cathedral in the afternoon when you return from the stones.

Dress warm! Stonehenge is on an exposed plain where wind & weather can be fierce. The visitor centre is large and fascinating, but about half of it is outdoors. There's also a nice cafe for lunch or snacks, and of course a gift shop. There's a free shuttle bus from the visitor centre to the henge, or you can walk.

You can also take a longer walk eastward to Woodhenge and Durrington Walls.
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I agree the Salisbury Reds bus is economical and convenient, especially since it also allows you to stop off at Old Sarum, site of the old cathedral & fort. For a higher price, some of the guided tours are excellent (check out Pat Shelley).

You'll want to stay 2 nights in Salisbury to allow one full day for the Stonehenge & Old Sarum experience. In addition, set aside the afternoon of your arrival and/or the morning of your departure to see the sights of Salisbury itself.

We just had had a great time with Neil (Celtic Horizons) on the first day of our journey from overseas. He picked us up in his new Van (capacity for 6, we had 4) from LHR Terminal 2 - Stonehenge- Southampton on November 18th, 2016. He picked us up at 11 am and we arrived at 5 pm in Southampton. You could easily squeeze in a tour to the Salisbury cathedral if you start earlier in the day. Southampton has a nice little high street as well!

We don't normally hire private van transport but we had a larger group and more bags than normal, (off to the Cunard line). Everything was a breeze and Neil is efficient and professional. He has extras including water, umbrellas, wifi and travel advice. He is a charming and knowledgeable.

We will use him again! He said he also works in the Costwold-Bath-Wales region! He was recommended in the RS guidebook and loves his American clientele.

Thanks, Jeff Price and family