Continuing my series on day trips from London, another popular one people take is Stonehenge and Bath. Many people do Stonehenge on their first visit to London, but I skipped it thinking it was probably overrated. I had more time on my second visit to London, so it was time to see if Stonehenge was worth visiting.

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Is Stonehenge worth visiting?

Well it is exactly what you see in the pictures – a circle of rocks. There is nothing to do once you get there, except walk around that pile of rocks. Now they are impressively large rocks and it does make you wonder how they got there and why they are arranged the way they are. But honestly 1 lap around the rocks which takes about 30 minutes is enough to see it.

Stonehenge definitely photographs best if you can line up a gap in the rocks to see through to the other side.

There are some very nice fields nearby which you could wander through. The day tour I took gave about 2 hours to take the shuttle bus to / from the visitor centre, and wander around the visitor centre.

I thought there would be viewing platforms where you could see the rocks from a distance (e.g. from a nearby hillside), but it’s quite flat with private fields nearby. There is a walking route but you won’t see much from there either. Depending on which direction you come from, the right side of the tour bus had a good view of Stonehenge with sheep in the foreground / the field in front which would’ve made for some amazing pictures. Unfortunately I was sitting on the left side of the bus so you’ll have to take my word for it!

When I was planning my itinerary, Stonehenge was logistically very difficult without a car which is why I joined this day trip.

My rating for Stonehenge: 2/5 (5 being the highest). I wouldn’t go out of your way to see it. But at the same time I don’t regret going. It’s one of those places you always see photos off and think you just have to see it to satisfy your curiosity.

After Stonehenge, it was onto Bath.

Things to see and do in Bath

Visit the Roman Baths
Royal Crescent (Bridgeton filming location but also just an impressively huge half circle of row houses)
Bath Abbey
Visit the Jane Austen Visitor Centre
Eat a cornish pastry from the Cornish Bakehouse
Try a cookie from Ben’s Cookies
Wander the streets of the old town
Walk along the riverfront
Go up to Alexandra Park viewpoint for an amazing view over Bath (warning: it’s a steep path to get up there)
Bridgerton filming locations
- No.1 Royal Crescent – the Featherington’s house
- Abbey Green – the Bridgerton Modiste
- Beauford Square
- The Holburne Museum – Lady Danbury’s house
- Bath Street
- Alfred Street
- Edward Street

My rating: 3.5/5 (5 being the highest). I would’ve liked another hour or so (3/4 of a day instead of 1/2 a day, so I could explore at a more leisurely pace)

Take a relaxing walk along the river, don’t forget to head down and walk on the other side of the river too!

Bath is ideal to visit if you like old stone buildings, and want an itinerary with a mix of wandering the old town, going to a viewpoint and seeing an attraction (the Roman Baths).

It would be ideal to visit as part of a day trip combined with some of the adorable nearby Cotswold’s villages, otherwise a good day trip option if you have 5 or more days in London.

The Royal Crescent. I couldn’t even fit it all in the one frame!

I took way too many photos of the row houses – so quintessentially British!

Alexandra Park viewpoint – it’s well worth the effort to get to the top

Don’t forget to try something from a cornish bakehouse

I think a better day trip would be Bath and Bristol

I did a separate day trip to Bristol and Clifton (I’ll be posting that on the blog here soon), but you could combine the 2 into a day tour if you wanted. Bristol is only 17 min on the train from Bath.

Bristol was more interesting than Stonehenge. There’s also a nice river you can walk alongside with plenty of restaurants to choose from. Bristol did feel a bit ‘grunge’ with graffiti walls once you leave the main tourist drag. Clifton suspension bridge is worth a look and there are some pretty row houses nearby. If you want a relaxed day of wandering without a set schedule, and a bit of ‘suburban’ shopping outside of London, then Bristol is a good option.

DIY day trip via public transport versus an organized bus tour

I chose to visit Bath and Stonehenge via this day tour I booked on Viator (included entry into the Roman Baths, there was also the option for entrance into the Jane Austen visitor centre). It was good to have a ticket pre-booked to save the hassle, but there actually wasn’t a queue when I went there (on a Thursday), and the pre-booked timeslot with the tour was a bit annoying.

There was about 2 hours to explore on your own, then you had to go back to the Roman Baths, and then there was about half an hour spare again – so you were a bit limited in how far you can stray from the town centre. Make sure you plan your route around the town carefully so you can fit everything in that you want to see.

Tip: Buses for day tours from London leave from Victoria Coach station. You can get there via the metro (circle line), or if you are staying in Westminster / Trafalgar square area, you walk down the mall and past Buckingham Palace on the way there.

Bath is easily accessible via train from London. If you go to Bristol, the train will probably stop at Bath on the way. The reason I booked a a bus tour was because Stonehenge is logistically difficult to get to – I would’ve had to waste a lot of time getting shuttle transfers to get to Stonehenge.