Stonehenge Tours from LondonStonehenge Tickets: What They Cost and How to Book
Stonehenge tickets are sold by timed slot, and the price you pay depends on when and how you book. This page sets out English Heritage's advance and on-the-day prices, the family tickets, the midnight-before deadline, the last admission rule, what a ticket actually covers on site, and which Stonehenge tours from London include the ticket and which make you pay on the day. Every figure comes from English Heritage's published prices and from the tour listings themselves.
The Stonehenge visitor centre, where the shuttle to the stones starts. Photo: Des Blenkinsopp, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Quick answer Ticket prices in short
Stonehenge tickets cost £27.20 ($36.05) for an adult with the Gift Aid donation or £24.65 ($32.67) without, if you book online by midnight the day before. Walk-up tickets at the gate cost £32.00 ($42.41) for an adult, and later time slots in the day are sold cheaper.
Key takeaways
- Book online by midnight the day before to get the advance price, and remember last admission is 2 hours before closing. See the price table.
- The cheapest easy option is the Stonehenge Morning Half-Day Tour at $87 with admission and about 2 hours on site included.
- Two small-group days by The English Bus do not include the ticket: the guide collects payment on the day. Details in the tour table.
- A normal ticket keeps you on the roped path. Walking inside the stones is a separate Stone Circle Experience ticket, covered on its own page.
What Stonehenge Tickets Cost
English Heritage publishes two price sets for Stonehenge tickets: an advance online price and a higher on-the-day price, each with and without a voluntary 10 percent Gift Aid donation.
Advance Online Prices
The advance price applies to tickets booked online by midnight the day before your visit. The cheaper figure in each pair is the price without the Gift Aid donation, which is voluntary and adds 10 percent. An adult pays £27.20 ($36.05) with the donation or £24.65 ($32.67) without. A child aged 5 to 17 pays £13.60 ($18.02) or £12.32. A concession pays £24.65 ($32.67) or £22.35. A family ticket for 2 adults and up to 3 children costs £68.00 ($90.12) or £61.79. Children under 5 are not given a price in the published table.
The advance price is the honest baseline for any visitor from London. If you are already committing to a 140.8 km (87.5 mile) journey each way, saving £4.35 per adult on the without-donation price by booking online instead of paying at the gate is the easiest money you will save all day.
| Ticket type | Advance with Gift Aid | Advance without Gift Aid |
|---|---|---|
| Adult | £27.20 ($36.05) | £24.65 ($32.67) |
| Child 5-17 | £13.60 ($18.02) | £12.32 |
| Concession | £24.65 ($32.67) | £22.35 |
| Family 2 adults + up to 3 children | £68.00 ($90.12) | £61.79 |
On-the-day Prices at the Gate
Turning up without a booking costs more. At the gate an adult pays £32.00 ($42.41) with the donation or £29.00 ($38.43) without, against £27.20 ($36.05) and £24.65 ($32.67) booked in advance. A child pays £16.00 ($21.20) or £14.50, and a family of 2 adults and up to 3 children pays £80.00 ($106.02) or £72.70. English Heritage also sells later time slots in the day more cheaply than the published headline prices, so an afternoon slot can undercut the morning figures above. The exact discounted prices for late slots are not published as a standing table.
You can therefore just turn up, but you pay for the privilege and you risk a sold-out slot on busy days. Parking is charged to non-members, and the parking charge is not published as a fixed figure. English Heritage and National Trust England members enter free, though they still have to book a timed slot online.
| Ticket type | On the day with Gift Aid | On the day without Gift Aid |
|---|---|---|
| Adult | £32.00 ($42.41) | £29.00 ($38.43) |
| Child 5-17 | £16.00 ($21.20) | £14.50 |
| Family 2 adults + up to 3 children | £80.00 ($106.02) | £72.70 |
Sources: English Heritage prices and opening times, Stone Circle Experience
How Booking Works: Slots, Deadlines and Last Admission
Stonehenge tickets are not open tickets. They carry a timed arrival slot, and two rules catch out visitors from London.
The Midnight-before Deadline
To get the advance price you must book online by midnight the day before your visit. There is no same-day online discount: book after midnight and you are on the on-the-day price, or on a coach ticket that already includes entry. Members of English Heritage and the National Trust also go through the online booking, because even a free visit needs a reserved timed slot.
- Book by midnight the day before for the advance price.
- Members go free but still book a timed slot.
- Later slots in the day are sold at lower prices.
- Last admission is 2 hours before closing.
Timed Slots and Last Admission
Your ticket carries an arrival time, not a full-day pass. The last admission of the day falls 2 hours before closing. Outside summer the site opens 09:30 to 17:00, which means a last admission at 15:00.
In summer the site closes later, so the last slot moves later too. If you are driving down yourself, remember the trip is about 1 hour 49 minutes from central London with no traffic, and the A303 past Stonehenge is a single-carriageway road that jams in summer. A slot at the wrong end of the day can quietly wreck your plan.
- Allow for the coach operators' budget of 105 minutes to 2 hours each way, which is longer than the no-traffic drive time.
- Pick an arrival slot at least 2 hours before closing, and earlier if you want the full visitor centre too.
The Walk and the Exhibition at Stonehenge
What a standard ticket covers, from the exhibition to the stones. Third-party video by TPRA Heritage. We did not shoot it and have no relationship with the creator.
What a Stonehenge Ticket Includes
A standard ticket covers more than the stones themselves, but it does not put you inside the circle.
The Roped Path, the Shuttle and the Exhibition
A standard ticket gets you onto a roped path that circles the stones, and that is as close as you get. Touching or climbing the stones has been banned since 1977. The visitor centre sits away from the monument: a shuttle takes about 5 to 10 minutes each way, or you can walk 25 to 40 minutes each way along a marked path past Bronze Age burial mounds.
Back at the centre, the exhibition holds over 250 objects from the surrounding landscape, and outside stand reconstructed Neolithic houses. The cafe, shop and toilets are all at the visitor centre only. There is no shelter, food or toilet at the stones, and Salisbury Plain is exposed enough that wind makes it feel colder than the thermometer says, so a waterproof is not optional.
- Roped path around the stones, no touching since 1977.
- Shuttle about 5-10 minutes, or a 25-40 minute walk each way.
- Exhibition with over 250 objects and reconstructed Neolithic houses.
- Cafe, shop and toilets at the visitor centre only.
The Stone Circle Experience Is a Separate Ticket
Walking inside the circle, before the site opens or after it closes, is a separate product: the Stone Circle Experience. It runs 1 hour, takes a maximum of 52 people split into two groups of 26, and starts from £70 ($92.77) for an adult and £40 ($53.01) for a child. You still may not touch or stand on the stones.
English Heritage runs no sessions at all in October or November, which is why inner circle tours from London are seasonal. That ticket deserves its own detail, and it gets one on the Stone Circle Experience page.
A reconstructed Neolithic house at the visitor centre. Photo: TobyEditor, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Which Tours From London Include the Ticket
If you take a coach from London, the ticket question changes shape: some tours include admission in the price, some sell it as a checkout option, and two collect payment on the day.
Included, Optional or Collected on the Day
Most tours bundle admission in. The cheapest seat is the Stonehenge Half-Day Tour from Victoria at $78 with about 2.5 hours on site, the most of any tour listed here. The Stonehenge Morning Half-Day Tour at $87 gives about 2 hours and reaches the 9:30 opening.
The Windsor combos are the trap: the Evan Evans day at $96, the Golden Tours 12-hour day at $94 and the Premium Tours Lacock day at $91 all sell options with and without entries, so read the option list at checkout before you pay. The two English Bus days at $208 and $204 do not include entry at all: the guide pre-books it and collects cash or card on the day, £24.65 ($32.67) per adult on winter weekdays and £27.03 ($35.82) on winter weekends.
| Tour | Price | Stonehenge entry | Time at the stones |
|---|---|---|---|
| Half-Day Tour with Optional Fish and Chips | $78 | Included | About 2.5 hours |
| Morning Half-Day Tour with Admission | $87 | Included | About 2 hours |
| Stonehenge and Bath Day Trip with Entry Ticket | $113 | Included | About 90 minutes |
| Stonehenge and Oxford Small-Group Day Tour | $105 | Included | About 90 minutes |
| Stonehenge and Avebury Day Trip | $132 | Included | About 2 hours |
| Windsor Castle and Bath Day Trip | $96 | Depends on the option | About 60 minutes |
| Windsor, Bath and Roman Baths Day Trip | $94 | Depends on the option | Not stated |
| Windsor, Bath and Pub Lunch in Lacock | $91 | Depends on the option | About 90 minutes |
| Small-Group Stonehenge, Bath and Secret Place Tour | $208 | Collected on the day | About 105 minutes |
| Small-Group Stonehenge, Bath and Cotswolds Tour | $204 | Collected on the day | About 105 minutes |
Why a Tour Ticket Can Beat the Gate Price
An advance adult ticket costs £24.65 ($32.67) without the donation. The cheapest coach seat with admission is $78, and the most expensive days that include entry run to $132 for a 10-hour Avebury day. You are paying for the transport and the time at the stones, not for a ticket mark-up: the stones take 105 minutes to 2 hours to reach by coach each way, so the coach is the real cost.
A tour also removes the midnight-before deadline, because the operator either holds your ticket or books it for you. If you would rather compare the whole market in one place, the comparison table on the homepage lines up every listing.
- Advance adult ticket on your own: £24.65 ($32.67), plus transport you arrange yourself.
- Cheapest tour with admission: $78, with about 2.5 hours on site.
- Both English Bus days: add £24.65 ($32.67) to £27.03 ($35.82) per adult in cash or card on the day.
Which Ticket Should You Buy?
The right Stonehenge ticket depends on how you are getting there and how much control you want over the clock.
If You are driving or taking the train down yourself and know your date
Book the advance ticket online by midnight the day before at £24.65 ($32.67) per adult without the donation, and pick an arrival slot at least 2 hours before closing.
If Your plans are loose and you might arrive on the spur of the moment
You can pay at the gate, from £29.00 ($38.43) per adult without the donation, and later slots in the day are sold cheaper. You take the risk of a sold-out slot.
If You want the simplest day from London with no ticket admin
Take the Stonehenge Morning Half-Day Tour from London at $87, which includes admission, the shuttle and the exhibition.
If You are booking a Windsor combo and want to keep costs down
Check the option list at checkout on the Evan Evans Windsor-Stonehenge-Bath day, which sells entry to none, some or all of the three sites.
If You want to stand inside the stones
A standard ticket will not do it. Read the Stone Circle Experience guide and book months ahead, and remember there are no sessions in October or November.
If You are an English Heritage or National Trust member
Entry is free, but you still book a timed slot online, and parking is charged to non-members only.
Stonehenge Ticket Questions
Do you need tickets to enter Stonehenge?
Yes. Stonehenge is a ticketed site with timed arrival slots, sold by English Heritage. Members of English Heritage and the National Trust enter free but still have to book a slot online. If you take a coach day such as the Stonehenge and Bath trip with entry ticket, admission is handled for you.
How much does a standard Stonehenge ticket cost?
An adult advance ticket costs £27.20 ($36.05) with the Gift Aid donation or £24.65 ($32.67) without, booked online by midnight the day before. At the gate it rises to £32.00 ($42.41) or £29.00 ($38.43). The full breakdown is in the price section above.
Can you just turn up to Stonehenge without booking?
You can, subject to availability. On-the-day tickets are sold at the gate at the higher prices, and later time slots in the day are sold cheaper. On busy days slots can sell out. Booking online by midnight the day before removes both the price penalty and the risk, which is exactly what a tour like the morning half-day tour from South Kensington does for you.
Do you have to book Stonehenge in advance?
It is not compulsory, but it is the only way to get the advance price, and the last admission is 2 hours before closing, so late arrivals may find nothing left to buy. Members book in advance too because entry is by timed slot even when it is free. Tours bundle the booking, for example the small-group Oxford day with admission.
Is a Stonehenge ticket worth the money?
A ticket buys access to the roped path around the stones, the shuttle, an exhibition with over 250 objects and the reconstructed Neolithic houses, and there is no shelter or food at the stones, only at the visitor centre. If the price stings, note that the cheapest way in as a day visitor from London is often a coach seat with admission from $78, compared against the £24.65 ($32.67) advance ticket plus your own transport. The honest case for and against is set out on our is Stonehenge worth visiting page.
What does a family ticket to Stonehenge cost?
The family ticket covers 2 adults and up to 3 children and costs £68.00 ($90.12) with the donation or £61.79 without, booked in advance, or £80.00 ($106.02) and £72.70 at the gate. Children under 5 are not given a separate published price. If you would rather let someone else hold the tickets, the Stonehenge and Avebury day trip includes admission for the whole booking.
Does a Stonehenge ticket let me walk among the stones?
No. A standard ticket keeps you on the roped path around the circle, and touching the stones has been banned since 1977. Walking inside is the separate Stone Circle Experience, from £70 ($92.77) per adult, with no sessions in October or November. See the Stone Circle Experience page for how it works.