I am considering taking the Best of London 7-day tour. Two things that I am interested in that are NOT included on the tour are side trips to Greenwich and Stonehenge. Is there enough free time on the free afternoons of this tour to fit in one or both of these sites?
Posted by
Penzance
249 posts
Greenwich yes Stonehenge no.
Posted by
Twin Cities, Minnesota
2539 posts
I agree, no especially for Stonehenge, however why don't you extend your stay after the tour to be sure and get to both and really enjoy them?
Posted by
Lake District, England /On Pilgrimage
11776 posts
Stonehenge is not impossible, but you won't get to see anything else of Salisbury (including the Cathedral) which seems a huge shame.
And you will only see Stonehenge itself, not get to see the wider landscape context in which it fits.
It is 90 minutes each way from London Waterloo to Salisbury every 30 minutes- so if you caught the 1320 train (preferably the 1250 train), that has you on the last bus up to Stonehenge with just over 2 hours there before the last bus back to Salisbury station.
Booked ahead of time you should get the return train trip for around £20 with Advance train specific tickets.
So there is a technical answer of yes you can get to Stonehenge, but a realistic answer of, is that what you really, really want to do with that free afternoon?
Posted by
West Virginia
238 posts
I recommend adding a couple days to the end of your tour. The Premier Inn County Hall would be a great place to stay. Waterloo station is a short walk for the train to Salisbury and you’ll be on the South Bank to take a boat to Greenwich. I’m also going to recommend visiting Salisbury Cathedral.
I’ll be on my second RS tour this year and add time to the beginning and end to make the most of my trip. I’ve travelled solo to London several times and always find a reason to stay longer and keep returning.
Happy travels!
Posted by
34 posts
I took this tour last October and loved it. But be fair warned, it's a very busy tour. Days 2-4 are packed; I don't remember being set free those days before 3pm. The only day I recall having a full free afternoon was Day 5 (South Bank/Borough Market), when we were set free around noon. A couple on my tour took an afternoon trip to Hampton Court that day, so you could definitely do a Greenwich trip on Day 5. Stonehenge would be tough; probably best to plan that pre or post tour if time allows.
Posted by
USA
508 posts
I know you've gotten suggestions to go early or stay late /more days, so not trying to be redundant, but my daughter and I arrived 5 days early/stayed 5 extra nights for our Paris 7 day RS tour and are very glad we did. We're spending 8 nights in London soon and could surely spend longer.