Stonehenge

About Stonehenge

Stonehenge is **the most famous prehistoric monument in the world**, and among the most misunderstood. It was **not built by Druids** — it predates Celtic culture by thousands of years. It was built, in stages over roughly **1,500 years between 3000 and 1500 BC**, by successive communities of Neolithic and Bronze Age people living in the landscape of what is now Wiltshire in southern England — people who left almost no other record of their existence. The engineering remains genuinely extraordinary. The largest stones — the **sarsen megaliths of the outer circle, each weighing up to 25 tonnes** — were transported from the Marlborough Downs, 25 kilometres to the north. The smaller **bluestones came from the Preseli Hills in Wales, over 200 kilometres away** — a journey that, in the absence of wheeled vehicles, required dragging the stones on sledges, floating them on rafts, and hauling them with ropes and human muscle. The monument is **aligned with the rising sun at the summer solstice and the setting sun at the winter solstice**, a celestial orientation consistent for 4,500 years. Stonehenge is near Amesbury in Wiltshire, about **130 kilometres west of London**. The standard visitor experience follows a path around the stones at a respectful distance; **special access tickets for early morning and late evening** allow visitors inside the stone circle itself and are worth booking well in advance. The surrounding landscape — **Avebury** (with a larger but less famous stone circle), Silbury Hill, and the West Kennet Long Barrow — forms one of the richest prehistoric landscapes in Europe. Best visited early morning in spring or autumn.

Highlights

• ✦ Prehistoric stone circle dating to around 3000 BC
• ✦ Stones transported from Wales, over 240 km away
• ✦ Aligned with sunrise on the summer solstice

Practical info

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to visit Stonehenge?

An adult ticket costs from about £26 and a child ticket from about £15.60, booked online with English Heritage for a timed entry slot. Members of English Heritage and the National Trust enter free. Prices are a little higher if you turn up and pay on the day, and the site can sell out in summer.

Can you touch the stones at Stonehenge?

Not on a standard ticket — visitors follow a path around the circle, roughly 10 metres from the stones. English Heritage does run limited Stone Circle Experience visits outside normal opening hours, in small groups, where you can walk inside the circle. Those slots are booked separately and go quickly.

How do you get to Stonehenge without a car?

Take a South Western Railway train from London Waterloo to Salisbury (about 1 hour 30 minutes), then the Stonehenge Tour bus from Salisbury station directly to the visitor centre (about 30 minutes). A combined bus-and-entry ticket is available, which makes the car-free route both simple and usually the cheapest option for one or two travellers.

Is Stonehenge worth visiting?

Yes, if you go with the right expectations. Stonehenge is a 5,000-year-old monument you view from a path rather than an interactive attraction, so the reward is in the setting, the scale and the exhibition at the visitor centre. Early morning and late afternoon slots are far quieter and give the best light for photographs.

How long do you need at Stonehenge?

Most visitors spend 2 to 3 hours: about an hour at the stone circle itself, plus the visitor centre exhibition, the reconstructed neolithic houses and the shuttle rides. Combining it with Salisbury Cathedral or the Avebury stone circle turns it into a comfortable half or full day.

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