Background
Stonehenge and Avebury, in Wiltshire, are among the most famous groups of megaliths in the world. UNESCO says the two sanctuaries consist of circles of menhirs arranged in a pattern whose astronomical significance is still being explored, and that with the nearby Neolithic sites they are an incomparable testimony to prehistoric times.
The World Heritage Site is two areas of land about 24 km apart, not a single monument: more than 700 archaeological features and 160 scheduled monuments, including Durrington Walls, Woodhenge and the barrow cemeteries around Stonehenge, and Silbury Hill and West Kennet Long Barrow around Avebury. Wikivoyage says the area has been occupied since around 8000 BC, that English Heritage runs Stonehenge and the National Trust owns a third of the landscape, and that visitors go first to the visitor centre, then by bus or on foot to the stones.
- c. 8000 BCThe area around Stonehenge is first occupied
- NeolithicThe henges and stone circles are raised
- Bronze AgeBarrow cemeteries spread across the ridges
- 1986Inscribed as World Heritage
Find Your Way Around
The main parts of the site, in the order most visitors see them
- 1StonehengeThe stone circle, seen from roped paths; the GoGo guide allows three hours from Salisbury.
- 2AveburyA village inside a giant stone circle, with Silbury Hill nearby.
- 3West Kennet Long BarrowThe Neolithic tomb above Avebury.
- 4Durrington Walls and WoodhengeNorth of the Countess roundabout at Amesbury.
- 5Salisbury MuseumStonehenge finds and the Amesbury Archer, in the Cathedral Close.
- 6The LandscapeFootpaths and bridleways cross National Trust land between the monuments.
Know Before You Go
From Wikivoyage and the GoGo guides
Two Stone Circles
From the GoGo Salisbury guide · Open the Salisbury Guide ›
- 09:00Stonehenge3 hrsThe stone circle, 15 minutes from Salisbury.
- 13:00Avebury Stone Circle3 hrsThe village inside the henge, and Silbury Hill.
- 19:00Dinner at the Haunch of Venison90 minA 14th-century pub in Salisbury.
Best Time to Visit
Best months: Jun–Sep.
Typical highs
Climate: NASA POWER
Pair It With
Other World Heritage sites nearby, by distance
