Rome Toolkit 
Paris Toolkit Experience Stonehenge Special Access privately
Your road map to experiencing walking among the Stones at Stonehenge without going on a tour
In an ideal world, everyone visiting Stonehenge would like to walk among the stones at Stonehenge. Unfortunately the world is not perfect and if you visit Stonehenge during public opening hours the monument is roped off.
The good news is that English Heritage, who run Stonehenge, allow you beyond these ropes at special sessions outside normal public opening hours. These sessions are called Special Access or Inner Circle tours.
We have a dedicated page explaining what to expect at a Stonehenge Special Access session.
Options Independent visits Important information Hire a Stonehenge guide Private transport with guide Tour destination map Enquiry form
Options for visiting Stonehenge inner circle
Your options for experiencing Special Access at Stonehenge include a choice of public tours departing from London, Salisbury and Bath.
Public tours to Stonehenge Special Access are a very popular choice as it is much easier to get tickets via a tour and the thorny issue of getting to Stonehenge is all taken care off.
Stonehenge Special Access tours - full details
The alternative independent option of experiencing Stonehenge Special Access is the subject of this page.
Stonehenge Special Access independent visits
Stonehenge is isolated. For your own private Stonehenge Special Access visit you will need your own private transport to reach Stonehenge at the times Special Access sessions operate.
We can organise a range of transport from cars up to touring coaches if you do not have a car, from London or the Salisbury area.
During Stonehenge Special Access sessions you are on your own. No official will be there to explain what you are witnessing, no audio guides are made available and at the visitor centre. It's all closed down except the toilets.
We have access to some of the best Stonehenge guides available both from Salisbury or London. Whether you have your own car and just need a local guide for your Stonehenge session or are a group from London who wants a driver-guide we can help.
Stonehenge Special Access private visits - before you go any further...
Making a Stonehenge Special Access visit requires a level of commitment, it is not just a matter of paying a supplement to gain privileged access on demand.
Key points are:
- You cannot get Special Access during normal public opening hours. All year, there are one hour morning tickets for timed entrances between 5am and 8am. Session times vary according to season. Between March and September there are evening sunset sessions after Stonehenge has closed and before darkness
- There is no Special Access at all between late September and early December and the last two weeks of June
- Tickets are around three times the price of standard admission during public opening hours
- No guide is at the monument to explain what you are seeing or answer questions, there are no information boards and no audio guides.
- Demand far exceeds supply, dates are routinely sold out 4 to 6 months ahead in the summer months, evening sessions are particularly popular
Stonehenge Special Access - ticket availability & purchase
You can check availability of Stonehenge Special Access tickets at the official Stonehenge page.
You can also make an application for tickets on this page.
English Heritage - Stonehenge Special Access ticket availability
Stonehenge Special Access - how we can help you
- For those with your own transport providing a quality guide to accompany you during your special access session
- Providing private transport with or without guide from London or from Salisbury. (Salisbury is the nearest major centre to Stonehenge with a railway link to London)
- Providing custom tours that include a Stonehenge Special Access session to an itinerary of your own specification. We can cater for small and large groups, though remember 30 people is the maximum number of tickets for any session
Stonehenge Special Access - expert guide hire
If you have already purchased your tickets or are about to, we can arrange for a guide to meet you either at Stonehenge, London or Salisbury.
Note, you will need to buy a ticket for the guide too!
Note, the minimum you can hire a guide for is 4 hours. An indicative price is around £150.
While a Special Access tour is technically only an hour, to set it in context clients should also see the Visitor Centre exhibition during its working hours and the features of Stonehenge landscape, especially Durrington Walls/Woodhenge where the most recent archaeological discoveries were made.
Just fill in our Stonehenge Special Access enquiry form
Stonehenge Special Access - private transportation with guide
Stonehenge Special Access with transportation and guide from Salisbury
For those without their own transport Salisbury is the nearest major town and effectively acts as the gateway to Stonehenge for those without their own transport.
Trains run at least hourly direct to London, as well as Bath and Southampton amongst other destinations.
The first train from London is too late for a morning Special Access, but evening sessions you can do as a day trip from London. There is a wide range of accommodation in Salisbury to stay overnight.
An indicative cost for a complete vehicle for up to 4 people plus guide for 4 hours is £270, to which you will need to add the cost of tickets.
Just fill in our Stonehenge Special Access enquiry form at the bottom of the page with your personal requirements.
Stonehenge Special Access with transportation and guide from London
We can provide the same service from London and its airports as from Salisbury.
Stonehenge is best part of 2 hours drive from Central London, so most people will make a day of it and combine Stonehenge with destinations like Bath, Windsor, Avebury or perhaps the Cotswolds, (see map of tour destinations from London).
TRAIN TICKETS
Stonehenge Special Access day tour itineraries
We can provide full day tour itineraries from both London and its airports and Salisbury from anything from one person to a large group requiring a full size touring coach.
The simple graphic below depicts typical travel times between the most popular tourist destinations around Stonehenge which may inspire you, but the there is so many more options.
Just fill in this Stonehenge Special Access enquiry form at the bottom of the page with your ideas to kick-start the process.
