This 1-day tour unveils the marvels of England’s most iconic ancient landmarks.
During our tour, you’ll experience the mysterious spiritual landmark, Stonehenge, constructed around 5,500 years ago, before moving onto the picturesque market town of Salisbury. Here, you will have the opportunity to explore the renowned Salisbury Cathedral, home to one of the few surviving copies of the Magna Carta. Along the way, we’ll also share unique hidden gems we’ve discovered through our many visits, giving you an authentic and enriching experience.
Itinerary
Private Stonehenge & Salisbury Day Tour
Pick-up from your accommodation
After collection in a premium vehicle with your private driver guide, depart and travel through the English countryside on your way to your first destination.
Stonehenge
Upon arrival at one of the world’s most iconic prehistoric sites, take time to explore the stone circle and its surrounding landscape. Learn about the history and theories behind this UNESCO World Heritage Site before continuing your journey.
Salisbury
Next, continue to the historic market town of Salisbury, where you can enjoy a relaxed stop to explore the town at your own pace.
Lunch in Salisbury
Time to enjoy lunch in one of the town’s cafés or traditional restaurants
Salisbury Cathedral
Following lunch, visit one of England’s finest Gothic cathedrals, where you can see the Magna Carta and admire the impressive spire and architecture.
Explore Salisbury
After exploring the cathedral, enjoy free time to walk through the historic streets, taking in the character and atmosphere of this traditional English town.
Return Journey
Relaxed drive back with drop-off at your accommodation
Salisbury Cathedral in more detail
The cathedral went up in the thirteenth century over one sustained building campaign rather than in fits and starts across several hundred years, which is why the inside looks so unified. Its spire is the tallest on any church in Britain and you see it from well out on the plain long before you reach the city. The chapter house holds the copy of the Magna Carta, the best preserved of the four that survive from 1215, and it repays reading the display around it rather than glancing at the document and moving on. Outside, the cathedral close is one of the largest in England, and the view across the water meadows that Constable painted is a short walk away.
Old Sarum, the city that came first
Salisbury is a city that moved. Before the cathedral and the streets around it existed, the settlement stood on the hill just north of the present city at Old Sarum, an Iron Age hillfort that the Normans took over for a castle and the first cathedral. By the accounts that survive the hill was short of water and relations between the castle garrison and the clergy were poor, so in the thirteenth century the cathedral was rebuilt down in the meadows, the town followed it, and the old site was gradually left to the sheep. What remains are the ramparts, the castle earthworks and the outline of the first cathedral’s foundations, with a long view over the countryside from the top. Old Sarum sits beside the road between Stonehenge and Salisbury, so it is a straightforward addition to the day if you would like it, and worth mentioning when you enquire.
How the day tends to run
The stones come first and the city second, which puts Stonehenge early and leaves the afternoon free in Salisbury, though a private day can run the other way round if that suits you better. For background before you travel, our guide to Stonehenge covers what to expect at the monument itself, and our Stonehenge tours page sets out the other days we build around it.
