How to Visit Stonehenge – A Practical Guide

I first visited Stonehenge years ago and never thought that I would come back. However, this weekend I hosted a friend from Austria who really wanted to visit Stonehenge, and here I was, going to one of the most famous historic sites in England for a second time. On this occasion I thought that it would be a great idea to write a guide on how to visit Stonehenge, which I will share with you below.

About Stonehenge

Stonehenge is one of the most mysterious monuments in the United Kingdom. Nobody knows for certain why these stones were erected thousands of years ago, or what they were used for. They could have been a healing sanctuary, or a temple for prayer, a burial site or even a sacrificial site – even though the latter is the least probable theory.

Stonehenge was built in the Neolithic times around 4,500 years ago, by a civilization we don’t know anything about. Stonehenge is a unique prehistoric monument because of the lintel standing horizontally over the four meters high sarsen stones. Today there are only six lintels still standing, but in its glory days, the circle was completely closed by a ring of unbroken stone with a diameter of 30 meters. The blue stones inside the circle are believed to have been used for spiritual or healing purposes.

 A very interesting fact is that we can only see about half of the sarsen stones that make Stonehenge – the other half is deep inside the ground. Their role is to support the structure and prevent collapsing. Considering that Stonehenge is still standing after 4,500 years, the architectural knowledge of the Neolithic man was astonishing. And not just building, but also astronomy, as the stones have been built in such a way that the sun rises though the stones in the summer and winter solstices. 

Stonehenge is not just the circle of stones that tourists flock to visit every day, it is the entire surrounding area of over 10,000 square meters, including over 700 known archaeological features.

Private Visit or Tour?

I visited Stonehenge as a private individual, using the audio guide. Depending on how interested you are in the history of the stones, how many questions and, of course, how much time you have, you can choose between a guided visit or a guided tour.

On a private guided visit you can book your own guide and ask as many questions as you want. If you are coming from London on a day trip, and don’t have much time available, you can always join a tour from the capital. These tours have a guide, and will most certainly include other destinations on the day itinerary, such as the Old Sarum or Salisbury. The disadvantage of a shared guided tour is that you will have limited time.

You can see below some tour options:

• Individual skip the line ticket to Stonehenge
• Half a day tour to Stonehenge from London
• Full day tour to Stonehenge via Windsor and Bath

Stonehenge Inner Circle Tours

On a usual visit to Stonehenge you are not allowed to enter the inner circle. However, if you are interested in learning more about the stones, the site does offer inner circle tours on special occasions, as well as during the summer and winter solstice.

When Stonehenge was first open, people were allowed to roam freely between the stones. However, due to the erosion of the soil and the bad behaviour of some tourists, entering the circle has been prohibited since 1978.

The inner circle tours are run before or after the opening hours, and must be booked in advance as they are very limited. For example, we are now at the end of September, and the next available inner circle tours are in January. These visits are fully customisable, and you can discuss your needs by calling the site. Some people in the group like to go in the inner circle to meditate, so they will book the entire slot just for themselves.

How to Get to Stonehenge

I drove to Stonehenge from London, and the journey was less than two hours, as it was Sunday morning and the M25 was relatively quiet. If you choose to drive, I would plan at least two hours to get to Stonehenge, on any other day than Sunday.

During the off peak times, the parking is free of charge. If you are driving and planning a trip to Stonehenge during the peak season, you have to pre-book your ticket in advance in order to benefit from the free car park. If you buy your ticket on the spot, you will get a refund for the parking, but you will have to wait in line – and time is precious!

If you choose to travel to Stonehenge on public transport, you should know that the nearest train station is in Salisbury, 12 miles away from the site. From Salisbury there is a hop on hop off bus that connects the town with Stonehenge. You can check the schedule here. A ticket for the bus costs £11.50.

The circle of stones are 2 kilometres away from the Visitor Centre. You can either walk to them or take the free bus which connects the centre to the stones. All the facilities are at the Visitor Centre, so make sure you use them before you board the bus.

How Much Does it Cost to Visit Stonehenge

I booked my ticket to Stonehenge in advance, on GetYourGuide, directly from the English Heritage page which you can find by clicking here. I paid £43 for two tickets on a peak day, which included skip the line – even though I visited at the end of September, there was still quite a long line to buy the tickets on the spot. I chose 11am as the entry time, but even though I arrived much earlier, I didn’t have an issue picking up my ticket and entering the site.

The ticket price differs on the day you visit. Usually the week days are off peak, so the price for a ticket will be £20. Weekends are priced as standard, at £21.80 per ticket. During the summer months (from the 1^st of May until the 31^st of August) you will be looking at weekend peak tickets, which cost £23.60.

If you buy your ticket directly on the English Heritage website you will be asked if you want to contribute with a donation of £2-£4 through Gift Aid.

Download the Stonehenge Audio Guide 

Stonehenge without the audio guide is just a pile of stones. In order to understand the story and the presumed history of Stonehenge, you really need to go around the site with the audio guide. The first time I visited Stonehenge I had to rent a physical audio guide.

When I visited Stonehenge again last weekend, after I bought my tickets I was prompted to download the Audio Tour app which includes the guide free of charge. You can download the app from here on Android, or from here on Iphone.

I would highly recommend you to download the app and the package at home, on a high speed WiFi network. The app provides the audio guide in 12 different languages, and takes 54MB of space on your phone. Also, don’t forget to bring your headphones as well. 

The Stonehenge Exhibition

After I walked around the stones, listened to the audio guide and explored the site on my own for a while, I returned to the visitors centre. Here there is a very interesting exhibition about the Neolithic people who lived at Stonehenge when it was built.

The first hall is round, and the 4500 year history of Stonehenge is projected on the walls, which takes three minutes. It’s like you are inside the stone circle, watching how it changed over the millennia.

The next part of the exhibition looks at the people who built Stonehenge, the Early Bronze Age, as well as the archaeological objects found on the burial site. One of the skeletons found at Stonehenge has been reconstructed and you can see the face of the prehistoric man to whom it belonged, as well as the objects he was buried with. It’s fascinating!

Outside, the exhibition includes some replicas of the Neolithic houses believed to have belonged to the people who built Stonehenge. There are volunteers on site who show how the Neolithic man made fire, hunted, or used different objects. Some of the houses are free to enter and explore inside.

Next to the houses there is a replica of a Sarsen Stone, weighting 30 tonnes. This interactive piece shows how hard building Stonehenge was, and how many people were needed to erect the stones in their current position. 

How Long to Spend at Stonehenge

A visit to Stonehenge with the audio guide will take around two to two and a half hours. I combined my trip to Stonehenge with a visit to Salisbury, a charming town, home to one of Britain’s largest Cathedrals.

How to Visit Stonehenge for Free

Can you see Stonehenge for free? Yes, you can, but it’s not the same. There is a public path along one of the fences surrounding Stonehenge, at the far end of the stones. You won’t be able to approach and even if you use the audio guide, you will not understand the alignment of the stones – of see the bluestones inside the circle.

You can also see the circle of stones from the A303. 

If you want to visit Stonehenge, I would recommend just paying the ticket and enjoying the site properly.

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