# Salisbury A Gothic cathedral with the tallest spire in England and an original Magna Carta, an hour and a half from Waterloo, and Stonehenge half an hour away by bus. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/england/salisbury · Revisado: 2026-11-12 Salisbury is a market town on the Wiltshire plain with two reasons to go from London. The first is its cathedral: Gothic, built almost in one go in the 13th century, with the tallest spire in England, 123 metres, and one of the four original copies of the 1215 Magna Carta. The second is that it is the most practical base for Stonehenge, about 15 kilometres away: the tourist bus leaves from the same station the London train arrives at. Both fit into one day. ## How do you get there from London? By train, South Western Railway leaves London Waterloo with direct trains taking an hour and a half or a little less. The station is west of the centre, 15 minutes' walk from the cathedral. By car, via the M3 and the A303, about two hours from central London. The A303 passes right by Stonehenge, so you can see the stones on the way. In the centre, park at Lush House or Old George Mall, five minutes from the cathedral close. If you are already in Bath, Stonehenge can also be done from there, on a small-group day trip; from London, Salisbury is the shortest route. ## What to see in a day In the morning, Stonehenge. Take The Stonehenge Tour bus at the station: in half an hour you are at the visitor centre, and a shuttle takes you closer to the stones. On the way back, get off at Old Sarum, the fortified hill where the first Salisbury stood, with the ruins of the Norman castle and the plan of the old cathedral. The all-inclusive ticket includes admission to Stonehenge and to Salisbury Cathedral. In the afternoon, the cathedral. Enter through the close, the largest in England, with its lawn and Georgian houses. Inside, the oldest working mechanical clock in the world, from 1386, and the Chapter House with the Magna Carta. If you have the legs for it and have booked, the tower tour takes you up 332 steps to the base of the spire. Opposite the façade, the Salisbury Museum shows what has been found around Stonehenge. At the end of the day, cross the Harnham water meadows along the Town Path, with the view of the cathedral that Constable painted, to the Old Mill, a 15th-century mill on the river, for dinner or a drink. ## Is it worth staying the night? If you want Stonehenge and the cathedral without rushing, yes. Sleeping in the cathedral close, at Sarum College, is peaceful: at night the medieval gates close to the public. The Red Lion, in the centre, is an inn with seven centuries of history and its own car park. ## When to go Spring and early autumn are the best times. In summer, Stonehenge is packed: go on the first bus. On 21 June, the summer solstice, the whole service changes. In winter it gets dark around half past four, the bus runs a winter timetable and the cathedral closes the Magna Carta earlier; even so, the day has room for everything. ## How much does it cost? The cathedral, with the Magna Carta, costs £12.50 if bought in advance and is valid for a year; under-12s do not pay. The tower, £25, admission included. The Salisbury Museum, £10.90. The Stonehenge bus with tickets has a combined-ticket price: check the operator's website. Eating in a pub costs £15–30. ## Dónde está - Cerca: Bath (a 52.5 km), Oxford (a 84.6 km), Cotswolds (a 90.2 km), Windsor (a 94.3 km) ## Qué hacer - **Salisbury Cathedral and Magna Carta** (1 h 30 · All ages; under-12s free · Adult £12.50 if bought in advance and £14.50 on the day; ages 12 to 16 £8.50; under-12s free; valid for a year): A Gothic cathedral built almost in one go, between 1220 and 1258, with England's tallest spire, at 123 metres, standing in a close of lawns and Georgian houses. Inside are the oldest working mechanical clock in the world, from 1386, and in the Chapter House one of the four surviving original copies of the 1215 Magna Carta. The ticket includes Magna Carta, costs £12.50 if bought in advance and is valid for a year; children under 12 go free. The Chapter House opens Monday to Saturday from 10:30 to 17:00 and on Sunday from 13:00 to 16:00; as this is a living church, check for closures before you go. - **Stonehenge and Old Sarum on the tour bus from Salisbury** (4 h · All ages): Salisbury is the classic base for visiting Stonehenge without a car: the stone circle is about 15 km away, on Salisbury Plain. The Stonehenge Tour, the Salisbury Reds tour bus, leaves from the train station and the centre, reaches Stonehenge in half an hour and returns via Old Sarum, the fortified hill where the first Salisbury stood, with the ruins of its castle and cathedral. The all-inclusive ticket covers entry to Stonehenge, the shuttle from the visitor centre to the stones and Salisbury Cathedral, which you can visit for up to 48 hours afterwards. You buy it online, at the station, at the tourist office or from the driver. There are winter and summer timetables: check them before planning your day. If you are coming from Bath, see the excursion from there. - **Guided climb up the tower of Salisbury Cathedral** (1 h 40 · From age 7 and 1.20 m; narrow stairs with no handrail · Adult £25, student £21, child aged 7 to 16 £18, booking online; includes entry to the cathedral and Magna Carta): A guided visit that climbs narrow spiral staircases, in stages, 332 steps up to the medieval roofs and the base of the spire, 68 metres above the ground. From the top you see the close, the city and Salisbury Plain, and inside the 13th-century timber structure. It lasts between an hour and a half and an hour and three quarters. It costs £25 and includes entry to the cathedral and Magna Carta, so do not buy both. You must book: places are limited. It is not for children under 7 or anyone with vertigo or difficulty climbing stairs. - **Old Sarum, the first Salisbury** (1 h 30 · All ages; embankments with room to run · English Heritage ticket; cheaper online up to the day before): A hill ringed by Iron Age ditches, 3 km north of Salisbury, where Romans, Saxons and Normans settled one after another. The Normans built a castle and the first cathedral; in the 13th century the bishop moved down to the valley and founded the Salisbury of today. What remains are the castle walls, the outline of the cathedral marked out in the grass and views across the plain in which you can see the new spire. It belongs to English Heritage: buy online up to the day before and it costs less. You can get here on the Stonehenge bus, which stops here, by car, or on foot along the Avon valley in an hour. - **Salisbury Museum, the archaeology of Stonehenge** (1 h 30 · All ages · Adult £10.90 (£12 with donation), child aged 5 to 15 £5.40, family £27.25, under-5s free): In the King's House, a medieval house in the cathedral close, opposite the west front. Its jewel is the Wessex archaeology gallery, with finds from around Stonehenge, and it is the perfect companion if you are going to the stones: it helps you understand who raised them. There are also paintings, costumes and a café. It opens every day from 10:00 to 17:00 and there is no need to book. - **A walk through the Harnham water meadows to the Old Mill** (1 h · 3 km · All ages; flat · Free): From the cathedral close, leave by the west side and cross the river towards Harnham along the Town Path, a track between water meadows and channels that leads to the Old Mill, a former 15th-century mill. Halfway along you get the view of the cathedral across the meadow that John Constable painted. It is about 20 minutes each way, on the flat; at the mill you can have a meal or a drink by the water. ## Dónde comer - **The Haunch of Venison** (Bar, Salisbury, €€). Qué pedir: a pint in the bar downstairs and, if you eat, some game in the dining room upstairs. - **The Old Mill** (Restaurant, Salisbury, €€). Qué pedir: Sunday lunch or something light on the terrace by the water, after the walk across the meadows. ## By plane: Fly to London and take the direct train to Salisbury Salisbury has no airport with flights from Spain: you fly to London, with direct flights from almost every Spanish airport, and carry on by direct train from Waterloo, in an hour and a half. Southampton and Bristol, an hour away by car, have some routes to Spain depending on the season. Once there, you can explore the city on foot, and Stonehenge has a bus. ### Dónde dormir if you're flying - **The Red Lion Hotel** (Hotel): The house A coaching inn which, according to the house, has fed and lodged travellers since the 13th century, on Milford Street, right in the centre. It has 60 rooms in three categories, spread across an old building of uneven corridors, a restaurant, the Vine, the 1220 bar and an afternoon tea that is among the best known in the city. Who it suits For one or two nights with everything within walking distance: the market square is two minutes away and the cathedral ten. Also for anyone arriving by car, because it has its own car park, a rarity in central Salisbury. How to get there From the station it is about fifteen minutes on foot along Fisherton Street and over the bridge. The Stonehenge bus has stops in the centre, a few minutes away. - **Sarum College** (Small hotel): The house A theological college in a Georgian house in the cathedral close, which lets its guest rooms to anyone, not only people taking courses. The rooms are simple, most with a bathroom, with tea and coffee and no television; some look onto the cathedral and others onto the rooftops of the close. A cooked breakfast is included. Who it suits For anyone who wants to sleep beside the spire at a reasonable price and values quiet: at night the close's medieval gates are closed to the public. It is not a retreat: at breakfast you will be sitting with tourists from all over the world. How to get there From the station, about 15 or 20 minutes on foot. The cathedral, Salisbury Museum and the path to the Harnham water meadows are a few steps away. Do not count on parking: the close has limited, paid spaces. ### Servicios - **Salisbury station (trains from London Waterloo)**: Direct South Western Railway trains from London Waterloo in an hour and a half or a little less. The Stonehenge bus leaves from here. ## Car-free: Train from Waterloo and bus to Stonehenge Salisbury is the best base for seeing Stonehenge without a car: the direct train from Waterloo takes an hour and a half, and at the same station you catch the tour bus that takes you to the stones and Old Sarum, with tickets included. The cathedral is 15 minutes on foot from the station. Presupuesto orientativo: 110–190 € por persona y día. ### Dónde dormir without a car - **The Red Lion Hotel** (Hotel): The house A coaching inn which, according to the house, has fed and lodged travellers since the 13th century, on Milford Street, right in the centre. It has 60 rooms in three categories, spread across an old building of uneven corridors, a restaurant, the Vine, the 1220 bar and an afternoon tea that is among the best known in the city. Who it suits For one or two nights with everything within walking distance: the market square is two minutes away and the cathedral ten. Also for anyone arriving by car, because it has its own car park, a rarity in central Salisbury. How to get there From the station it is about fifteen minutes on foot along Fisherton Street and over the bridge. The Stonehenge bus has stops in the centre, a few minutes away. - **Sarum College** (Small hotel): The house A theological college in a Georgian house in the cathedral close, which lets its guest rooms to anyone, not only people taking courses. The rooms are simple, most with a bathroom, with tea and coffee and no television; some look onto the cathedral and others onto the rooftops of the close. A cooked breakfast is included. Who it suits For anyone who wants to sleep beside the spire at a reasonable price and values quiet: at night the close's medieval gates are closed to the public. It is not a retreat: at breakfast you will be sitting with tourists from all over the world. How to get there From the station, about 15 or 20 minutes on foot. The cathedral, Salisbury Museum and the path to the Harnham water meadows are a few steps away. Do not count on parking: the close has limited, paid spaces. ### Servicios - **Salisbury station (trains from London Waterloo)**: Direct South Western Railway trains from London Waterloo in an hour and a half or a little less. The Stonehenge bus leaves from here. ## As a family: A spire, 5,000-year-old stones and a hill with ditches Salisbury and Stonehenge make a perfect pair with children: the bus to the stones leaves from the station, Old Sarum is a hill with ditches to run around, and at the cathedral under-12s go free. Salisbury Museum explains who raised Stonehenge. ### What works best Stonehenge and Old Sarum by bus, with tickets included Old Sarum, for running along the castle embankments Salisbury Cathedral, with the oldest clock in the world and Magna Carta Salisbury Museum, the archaeology of Stonehenge ### Where to stay The Red Lion Hotel, in the centre and with parking ### Where to eat The Old Mill, at the end of the walk across the meadows The Haunch of Venison, for older children who want to see a 700-year-old pub ### Good to know The tower climb is only for ages 7 and over and 1.20 m At Stonehenge the stones are seen from a path; they are not to be touched ### Qué hacer as a family - Salisbury Cathedral and Magna Carta - Stonehenge and Old Sarum on the tour bus from Salisbury - Old Sarum, the first Salisbury - Salisbury Museum, the archaeology of Stonehenge - A walk through the Harnham water meadows to the Old Mill ## With teenagers: 332 steps, Magna Carta and Stonehenge For teenagers, Salisbury has real challenges: climbing the cathedral tower by spiral staircases to the base of the spire, seeing an original 1215 Magna Carta and getting to Stonehenge by bus on their own, with their parents trailing behind. ### What works best Tower climb, 332 steps with a guide Cathedral and Magna Carta, reduced entry for ages 12 to 16 Stonehenge by bus, from the station Salisbury Museum, to understand the stones ### Where to stay The Red Lion Hotel, in the centre Sarum College, inside the close ### Where to eat The Haunch of Venison The Old Mill ### Good to know The tower must be booked; places are limited No wifi or TV at Sarum College ### Qué hacer with teenagers - Salisbury Cathedral and Magna Carta - Stonehenge and Old Sarum on the tour bus from Salisbury - Guided climb up the tower of Salisbury Cathedral - Salisbury Museum, the archaeology of Stonehenge ## Consejos ### Stonehenge first Go on the first bus, before the coaches from London. ### Buy the cathedral online It is £2 cheaper and is valid for a year. ### The tower, with a reservation Places sell out and there is no guarantee at the ticket office. ### Don't buy twice The tower and the Stonehenge bus ticket already include admission to the cathedral. ### Check the winter timetable The Stonehenge bus runs fewer departures out of season. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### How do you get from Salisbury to Stonehenge without a car? On The Stonehenge Tour bus, which leaves from the station and the centre and takes half an hour. ### Can you do Salisbury and Stonehenge in a day from London? Yes: an hour and a half by train from Waterloo, Stonehenge in the morning and the cathedral in the afternoon. ### Where is the Magna Carta? In the cathedral's Chapter House; you see it with general admission. ### Can you climb the spire? To its base, on the guided climb of 332 steps, from age 7 and with a reservation. ### Is the cathedral open on Sundays? Yes; the Chapter House with the Magna Carta, from 13:00 to 16:00. ### What is Old Sarum? The fortified hill where the first Salisbury stood, with the ruins of the castle and of the first cathedral.