The day built around the stones, not around the villages
Two hours inside the Avebury circle
The longest stay any London
coach day gives you, and enough for all four quadrants.
Stonehenge admission in the fare
One of only three days here
that pays English Heritage for you.
West Kennet Long Barrow
A 3650 BC chambered tomb you walk into,
free and a thousand years older than the henge.
Three Stone Age sites in a day
No cathedrals, no Georgian
terraces, no village shopping.
Door-to-door from Earl's Court
One Underground stop, one coach,
back the same evening.
Most day trips out of London use Avebury as a stop between more famous things. This one
does the opposite. There is no Bath, no Cotswolds and no Windsor: three Neolithic monuments
in the Kennet valley and back, with the ticket that usually costs you extra already paid.
Two hours at Avebury changes the visit. An hour lets you walk one half of the circle;
two lets you cross the bank into all four quadrants, stand between the surviving stones of
the Cove and still have twenty minutes in the village. It is also enough time to notice the
concrete plinths in the turf and ask what they are, which is the moment most people start
to understand what they are standing in.
West Kennet Long Barrow is the stop nobody expects to remember. It is a half-mile walk
uphill from the A4 across farmland, and at the end of it you can duck into a burial chamber
built around 3650 BC where nearly fifty people were laid before the entrance was blocked.
It is free, it is unstaffed, and in heavy rain the tour manager may decide the field is not
worth it.
Hour by hour, Earl's Court and back
8:30am, Earl's Court. Bus Stop C on Warwick Road, SW5 9TB.
Stonehenge, 2 hours. Visitor centre, shuttle and the monument.
Admission included.
Avebury, 2 hours. The bank, four quadrants, the Cove, the village and
the pub.
West Kennet Long Barrow, 45 minutes. Half a mile uphill from the
lay-by, weather permitting.
Evening, back at Earl's Court. Ten hours door to door.
Who this suits, and who should book something else
Book this if
Avebury is the reason you are going, not a stop on the way to Bath.
You are in London without a car and want both monuments in one day.
You would rather have the Stonehenge ticket bundled than shop for it.
A chambered tomb you can walk into sounds like a good use of forty-five minutes.
Choose something else if
You want Georgian Bath or Cotswold villages in the same day — the
Bath small-group
day is built for that.
Twenty-five people on a coach is more than you want. A
private
car takes six.
You need a fixed guarantee on the long barrow; in bad weather this stop can be
dropped.
Every option is set out on the Avebury tours comparison, and if
you are starting from the west rather than London, an
Avebury tour from London is not the only route — the Bath and
Salisbury departures are shorter days.
What the fare covers
Included
Stonehenge admission tickets
Professional guide and live commentary
Air-conditioned coach from and back to Earl's Court
Pickup and drop-off at the designated meeting point
Not included
Gratuities
Lunch and refreshments
Hotel pickup
Avebury and West Kennet Long Barrow are both free to enter, so the Stonehenge ticket is
the only admission on the day and it is already paid.
Where you meet, and what the stop looks like
The coach picks up on Warwick Road at Earl's Court, postcode SW5 9TB, at 8:30am. Coming
out of the Underground station, follow the exit signs for Warwick Road rather than Earl's
Court Road. Putting SW5 9TB into a map application drops the pin on the right spot; there is
no ticket office and no branded desk, so allow ten minutes.
Know before you go
The long barrow needs proper shoes. Half a mile uphill on farmland,
uneven, with an unguarded drop above the entrance.
Bad weather can cut that stop. The tour manager decides on the day;
everything else runs regardless.
Bring lunch or eat at Avebury early. The village pub is small and
several coaches arrive within the same hour.
There is no hotel pickup. Earl's Court is the only boarding point.
It is a full ten hours. Two of them are the road out and two the road
back.
Free cancellation to 24 hours. Cancel by then and the fare is refunded
in full.
What travellers said about this day
★★★☆☆
At Stonehenge you cannot get near the stones, and it looks much as it does in the photographs. Avebury is the opposite: the stones are spread out and you can walk up and touch them. It is also the lunch stop and the capacity is small, so eat before the coaches land.
Hank F. · Solo traveller · July 2026
★★★★★
Hayley paced the commentary well and Antonio drove us comfortably all day. Stonehenge was impressive but crowded. Avebury felt quieter and more like a place you could actually spend time in.
Emily S. · Couple · November 2024
★★★★★
Seeing the long barrow, the Avebury circle and Stonehenge without driving or working out trains was worth the fare on its own. The guide and driver both knew the ground well. An easy, well-run day.
Alan C. · Couple · September 2024
★★★★★
Nick and Kirstin filled in the background and the stories behind both circles, which made the difference. The places are fascinating in themselves. We would happily do it again.
Yes. Admission to Stonehenge is in the fare, which is unusual on a London coach day and worth counting when you compare prices. Avebury has no admission at all.
How much time do you get at each stop?
Two hours at Stonehenge, two hours at Avebury and forty-five minutes at West Kennet Long Barrow. That two-hour stay at Avebury is the longest of any coach day from London.
Will the long barrow stop definitely happen?
Usually, but not always. Reaching it means a half-mile walk uphill across a field, so in heavy rain your tour manager may decide against it on the day. Everything else on the route runs whatever the weather.
Where does the coach leave from?
Earl's Court, Bus Stop C on Warwick Road, SW5 9TB, at 8:30am. Follow the Warwick Road exit signs from the Underground station.
How big is the group?
Up to twenty-five travellers. It is a coach day rather than a minibus day, which is part of why the fare is what it is.
Is there a version with more time in one place?
Yes, if you set the pace yourself. The private car with a local guide runs three to eight hours around whatever you ask to see. No coach is waiting, so an extra twenty minutes is a conversation.
Can I do this without the early start?
Not from London. Two hours each way is the shortest realistic road time, so an 8:30am departure is what a ten-hour day looks like.
