Visit Stonehenge without admission?

Stonehenge was of course on our list of must see places on our southern England road trip. When do you ever have the opportunity to visit a mysterious building that is probably more than 3.000 years old?

Where is Stonehenge and what was its function?

Stonehenge is located near the River Avon near Amesbury in the county of Wiltshire in southern England. The function of Stonehenge is still unclear to this day. One hypothesis is that Stonehenge served as a burial site and for other religious purposes. Another hypothesis is that the most famous stone circle in the world was an astronomical observatory with a calendar function.

It is known today that Stonehenge was built in different phases. Around 3.000 B.C. There was a circular rampart, a ditch and 56 holes in the earth where Stonehenge is today. The heavy stones, also known as megaliths because of their size, were not brought to Stonehenge until 600 years later in an as yet unexplained manner.

Driving to Stonehenge

As already mentioned, Stonehenge is located near Amesbury and is of course a real tourist magnet. Stonehenge is where the A344 meets the A303. The signage is very good and actually you can hardly miss it.

If you don't want to pay the "official" entrance fee, we have described another option below for you Visit Stonehenge for free too and can also be combined with a short hike.

How much does Stonehenge entry cost?

So while we were still in Bibury (article on the Cotswolds to follow) we first looked for information about Stonehenge, how and when to visit (keyword peak times). The early bird catches the worm, if you want to avoid the big crowd you should get up early. Entry is £26 per person the normal way, if you have a National Trust or English Heritage card you can get in for free. But we've found an alternative that doesn't cost you anything, even without the *drumroll* cards mentioned. In our article we explain how this works and why you can still get relatively close to Stonehenge.

Small hike & visit Stonehenge for free

You can combine Stonehenge with a short hike and then visit it completely free of charge. The free trail (“Public Footpath”) is right next to the paid trail. For us, the view was absolutely sufficient and we were able to take great photos without queuing!

But now to the details: The best place to park is in Larkhill on Willoughby Road. This intersects with Fargo Road and this is where we parked our car.

Directions to the free parking lot

If you enter the following coordinates into your sat nav / Google Maps, you will come out directly at the intersection of Willoughby Road and Fargo Road.

Hike to Stonehenge: insider tip

At this crossing, a small hiking trail opens up, which you simply follow and then arrives directly at Stonehenge after about 15-20 minutes. Great, is not it?

You will see Stonehenge from afar very early on, with many sheep grazing next to you. The path alone is very atmospheric, surrounded by large, spacious pastures, flocks of sheep, campers and hippie families.

At the end of the path you will now see the entrance to the free path on the left and the paid path on the right (both paths are separated from each other by a low fence).

Stonehenge: Definitely a worthwhile trip

Important to mention: If you buy tickets, you can get even closer to Stonehenge (you can see that in the photos below). So it's best to decide for yourself whether it's worth it to you. For us, the decision was easy and we saved both the entrance fee and the long queue, made a nice little hike and were able to visit Stonehenge in a relaxed manner.

Have you ever visited Stonehenge and what was your experience? Tell me in the comments, I would be very happy!

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