The 10 Best Stonehenge Tours

Stonehenge, the most famous prehistoric monument in the world, poses more questions than answers. The approximately 5,000-year-old standing stones have been wondered, worshipped and puzzled at for ages. Regardless, the stones are a powerful draw and a must-visit site, especially if you’re basing yourself in London or Bath, England.

Stonehenge is accessible to visitors year-round. Whether you visit on your own or with an organized tour group, you can download a free audio guide to your smartphone to enhance your experience. To combine a visit to Stonehenge with other nearby landmarks, such as the Avebury stone circles or Stratford-Upon-Avon (home of William Shakespeare), consider signing up for an organized tour, many of which offer convenient round-trip transportation from London in an air-conditioned coach. These tours, evaluated by U.S. News using both expert opinion and traveler sentiment, offer some of the best ways to experience Stonehenge.

Note: Some tour providers on this list may be running more limited operations due to COVID-19 or may impose testing or vaccine requirements. Check with your tour operator about availability before you book.

Price: From 119 pounds (around $145) per person
Duration: 12 hours

For adventurous travelers who want to see Stonehenge and Bath, and don’t mind a little mystery, The English Bus’s full-day tour offers both. Limited to 16 people, the tour departs from London in a Mercedes minibus, complete with panoramic windows and a glass roof. As you drive through the countryside, you’ll enjoy live, in-depth commentary from your expert guide before arriving in Stonehenge. After exploring Stonehenge, you’ll head to Bath to enjoy lunch and time to roam on your own or join an optional guided tour. Your final stop is a “secret” destination selected by your tour guide. Reviewers praise the knowledgeable, humorous guides and particularly recommend this tour for its small size and luxurious transportation.

Tours depart from central London daily. Prices start at 119 pounds (about $145) per person and do not include food or Stonehenge tickets. Other tours offered by The English Bus visit the Cotswolds, Canterbury and more.

Price: Adults from 130 pounds (about $154); kids from 120 pounds (about $140)
Duration: 13 hours

You’ll be among the first visitors of the day to step inside Windsor Castle – the largest continuously occupied castle in the world – on this daylong tour. Other highlights include lunch in a 14th-century pub in the charming town of Lacock, a walking tour of Bath, and finally, the day is capped with a visit to Stonehenge. Though most tourgoers were happy with the trip (especially the patient, organized guides), they do warn it makes for a long day and wish they had extra time at certain attractions. The tour leaves London at 7:45 a.m. and returns around 9 p.m.

It costs about 130 pounds (around $154) for adults and 120 pounds (approximately $140) for children ages 3 to 16. Lunch and admission tickets to attractions are included. Premium Tours also offers excursions to Leeds, Canterbury and Greenwich, among other locations.

Price: Adults from 130 pounds (about $154); kids from 119 pounds (around $140)
Duration: 11 hours

In addition to Stonehenge, this 11-hour bus tour stops at Windsor Castle and the historic city of Bath, where you’ll be given the choice to explore freely on your own or visit the world-famous Roman Baths. Reviewers praise the guides, who they describe as humorous and fun, and say the tour is jampacked, but well-paced.

Tickets, which include all entrrance fees, start at approximately 130 pounds (about $154) for adults ages 17 to 59 and 119 pounds (about $140) for kids ages 3 to 16. Tours operate Thursday through Monday and depart from London at 8 a.m. Evan Evans Tours operates a variety of trips outside of London to destinations like Oxford and the Cotswolds, in addition to tours within the city.

Price: Adults from 105 pounds (about $124); kids from 95 pounds (around $112)
Duration: 11 hours

Ideal for tourists with a dual interest in the city of Bath and Stonehenge, this approximately 11-hour tour offers access and expert insight to both UNESCO World Heritage Sites. While in Bath, you’ll take a guided walking tour of the city and visit its ancient Roman Baths and Pump Room. The second stop is Stonehenge, where you’ll have time to explore the mysteries of this ancient Neolithic structure. Travelers rave about the excellent and informative guides, as well as the drivers.

Tickets start at 105 pounds (about $124) for adults and 95 pounds (around $112) for children ages 3 to 16 and include entry to Stonehenge and the Roman Baths. Ticket options that do not include entry to Stonehenge or the baths are also available. Tours depart from London daily at 8:30 a.m. The company offers a variety of tours to destinations in and around London.

Price: Adults from 109 pounds (about $130); kids from 99 pounds (about $117)
Duration: 12 hours

The full-day Avebury and Stonehenge excursion with Anderson Tours begins at West Kennet Long Barrow – one of the largest Neolithic burial tombs in Britain – where participants have the chance to visit the burial chambers. From there, the group visits the medieval village of Avebury, home to the largest prehistoric stone circle in the world. After a guided walking tour of Avebury and free time for lunch and exploration, guides lead the way to Stonehenge, where tourgoers can explore the site at their leisure with the aid of audio guides (accessible via a free smartphone app). Visitors say the guides are excellent and they learned a lot.

Tour tickets, which include entrance to Stonehenge, start at 109 pounds (around $130) for adults and 99 pounds (about $117) for kids ages 5 to 17. Tours run Wednesday, Friday and Sunday with pickups around London beginning at 7:30 a.m. Anderson Tours also offers excursions to Oxford, Windsor and Canterbury, among other daytrips.

Price: Adults from 60 pounds (about $71); kids from 30 pounds (around $35)
Duration: 9 hours

On this eight- to nine-hour tour, you’ll board a bus from Bath to visit historic sites and towns around the English countryside. You’ll stop at Stonehenge first ahead of the crowds for a two-hour visit. From there, the next destination is the Avebury stone circles, then it’s off to the Cotswolds to explore a handful of small, charming towns. Patrons give the tour high marks and especially praise the visit to the Cotswolds villages. Others say the tour is well-paced. Tours depart daily from Bath beginning at 8:30 a.m.

Tickets start at 60 pounds (about $71) for adults and 30 pounds (around $35) for children ages 5 to 15. Tickets to Stonehenge are not included in the tour price; you will need to pay your guide for the tickets the day of your tour. Mad Max operates several other outings, including a tour devoted solely to visiting the villages of the Cotswolds.

Price: Adults from 154 pounds (about $182); kids from 134 pounds (around $160)
Duration: 11 hours

Travelers approve of this tour for its small group (up to 16 participants) and knowledgeable guides, who are well-versed in British history. On this approximately 11-hour journey, you’ll visit Stonehenge, Windsor Castle and the city of Bath, where you’ll have the choice to tour the Roman Baths, or wander the ancient city for some sightseeing.

Ticket prices, which include entry to Stonehenge and Windsor Castle, start at 154 pounds (about $182) per adult and 134 pounds (around $160) per child ages 3 to 15. Tours depart Thursday through Monday; exact departure times from London vary by season. International Friends operates tours that visit “Bridgerton” and “Downton Abbey” filming locations, among other areas of the English countryside.

Price: From 425 pounds (about $504) for two people
Duration: 8 hours

On this daylong excursion, you’ll join a local expert for an exclusive private tour (for up to six people in your party) that departs from Bath. Your guide – a lifelong Bath resident – takes you on an approximately eight-hour journey to explore sites near Bath, including Avebury, the West Kennet Long Barrow burial site and Stonehenge. The tour includes a stop at a traditional English pub for lunch. Patrons heap praise on the guide for his knowledge and good nature.

Tours, available daily at 9 a.m., start at 425 pounds (around $504) for two people. Pickup from central Bath, its hotels and its train station is included, as are admission tickets to sites. Lunch and drinks are not included in the cost. Bath Insider Tours also offers private tours of Bath and other custom tours, including half-day excursions.

Price: From 1,190 pounds (about $1,410) for groups of up to six people
Duration: 12 hours

Visit some of England’s most famous landmarks with this private daytrip. Among the sites you’ll see with your personal tour guide are Windsor Castle, Stonehenge and the University of Oxford. Travelers enjoy the tour and appreciate the guides’ sense of humor and wealth of information. Plus, they appreciate that guides pick up patrons from central London hotels.

Prices vary depending on how many people are in your party, as you pay per vehicle, not per person; groups of up to six people can expect to pay around 1,190 pounds (about $1,410). Prices do not include entrance fees or meals. British Tours offers a variety of other excursions from London, including daytrips to Paris.

Price: Adults from 133 pounds (about $157); kids from 123 pounds (approximately $146)
Duration: 11 hours

If you want to experience Stonehenge without the crowds, consider this approximately 11-hour tour, which visits Stonehenge when it’s closed to the general public. What’s more, you’ll tour the site’s stone circle – an area most visitors only view behind a rope barrier. The day also includes a meal at a 14th-century pub in Lacock, as well as a stop in Bath. In Bath, you can join an optional walking tour to see highlights like the Jane Austen Centre, Pulteney Bridge and the Bath Abbey. Many reviewers call this tour the highlight of their London trips and highly recommend the evening tour if you’d like to see Stonehenge at sunset.

Tickets, which include entry to Stonehenge, start at 133 pounds (about $157) for adults and 123 pounds (approximately $146) for children ages 3 to 16. There is also an option to buy a ticket that includes entry to the Roman Baths. Morning tours depart at 5:30 a.m.; evening tours depart at 11:10 a.m. Evening tours are available Sundays and Wednesdays and morning tours are available Mondays and Thursdays.

Stonehenge is located in Salisbury, England, about a two-hour drive west of central London.

Historians believe Stonehenge was built between 3700 B.C. and 1600 B.C.

Researchers posit that Neolithic migrant farmers from Anatolia (what is now Turkey) built Stonehenge.

Stonehenge is culturally significant not only for its prehistoric architecture, but also for its demonstration of Neolithic and Bronze Age ceremonial and mortuary rituals.

Ticket costs vary depending on the time of year, but you can expect to pay about 20 pounds (around $24) for adults and approximately 12 pounds (around $14) for children. If you choose to visit Stonehenge with a guided tour, many tour companies will give you the option to bundle tickets to Stonehenge with the cost of the tour.