Getting to Avebury
Avebury sits seven miles west of Marlborough on the A4361, in the middle of the Wiltshire downs. There is no station in the village and no direct train from anywhere, which is the single fact that shapes every visit.
By car — the A4361, seven miles west of Marlborough
The A4361 runs north from the A4 at Beckhampton straight into the village, and it crosses the henge itself: two public roads quarter the circle, which is why you can drive through a Neolithic monument without noticing you have. From the M4 you come off at Junction 16 for Swindon and drop south, about twenty-five minutes.
From Bath it is under an hour, from Salisbury about forty-five minutes, and from central London roughly two hours each way in ordinary traffic. That two-hour figure is why a Stonehenge and Avebury tour from London runs nine to eleven hours: a third of the day is the road.
The National Trust car park — SN8 1RF, 9am to 6pm
Park at the National Trust car park south of the village, signed off the A4361. Use SN8 1RF for the car park itself; SN8 1RD will take you to the village and the museum. It is £8 for the day, £5 after 3pm, and free if you are a National Trust member or a Blue Badge holder.
There is free disabled parking in the village car park, and motorcycles park free. There is no useful roadside parking in the village — the lanes are narrow and lined with cottages. Full costs are on the visiting Avebury page.
By bus — the 49 and the 42
Stagecoach West bus 49 runs daily between Swindon, Avebury, Devizes and Trowbridge, and it is the service that makes a car-free visit realistic. It stops at Avebury (Red Lion), in the middle of the village and inside the stone circle. From Swindon it leaves Fleming Way, about half a mile from the railway station.
Bus 42 runs Monday to Saturday from Marlborough through Avebury to Calne, five journeys a day, with no Sunday service. Between the two you can reach the stones from four directions on a weekday, and from two on a Sunday.
By train — Swindon, Pewsey, Chippenham and Trowbridge
| Station | Distance | Onward | Worth using? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swindon | 12 miles | Bus 49 from Fleming Way, 0.5 miles from the station | Yes — the practical choice |
| Pewsey | 11 miles | No bus connection | Closest, but you will need a taxi |
| Chippenham | 14 miles | No direct service | Taxi or hire car |
| Trowbridge | 20 miles | Bus 49 from Town Bridge, 0.2 miles | Yes, but it is a long ride |
Pewsey is nearest as the crow flies and least useful in practice. Swindon is the answer for almost everyone arriving by rail, and it is on the main line from London Paddington.
Coaches, minibuses and Blue Badge parking
Coach parking is available in the main car park but there is not much of it, at £30 for the day or £20 after 3pm. That constraint is one reason the guided days run to fixed timings rather than letting you linger. English Heritage members with a valid car sticker park free.
If you are travelling with a wheelchair, several of the private days take a folding chair and two describe their vehicles as wheelchair accessible. Those details sit on each card, because they are the operator's claim rather than ours — see the Avebury tours grid.
On foot and by bike
Avebury is on the National Cycle Network, and the ride out from Marlborough along the downs is one of the better approaches to any prehistoric site in England. The Ridgeway passes close by, so walkers arriving on foot from Overton Hill can come in past West Kennet Avenue rather than through the car park.
Coming in on foot from the south along the Avenue is the way the monument was designed to be entered, and it costs nothing. If you are building a day around the wider landscape, the Avebury map and site layout page sets out the distances, and Avebury Tours compares the days that handle the driving for you.
Would a guided day be simpler?
Two hours on the road each way from London, or under an hour from Bath. Compare what each tour gives you at the stones before you commit to the train.
Sources
Checked on 5 September 2026. Hours and prices are the operators' and the National Trust's own, and they change — the official pages are the place to confirm before you travel.