Looking for a convenient and relatively inexpensive way to go out to Stonehenge during my upcoming trip. Are there any trains that run that way or do you have to take a tour bus from London?
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
You can do it either way: tour bus from London, or train to Salisbury then bus to Stonehenge. I have not done it either way (I drove) but several travelers have written in regarding the train then bus option: go here http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/helpline/index.cfm?topic=10414 and see the 3rd reply.For more info, use search box upper right to search on Stonehenge, it will link you to a hundred prior comments here, some of which may give more specific info on the travel options.
Posted by
Virginia, USA
5574 posts
London Walks has an explorer day to Stonehenge and Salisbury. I took this a number of years ago and it was quite a convenient way to see both. You might check their schedule (www.walks.com) to see if they have this running when you are in London. They basically do what Kent has described but with a walking guide. You take the train to Salisbury and then there is a walking tour of the Cathedral and a lunch break on your own. You then take the bus to Stonehenge and have a tour.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32224 posts
Chris,
Another option you might consider would be to use train or coach to Bath, and then take a day tour to Stonehenge. I used Max Max Tours (listed in Rick's book) for a half day tour of Stonehenge and the small heritage village of Lacock (£15) and it was fantastic. They take care of not only the transportation to Stonehenge (which is somewhat out in the country), but also provide some commentary about other interesting places in that area. I felt the cost was very good value.
Happy travels!
Posted by
London
291 posts
In terms of cost its nearly as cheap to take a day tour from London than go independently by bus and train.
The old public bus to Stonehenge from Salisbury was stopped this year and replaced by a hop on, hop off dedicated Stonehenge tour bus (http://www.thestonehengetour.info/times.shtml) costing 17.50 GBP adult with admission to Stonehenge. The current day return train fare London (Waterloo) - Salisbury is 27 GBP and you have to leave London after 09:30 weekdays - this fare goes up in January.
Anderson tours for example do a daily guided tour combining Stonehange and Bath for 49 GBP from London with the afternoon in Bath to explore independently
Posted by
San Ramon, CA, USA
34 posts
I'm not sure how to respond to "inexpensive" as everything in the UK isn't hehe... but I've been to Stonehenge twice and on one occasion with Windsor as our base, my friend and I rented a car and drove to Stonehenge then proceeded to Bath for the rest of the day. The other (more recent) visit was Bath as our base, and took a whole day Mad Max Tour that included Avebury, Lacock, Castle Combe etc.
If London is your base, there are organized day trips that meet at the London train stations. I don't recommend going by train then bus route as I found train fare is rather expensive in England and you will be spending a lot of your day getting there. Also depends I guess on how many are traveling with you, if it is just you, then those day or half-day trips would be most economical. If there are several, and you don't mind driving, then rent a car, as driving along English freeways and navigating roundabouts are an adventure in itself :)
Happy Travels!
Posted by
San Diego
1540 posts
I took the train to Salisbury and walked around the town for a nice visit, then took a 1/2 day or about 3 hour bus trip to Stonehenge - I bought the ticket at the tourist info office in Salisbury.
It wasn't too expensive - don't remember exact price.
It was a nice day trip from London.
FS