Welcome to Salisbury
Centred on a majestic cathedral that's topped by the tallest spire in England, Salisbury makes an appealing Wiltshire base. It's been an important provincial city for more than a thousand years, and its streets form an architectural timeline ranging from medieval walls and half-timbered Tudor town houses to Georgian mansions and Victorian villas.
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Salisbury activities
Royal London with Changing of the Guard plus Stonehenge
Royal London Sightseeing Tour with Changing of the Guard Ceremony (3.5 Hours) Following pickup from Victoria Coach Station, your morning tour begins with a panoramic drive to Kensington Palace, once home to Princess Diana. Pop in your state-of-the-art Vox headphones as your tour starts and listen to your guide talking clearly about each site. On route, see the Royal Albert Hall, where many famous concerts are hosted, and the Albert Memorial. Continue to Trafalgar Square, passing Whitehall and the Prime Minister’s residence on Downing Street. On arrival at Parliament Square, view more top London attractions including Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey, where Prince William and Kate Middleton were married. Next, head to St James’s Park and Buckingham Palace to watch the Changing of the Guard ceremony. Accompanied by a military band, soldiers from the Queen’s Foot Guard march to Buckingham Palace in their cherry-red tunics and bearskin hats. This is Buckingham Palace’s oldest ceremony, and it is truly representative of the pomp and ceremony that make the British Royal Family so fascinating. Your tour then finishes in Trafalgar Square. London to Stonehenge Independent Afternoon Trip with Audio Tour (5.5 to 6 Hours)Head out of London on an air-conditioned coach to the UNESCO-listed Stonehenge. This fascinating stone circle has sat in the same spot on the Salisbury plain for more than 5,000 years, yet nobody knows why it is there or how it was constructed. Plug into your included audio-guide to hear the different theories surrounding its purpose, and enjoy about an hour to wander around the stones independently. See the beautiful Bluestone rocks on the inside of the circle, and wonder at how these 40-ton stones could have been transported and who could have carved them in such a distinctive way. When the time comes, return to your coach and travel back to Victoria.
Salisbury and Stonehenge Full-Day Tour with Admission Ticket
Begin your tour from either Salisbury Train Station or Central Car Park Coach Park in Salisbury.Explore the medieval city with all of its history and mystique, spending an hour at the Cathedral to take in the tallest spire and the Magna Carta (subject to opening times). Then make a brief stop at Old Sarum, the original city of Salisbury. This Iron Age settlement became Salisbury after visits from Saxons, Danes, Vikings, and Normans. Old Sarum offers wonderful views over the city and the surrounding landscape. This is where King John had his garrisons in the early 1200s before the barons rose up against the King which resulted in the Magna Carta being sealed in 1215.Depart from Old Sarum and follow a narrow riverside road through a picturesque valley. Here you can take in the many thatched cottages and begin to learn the history that surrounds Stonehenge.Arriving at Stonehenge, spend two hours experiencing the new visitor center and the ancient stones before heading to The Ancestor in Amesbury and the 10th-century Church of St Mary and St. Melor. Here you will discover a fascinating account of the place and uncover the reason why Stonehenge is where it is. The journey through time to one of Britain's best kept secrets, exploring the oldest continuous settlement in England (as recognized by Guinness World Records). Enjoy exclusive access to a site of recent archaeological discoveries.Upon leaving Amesbury, return to Salisbury Train Station, Central Coach Park, or a local hotel (if you are staying overnight), where your tour concludes.
Salisbury Museum Entry Ticket
Visit: The Salisbury MuseumThe Salisbury Museum is based in the King's House, a medieval grade I listed building opposite of Salisbury Cathedral. The museum's displays include nationally important archaeology from Stonehenge, fine art including watercolours by JMW Turner and impressive local history.In the stunning new Wessex Gallery of archaeology you can discover 500,000 years of history. Exhibits include the famous Amesbury Archer and the Pitt-Rivers Wessex collection of archaeology. The other galleries reveal the history of Salisbury through costume, fine art, everyday objects and ceramics. The museum also has an exciting programme of temporary exhibitions - for example later this year John Constable's Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows will be on display at the museum.The museum has a vibrant family events programme, often with family trails over the school holidays. The cafe (open 10am - 4pm Monday to Saturday) offers wonderful home baked meals with outdoor seating that has unrivaled views of Salisbury Cathedral.
Stonehenge Entrance Ticket
Perhaps the world’s most famous prehistoric monument, Stonehenge was built in several stages: the first monument was an early henge monument, built about 5,000 years ago, and the unique stone circle was erected in the late Neolithic period about 2500 BC. In the early Bronze Age many burial mounds were built nearby. Today, along with Avebury, it forms the heart of a World Heritage Site, with a unique concentration of prehistoric monuments.On the site itself, there is plenty to see and do for visitors. Iconic symbol of Britain, a walk around the Stone Circle is the centrepiece of any visit to the Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site. With a history spanning 4,500 years Stonehenge has many different meanings to people today. It is a wonder of the world, a spiritual place and a source of inspiration. You will wander around the Neolithic houses outside the visitor center, step inside to imagine how people lived 4,500 years ago, chat with the volunteers and discover how the houses were built using authentic materials and techniques, based on the evidence of dwellings found nearby.You can also experience the Stonehenge landscape through time with the interactive map. You will see how the environment changed before, during and after the time of Stonehenge, and click on features to learn more about this incredible prehistoric area. Also be sure to watch the seasons pass and take a trip through time with the incredible audio-visual 360 degree view from inside the stones, in the visitor center.The Stone Circle is a masterpiece of engineering, and building it would have taken huge effort from hundreds of well-organized people using only simple tools and technologies. Visit Stonehenge to find out more!
Salisbury, Stonehenge, and Avebury in One Day from Salisbury
The full-day tour starts at 9am from Salisbury train station or Central Car Park Coach Park in Salisbury.It begins in the Medieval Cathedral City with all of its history and mystique where you enjoy a tour of the City before spending an hour at the Cathedral taking in the tallest spire and the Magna Carta (subject to opening times) before departing at 10.15am for a brief stop at Old Sarum, the original City of Salisbury. This Iron Age settlement became Salisbury after visits from Saxons, Danes, Vikings and Normans. Old Sarum offers wonderful views over the City and the surrounding landscape. This is where King John had his garrisons in the early 1200s before the barons rose up against the King which resulted in the Magna Carta being sealed in 1215.You will depart Old Sarum at approx. 10.40am and follow a narrow riverside road through a picturesque valley with its own history to tell. Here you can take in the many thatched cottages and begin to learn the history that surrounds Stonehenge.Arriving at Stonehenge at 11.10am you will spend two hours experiencing the new visitor centre and the Ancient Stones before heading to Avebury.En route to Avebury you will see the Alton Barnes White Horse (a large chalk carving in the hillside) before passing through Lockeridge (where the Sarcen stones originate that form part of Stonehenge & Avebury). You will also see Silbury hill, the largest manmade mound in Europe and the West Kennet longbarrow (an ancient Neolithic burial mound). If time & weather permit you will walk to the site and actually enter the burial mound.At 2.15pm you arrive at Avebury where your guide will walk you over the site. Here you will try your hand at divining for spiritual leylines.Leaving Avebury at 4.30pm you begin your return journey to Salisbury train station, Central Coach Park or a local hotel (if you are staying overnight). The tour will be completed at 5.30pm.
Salisbury Plain Experience Off-Road Tour
Beginning from your chosen collection point the group will make its way to Salisbury Plain. Upon joining your tour route (which can change due to military activity) you begin to make your way around a circuit of the military firing range, stopping for photo opportunities and chances to explore the local flora and fauna en route. Depending on access you will either make our way across the downland taking in Copehill Down military camp or take a trip through the firing ranges themselves and take a look at the craters and shattered hulks that are used for target practice on the plain. During the tour you will take in spectacular views across Pewsey Vale, seeing the White horses at Westbury, Devizes and Alton Barnes before descending from a height of 221m to the valley floor and hearing the story of the Robbers Stone.A short road journey takes in the villages of Chittern and Tilshead before collecting the tracks again to head across country to Parsonage Down nature reserve. It is here in a secluded little known corner of Wiltshire that you stop for tea and biscuits, listening to the birdsong and perhaps the thrum of an Apache helicopter! You embark once more for a short but very off road trip past Yarnbury Castle (actually an Iron Age hill fort) before returning to your location via Stonehenge and the historic town of Larkhill, birthplace of the RAF and current home to the Royal Artillery.