In September 2024, my husband and I took a VIP tour of Stonehenge in Wiltshire as part of our visit to the UK.
Stonehenge is one of the world’s most famous prehistoric sites, an amazing must-see monument with a magical atmosphere. This prehistoric stone circle in the beautiful Wiltshire countryside is also one of the most popular tourist attractions in the UK, and over one million people visit Stonehenge every year.
A VIP tour of Stonehenge offers a rare opportunity to get close to the stones and explore the tranquil circle of Stonehenge without crowds of general visitors around. The tour I did included access to the inner stone ring at sunrise. This before-hours private tour was incredible and something that is usually off limits for visitors.
Read on to discover why I think a private Stonehenge tour is worth including in your UK itinerary.
The History Of Stonehenge
Along with nearby Avebury stone circle, Stonehenge was one of the first UK locations to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The famous stone circle is cared for by English Heritage, a charity that preserves historic and prehistoric sites in England.
Part of the mystery of Stonehenge revolves around how it was built and what it was used for. We now know that work began on the giant stone circle at Stonehenge around 5000 years ago, and it was built in stages over time.
Some of the stones are from the local area, while some stones came from south-west Wales, and others travelled to Wiltshire from Scotland. Although no one knows exactly why Stonehenge was built, archaeologists believe this world-famous monument was likely a prehistoric temple. That’s because the sun rises over the large Heel Stone on the summer solstice and sets over it on the winter solstice.
Visiting Stonehenge is a unique opportunity to learn about the prehistoric mysteries of the great monoliths and what life might have been like in the Neolithic era.
Before 1977, visitors to Stonehenge could touch and even sit on the inner stone circle of Stonehenge, which caused damage to the stones. English Heritage restricted access to protect the stones from further damage, so a VIP tour is an exclusive and unforgettable opportunity to get close to the monument.
Stonehenge Rock Tours
I booked our VIP Stonehenge tour with Stonehenge Rock Tours, who have 30 years of experience running award-winning tours of Stonehenge. They offer a range of small group coach tours led by an expert local guide along with private Stonehenge experiences, which they can customize to suit your travel plans.
These special access tours can depart from London and several other locations in southwest England. Your private tour is a full-day experience and includes stops at other destinations before returning to London, such as Bath, Windsor Castle, or Salisbury Cathedral, so it’s a great addition to your England tour itinerary.
Stonehenge Rock Tours offers private access tours at sunrise or sunset when the monument isn’t open to the general public. You can walk inside the inner circle of Stonehenge and learn the secrets of the stones from your expert driver-guide.
I booked our private access tour at sunrise, which gave us privileged access to the Stonehenge inner circle as the sun rose over the ancient site. The booking process was a bit more manual than I expected. Emails went back and forth until we found an available date to suit our schedule, and then Stonehenge Rock Tours created a special listing so I could pay online.
I originally booked the tour as a non-refundable experience for summer 2024, but our travel plans changed. Stonehenge Rock Tours kindly offered me a voucher for a future visit, which I was able to use when we traveled back to the UK in September 2024. Our tour cost 745 pounds for a 10-hour day, regardless of the number of people in our group (up to a point). We had to separately buy our entrance tickets to Stonehenge as well as the ticket for our guide.
Our VIP Tour of Stonehenge
Our day had an early start, as the sun rises at Stonehenge at around 7am in September. Stonehenge Rock Tours will collect you from most main hotels in central London, and our expert driver-guide, David, picked us up at 4:30am for the 2 hour drive to Wiltshire.
The inner stone tours are only available to a maximum of 25 people a day. Though David was our private guide and driver for the day, we met the remaining 20 people for our morning as we all assembled at the Stonehenge visitor center. A shuttle bus will take you as close as possible to the stones, and then there’s a short walk down a path to the stone circle.
A rope barrier stops general visitors from getting too close, but on a Stonehenge inner circle tour, you can cross the rope barrier and walk right up to the stones. We had plenty of time to wander around the stones as the sun gradually rose over them. You can even walk through the stone archways, although you’re can’t touch the stones as this could damage the protective lichen that grows on them.
Exploring Stonehenge
Our guide David told us about how archaeologists think Stonehenge was built. Some of the stones stand 21 feet high and weigh up to 50 tons, and it’s pretty amazing to think how people in the ancient world managed to move these massive stones from Scotland or Wales.
In my opinion, booking one of the Stone Circle experience visits is the best way to experience the mystery of these ancient stones. I don’t have any spiritual affinity with Stonehenge, but there was definitely something magical about standing so close to a 5000 year old monument. It was a truly unforgettable experience.
You’ll have plenty of time to soak in this unique atmosphere before you head back to the shuttle bus and return to the visitor center. The center was just starting to open when we got back, so we could buy souvenirs in the gift shop and warm up with a coffee.
Is the Inner Ring Stonehenge Tour Good for Kids?
I originally booked this as a family tour and I was expecting a significant amount of moaning and groaning from the kids about the early wake up, long drive, and stones that they couldn’t touch or climb on. When we had to cancel, I was disappointed for myself but a bit relieved, honestly. Only my husband and myself actually took the tour when we rescheduled it. In retrospect, this was a good move.
There were a few kids on our tour, but I think this one is better for adults only. It is an extremely early departure time followed by a long car ride. The stones themselves are mystical and you can really feel the history, but the magic is likely to be lost on children. I think my kids would have been bored within a few minutes, and my own experience would have been diminished by trying to keep them engaged and also not banned from the monument for touching things with curious fingers.
I also think they would not have found much of interest in Bath or Windsor, had we brought them on the second part of the tour. I generally try to avoid all-day activities with elementary age kids, and this tour is no different. My verdict is: save this one for an adults-only trip unless you truly feel you will not have another opportunity to visit the stones and it is a bucket list item for you.
After Stonehenge
One of the benefits of booking an early tour of Stonehenge is that you can spend the rest of the day exploring another destination. Stonehenge Rock Tours offer a range of options, so we could have visited Windsor Castle or explored the pretty villages of the Cotswolds, among others.
Windsor seems to be the typical path for this tour, but as we had already visited Windsor on a previous visit to London, we looked for other alternatives. Our guide was happy to brainstorm other options with us.
We decided to visit the beautiful city of Bath and take in some of the best things to do in Bath, such as the Roman Baths, the Pump Room, and Bath Abbey. There isn’t much parking in Bath city center, so our driver dropped us off and left us to look around. We agreed on a time and place to meet up, exchanging contact details in case of any problems.
We really enjoyed our time in Bath, but we couldn’t spend too long exploring the city as there are restrictions on how many hours drivers can legally work. In fact, we were back in London by 2pm, so we had nearly the full afternoon to enjoy some other London attractions.
On our way back, we made an extremely brief stop in a village in the Cotswolds. I would have loved to stay a bit longer, and honestly I felt a bit ick about it because we were those people who swung through for 10 minutes, took a couple of photos, and left again.
If I were to do this tour again, I would pick one major area (either Bath or the Cotswolds) to focus our remaining time in. That’s something to consider when planning your Stonehenge day trip and the rest of your England itinerary.
What to wear to Stonehenge
An asphalt path takes you close to the inner stone circle, but the ground around the stones is uneven. So wearing comfortable walking shoes or sneakers for your Stonehenge tour is a good idea.
The sky was clear on the morning of our visit, which was great for taking photographs and video of the sunrise. However, it also meant we were freezing cold as the rising sun hadn’t yet warmed the air.
The UK was coming to the end of an unusually cold summer when we visited in September 2024, so if you book your tour in June, July, or August, it might not be quite so cold. In any case, I recommend wearing a warm sweater or jacket if you book the early tour!
Of course, the UK is famous for its rainy weather throughout the year, so be sure to take a waterproof jacket or umbrella.
On our morning, we wore a thermal base layer under our regular clothes, thick sweaters, an insulated jacket, and a rainproof outer layer. My husband, who is bald, wore a stocking cap. Even with all that, my feet were absolutely freezing! If you’re joining this tour outside of the warmest months, plan to be cold!
Lastly, you must bring a camera to capture photos and videos! I did a time lapse video on one of our phones of the sun rising around the stones, and I used my professional camera to grab other shots throughout the day.
A VIP Tour of Stonehenge: Is it worth it?
Most people we saw at Stonehenge were traveling in private groups or on a private tour with a Stonehenge guide.
If you don’t want to book a tour, it’s technically possible to arrange your own self-guided tour by booking tickets to visit the inner circle of Stonehenge directly through English Heritage.
However, like the Ceremony of the Keys tour at the Tower of London, it’s really hard to get hold of those tickets. The tour operators know exactly when Stonehenge tickets will go on sale, and they tend to snap them up right away to sell as tour packages.
So booking a VIP tour makes it easier to book your visit on a day that suits you. If you’re looking for a spectacular VIP tour in Europe that you can book directly with the venue, take a look at the best Eiffel Tower tour.
Of course, you’ll benefit from the knowledge of an expert tour guide, who will also be responsible for transporting you to Stonehenge before sunrise. So your travel arrangements will be more straightforward, and you’ll get more out of this once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Booking a tour also means that all your travel and entrance costs are included in the tour price. Your only costs on the day are any souvenirs and refreshments you purchase at the visitor center and a tip for your driver-guide.
Our VIP tour of Stonehenge was a unique opportunity to get close to one of the world’s most famous prehistoric monuments. Our knowledgeable host was professional and entertaining throughout the day, and his expertise made the experience even more unforgettable.
I’ll never forget the experience of walking between the massive stones of Stonehenge at sunrise, and I’d highly recommend this tour.
