The Visitor Centre at Stonehenge is located over a mile from the stones. This is your entry point and the place where you pay for or show your tickets and buy your souvenir guides.
The Visitor Centre also offers a modern exhibition with prehistoric objects on display, and a spacious café and gift shop.
A complementary shuttle awaits to transport you between the Visitor Centre and the stones (included in your ticket price).
To ensure you can visit Stonehenge, it’s best to book your timed tickets ahead of time. You can do this either on the official website or through a third-party site that matches the prices of English Heritage. Check out the banner link below for more details.
If you would like more information, please visit our Stonehenge – What to expect
Save money by booking tickets in advance
It’s not necessary to book your tickets ahead of time, but it’s a good idea to do so to ensure your entry, and to snag the best ticket prices.
Gaining FREE entry to Stonehenge for National Trust/English Heritage members
Members of the National Trust England & English Heritage enter free. Furthermore, there are various other heritage passes that may include admission to Stonehenge.
Even if you are entitled to free entry it is advised that you book your entrance in advance.
Timeslots and last admissions
Tickets are booked by half hour time slot, the website showing you how many tickets are still available for your chosen date and time.
Note: the last admission time is two hours before closing time. Closing times are seasonal.
Entrance prices & opening times
English Heritage advise to expect a visit to last around two hours (you could easily spend longer to explore the Exhibition in more depth, have time for the café and shop, etc).
Prices are updated every spring.
What are the off peak, standard or peak times?
Off Peak
Mon-Fri: all year round, except Jun to Aug
Standard
Mon-Fri: Jun to Aug & Sat-Sun: Sep to Mar
Peak
Sat-Sun: Jun to Aug
If you are visiting in the summer between June and August, your cheapest ticket price will be on a weekday, Monday – Friday. This is a standard ticket, no off-peak tickets are available during this time. You do benefit from longer opening hours until 7pm.
Donation prices and booking in advance to save money
If you book online in advance you will save money from booking in person on the day. There is an optional ‘donation’ price online which is around £2 more per person which is the same price as buying in person on the day.
Group discounts
There is 10% discount for groups of 11 or more visitors paying together plus a free place for every additional 20 paying passengers. Free entry for coach driver and tour leader.
So you can see at a glance the various price bands and different Stonehenge opening hours through the year, we have drawn up a handy table of Stonehenge entry prices & opening hours.
Opening times
January – March: 09:30 – 17:00
April – September: 09:30 – 19:00
October – December: 09:30 – 17:00
- Closed: Stonehenge is closed on December 25.
- Exception to opening hours: Stonehenge is open from 9:30am to 7pm on Christmas Eve.
- Last admission: 2 hours before closing time.
Parking and gaining access
If you visit by car parking is located outside the visitor centre. It is free for people purchasing tickets to enter Stonehenge, there is a charge if you are not. Tour buses have their own separate coach park.
All Members of English Heritage or National Trust must show a valid membership card on arrival to be granted free parking and site access.
To enter the Exhibition at the Visitor Centre you need a full ticket to Stonehenge, anyone can access the café, gift shop and toilets though, for free.
What does buying a ticket to Stonehenge give me?
- Access to the Exhibition – the “Stonehenge Collection”.
- Shuttle bus transportation to the stones over a mile away.
- Entry to the Stone Circle itself.
- The Stonehenge Audio Guide is available to download in 12 different languages prior to the visit or while you are on site. Please search for the ‘Stonehenge Audio Tour’ in your app store.
The gift shop, toilets and café are free to enter.
Where is Stonehenge? An introduction to visiting Stonehenge – full details
Special Access Visits
During normal opening hours you cannot walk up to the stones themselves. The nearest you will get to the stones is about 10 yards, the monument being roped off by a low barrier (see picture below).
However it is possible to walk up to and among the stones at Stonehenge outside public opening hours. These are called Special Access visits. During these sessions of one hour duration, only 26 people are allowed onto Stonehenge going beyond the barriers and walking amongst the stones.
The fact that these Special Access visits are outside public opening hours mean that they are at dawn or evening. Given that Stonehenge is two hours’ drive from London this obviously provides logistical issues in getting there.
The Special Access Visits are also immensely popular, demand far outstrips supply and they are often sold out months in advance.
We have dedicated pages for people independently wanting to partake in a Stonehenge Special Access Visit and also pages on the various London based companies (such as Premium Tours) that offer Stonehenge Special Access Tours from London.