★★★★★
A good way to see a lot of ground if your time is short. We took Castle Combe, Lacock, Avebury and Stonehenge in that order, and Bill's commentary added to every stop. He was easy company all day.
Wendy C. · Family · August 2026
Stonehenge, Avebury & the Cotswolds from Bath (Small group)
Two villages, two stone circles, one minibus
Ninety minutes inside the circle
Long enough to cross the bank and walk a full quadrant, rather than photograph one stone from the road.
Castle Combe before the crowds
Thirty-five minutes in a village of honey-coloured stone that is usually the first stop of the day.
An hour in Lacock
Timber-framed streets and an abbey that has stood in for period drama for forty years.
Stonehenge to finish
One hour forty at the monument, with the ticket bought on arrival.
Sixteen travellers, not fifty
A minibus can take the lanes a coach cannot, which is how Castle Combe stays on the route.
This is the cheapest guided way to reach Avebury, and the shortest run to it. Bath is under an hour from the stones, so the day spends its time at the stops rather than on the motorway. It leaves North Parade at 8:15am and works west to east: Castle Combe, Lacock, Avebury, Stonehenge.
The order matters. Arriving at Avebury in the middle of the day puts you there with the other coach parties. Ninety minutes is long enough to walk away from them, though: the north-west quadrant is usually empty even in August. Your guide will point out which stones Alexander Keiller re-erected in the 1930s, and which of the low concrete blocks in the turf mark a stone that is gone.
Stonehenge closes the day. Its ticket is not in the fare, so this is the one stop where you spend more money. The difference between the two monuments is the whole argument for coming here. At Stonehenge you walk a path at a distance; at Avebury you put a hand on a forty-ton sarsen for nothing.
How the nine hours break down
- 8:15am, North Parade, Bath. Board outside the Abbey Hotel.
- Castle Combe, 35 minutes. The bridge, the market cross and the row of weavers' cottages.
- Lacock, 1 hour. The village streets and the abbey grounds; entry to the abbey itself is separate.
- Avebury, 1 hour 30. The bank, the quadrants, the Cove and the village inside the circle.
- Stonehenge, 1 hour 40. Visitor centre and the monument; ticket bought on arrival.
- Late afternoon, back in Bath. Returning to the same North Parade stop.
Who this suits, and who should book something else
Book this if
- You are based in Bath or arriving at Bath Spa by train.
- You want the Cotswold villages as well as the stones.
- Price matters and you would rather put the saving toward the Stonehenge ticket.
- A minibus of sixteen suits you better than a full coach.
Choose something else if
- Avebury is the whole point. Ninety minutes is generous for a coach tour and short for a monument this size. The London day trip gives you two hours and pays for Stonehenge.
- You are travelling with children under seven, whom the operator cannot take.
- You want to set your own pace — the private car from Salisbury is built around what you ask for.
Still weighing it up? The Avebury tours comparison puts every option side by side. A Bath private tour to Avebury is the alternative if your group would rather have the vehicle to itself.
What the fare covers
Included
- Guide throughout the day
- Transport by minibus from and back to Bath
- All four stops, with time at each
Not included
- Stonehenge entrance ticket, paid on the day of the tour
- Lunch and refreshments
- Entry to Lacock Abbey
Avebury needs nothing: no ticket, no booking, no charge. The car park is the operator's problem, not yours. Full costs at the site are on the visiting page.
Where you meet, and what to do if you are late
Boarding is at 1 North Parade, Bath BA1 1NX, outside the Abbey Hotel, at 8:15am. It is about ten minutes on foot from Bath Spa railway station and five from the abbey. The minibus leaves on time because the day is tight; if you are running late, message the operator through your booking rather than heading for the first stop.
Know before you go
- Bring the Stonehenge fare. It is the one ticket you buy yourself, and buying it on the day costs more than booking ahead.
- Shoes for wet grass. Three of the four stops are on turf or cobbles, and chalk downland holds water.
- Eat before Avebury or bring lunch. The village pub has a small kitchen and several tours arrive together.
- Children must be seven or over. That is the operator's rule, not a guideline.
- Book ahead in summer. Sixteen seats on the most-reviewed day out of Bath go early between June and September.
- Free cancellation to 24 hours. After that the fare is not refundable, so watch the forecast the day before.
What travellers said about this day
★★★★★
Sean drove us all day and had a good sense of humour with it. The two villages were beautiful and full of history. Then Avebury henge and Stonehenge, which made a properly full day out.
Sherry C. · Couple · June 2026
★★★★★
One practical tip: the pub at Avebury has a small kitchen and the tour groups overwhelm it. Use the café or bring lunch and you will not lose half your stop queueing. The circle itself is worth the whole day.
Joyce H. · Couple · July 2026
Read all reviews for this tour
Frequently asked questions
Is the Stonehenge entrance ticket included?
No. The fare covers the transport and the guide, and the Stonehenge admission is bought separately on the day of the tour. Avebury itself is free, so there is nothing to pay there.
How long do you actually get at Avebury?
Ninety minutes, which is enough to cross the bank, walk the western quadrant and still get a drink in the village. It is longer than most of the London coach days manage.
What is the group size?
The operator caps this tour at sixteen travellers. It runs in a minibus rather than a full-size coach, which is why it can use the lanes into Castle Combe.
Is it suitable for young children?
This day is built for children of seven and over, which keeps the pace up across four stops on uneven ground. Younger families do better on a private car with infant seats.
What if I want more time at the stones and less driving?
Then start from London instead. The Stonehenge and Avebury day trip gives you two hours in the circle and includes the Stonehenge ticket in the fare. It skips the villages entirely.
Where does it leave from?
North Parade in Bath, outside the Abbey Hotel, at quarter past eight in the morning. It is a ten-minute walk from Bath Spa station.
Other ways to reach the stones
Book the Bath small-group day
Nine hours, two villages and both stone circles, on the shortest run to Avebury that any guided tour makes.
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