What are the Stonehenge & Avebury stone circles?

A short journey away lies Avebury, the largest stone circle in the world, offering a completely different yet equally profound experience. Together, they form a single UNESCO World Heritage Site, a journey into the heart of a neolithic world. If you're wondering whether to witness these marvels for yourself, here are just a few reasons why you absolutely must.

Stonehenge: The ancient mystery

For over 5,000 years, the stones of Stonehenge have stood as silent witnesses to the passing of time, their purpose still shrouded in mystery. Was it a temple for sun worship, a celestial calendar, or a sacred burial ground? Walking the path around this incredible monument allows you to ponder the enigma for yourself while marvelling at its construction—a feat of engineering that saw colossal stones dragged for miles and erected with breathtaking astronomical precision. It’s a humbling, awe-inspiring experience that connects you to a distant, unknowable past.

Avebury: The living stone circle

If Stonehenge is a perfectly preserved stage, Avebury is an interactive world you can step directly into. Here you will find the largest stone circle on the planet—so vast it contains an entire village within its banks. Unlike at Stonehenge, you are free to wander among the ancient megaliths, touch their weathered surfaces, and feel the sheer scale of the site firsthand. Surrounded by a massive henge (a circular bank and ditch), and with avenues of standing stones leading away into the landscape, Avebury offers a sense of discovery and freedom that is truly unique.

A tale of two stones

Visiting both sites tells a richer story. You can compare the precisely engineered sarsen stones of Stonehenge with the more rugged, natural forms of the stones at Avebury. One feels like a formal, celestial observatory, isolated and revered from a distance. The other feels like a sprawling, communal heartland, a place where ancient people lived, worshipped, and gathered. To see both is to understand the different ways our ancestors interacted with their landscape and expressed their beliefs in stone.

Explore a prehistoric England

The journey between these two great monuments is as much a part of the experience as the sites themselves. The landscape is dotted with ancient burial mounds (barrows), ceremonial pathways, and other mysterious landmarks like Silbury Hill, Europe's largest prehistoric man-made mound. At the state-of-the-art Stonehenge Visitor Centre, you can explore over 250 archaeological objects and step inside reconstructed Neolithic houses to see how the people who built these incredible structures might have lived, completing the picture of this fascinating ancient world.

Join a day tour from Bath

The easiest and most rewarding way to explore this ancient landscape is from the nearby city of Bath. You can escape the hassle of driving and arranging tickets by joining a tour that brings the history and mystery of the stones to life.

For a day trip that combines two of England's greatest treasures, our Cotswolds and Stonehenge Tour from Bath lets you experience idyllic countryside and ancient mysteries all in one unforgettable adventure.

Ready to walk in the footsteps of ancient peoples? Join our Cotswolds and Stonehenge Tour from Bath to experience the magic of Stonehenge and Avebury for yourself!