Stonehenge or no?

Depends on if you truly want to see or if it’s just something to check off on a list.

I visited it nearly 40 years ago pre Rick Steves, internet etc. It was magical. These days I’ll surmise it’s like Disneyland, crowded and noisy. We bussed in from Salisbury and were the only 3 on the bus.

Hmmm....yes, that is my concern. We are truly interested in its history but not sure competing with a "bucket list" crowd would be enjoyable. Thank you, Claudia.

I did a day trip to Stonehenge from London last year. It was a great day with no crowds. I wrote about the experience in my trip report.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/10-days-in-london-our-first-time-a-trip-report

If it’s something you’d like to see, I say go for it!

Thanks, Carrie. I just pulled up your trip and it looks perfect for us to review for our 7 day trip.

I really didn't want to go but we were one of the first buses there in the morning and I thought it was amazing! We walked all around it, it seemed otherworldly. So huge, it made me wonder how those stones ended up there!

If you can arrange to be there before the crowds, I say go.

I was fortunate to have visited Stonehenge in the 1980s and again in the late ‘90s. If I never make it back, that’s fine—I saw it in its quasi-primitive state. I think it depends on how interested you are in the history.

These questions are always tough to answer, but knowing what I know now, I don’t think I’d twist myself into a pretzel to make the trip unless it’s a personal must-see for you. Looks like you’ve received some good advice/ideas above.

We were staying in Bath for several days and took a Mad Max Tour https://www.madmaxtours.co.uk/ to Stonehenge. I thought it was magical.

If you want to beat the crowds get there before the daytrippers by car and the first tour bus from Salisbury.
You do that by getting up early and taking the 6am train from Paddington to Swindon.
Then the ordinary service bus to Stonehenge via Devizes, arrives at 0944. So you get a golden hour before the Salisbury bus.
Then two hours later take the same service bus (not the tour bus) to Salisbury, spend the afternoon there at the Cathedral, then a cheap Advance train specific ticket back to Waterloo.
That route also works from Bath- train to Swindon.

There are later buses on that route as well!

I visited Stonehenge on my first of 6 (so far) visits to London in 2011 as part of a long day trip that included Windsor Castle and Oxford before ending up at Stonehenge--it was not crowded, and we had about 45 minutes or so to observe the stones. The 3 locations packaged together suited me and my newbie planning skills--this was my first trip abroad--and gave me a nice sampling of places other than London, though I wanted more time in both Windsor (returned last year for a solid day) and Oxford (definitely plan to return). So, if you have a burning desire to see Stonehenge, perhaps find a tour with maybe one other site included.

It all gets down to just how important is Stonehenge to you, particularly in comparison to other possible day trips? I went to Stonehenge as part of a larger tour. We arrived first thing in the morning and had about 20 minutes before the large crowds started pouring in. I enjoyed my time there and snapped a few pictures.

Would I give up another possible day trip to go to Stonehenge? I don't think so. I'd rather do daytrips to places like Bletchley Park or Hampton Court Palace.

We visited Stonehenge on our trip in late September 2023. We had one of the first entry times and it was not at all crowded. Yes, it looks just like the pictures, but it really was worth seeing in person. If it interests you, I say go.

We stayed in Salisbury and did the sunrise tour which gave us access right to the stones. Typical daytime access is a roped off area further back. That would have been better than nothing but there was something special about walking amongst the stones.

Is this your first trip to London? If so, with only a week I would probably skip it since it will likely take the entire day.

It was part of our 2 week itinerary for our first trip to London a month ago. Super easy to get to via train and then bus, no need for a tour company to package that all together for you. We bought the train tickets through South Western Railways (Waterloo to Salisbury) and then a separate tour bus ticket through The Stonehenge Tour (green busses). We spent probably 2-3 hours at Stonehenge and then another hour or so walking around Salisbury. It was a fun day but if I had to whittle our 2 week trip down to 7 days, I don't think it would have made the cut.

I’m struggling with this decision too, except I’ll be coming from Bath.
Not sure if it’s really amazing sight, or a tourist trap and something to check off a list!

Not sure if it’s really amazing sight, or a tourist trap and something
to check off a list!

I can understand why many consider it a tourist trap, but I don't think that's fair since it is a significant cultural and heritage site. I suspect it is a disappointment if you come to see it and all you see is a pile of rocks instead of the wonder of how it was built and the mystery of why it was built. The Sunrise tour we did added tremendous value because we could walk among the stones and see just how large they were and see how they were carved to fit together. I mentioned in an earlier comment that I think I would have been disappointed if I visited the typical way behind a roped off area further back. If you make a day of it and also visit Avebury and possibly the Sarum Ruins then it can be a pretty good day.

You might consider a visit to Avebury, near Stonehenge. The stone circle is huge and the earthworks surround part of the town.

I like the sound of the sunrise tour from your description Allan.

I personally think Stonehenge is totally worth it, especially if you can do one of those sunrise tours (which I haven't done, but sound amazing). I think sometimes there is a tendency to think things that are really popular/famous are automatically "tourist traps" when often there is a good reason people want to see them. This is one of the oldest man-made structures in the world, surrounded in mystery (e.g. how did they get huge stones from Pembrokeshire to Wiltshire?), and there's a lot to take in. I also agree with the Avebury recommendation- it's a lot bigger than Stonehenge so you can walk amongst the stones which basically encircle a small village.

It was my boyfriend's first trip to England, we were staying in Bath, and I arranged a private tour. I honestly liked it more than I thought I would. I don't think I would make the trek from London, but if might be the only time you are there, I would say go.

This wasn’t my post, but y’all have convinced me!
I found a sunset tour from Bath that may work on my dates.
This has got to better than when we went to go see Plymouth Rock!