Avebury's stone circle is free to walk around, any day, at any hour, which already makes it a different proposition from Stonehenge. It's about an hour and a half from Bath by train and bus, or roughly 45 minutes to an hour by car, and unlike its more famous neighbour, you can touch the stones.
Avebury vs Stonehenge
Both are Neolithic monuments and both sit within about 45 minutes of each other in the Wiltshire countryside, but they offer quite different days out. Stonehenge is the icon: a roped-off circle you view from a set path, with timed entry tickets and a visitor centre. Avebury is older, considerably larger (it's the biggest stone circle in the world, and the henge is big enough to encircle the whole village, pub included), and completely open, with no fence and no ticket needed to walk among the stones.
| Avebury | Stonehenge | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry to the stones | Free | Paid, timed entry |
| Can you touch the stones | Yes | No |
| Size | Larger, world's biggest stone circle | Smaller, more famous |
| Visitor centre / museum | Optional, separate charge | Included in ticket |
| Public transport from Bath | Possible but slow | Train to Salisbury + tour bus, or coach tour |
| Crowds | Generally lighter | Heavier, especially midday |
If you only have time for one and want the world-famous name for the photo album, go to Stonehenge; our guide to day trips from Bath covers getting there. If you'd rather wander freely, get closer, and skip the ticket queue, Avebury is the better day out for most people.
Getting to Avebury from Bath
There's no direct public transport, but the connection isn't bad once you know the route:
- Train to Swindon. Direct trains from Bath Spa take roughly 24 to 25 minutes and run about every half hour, with fares from around £11.
- Stagecoach Route 49 bus to Avebury. From Swindon bus station, the 49 (Swindon to Devizes, via Wroughton and Broad Hinton) stops at the Red Lion pub in Avebury, roughly 25 to 30 minutes further on. It runs Monday to Saturday at reasonably regular intervals and on Sundays too, though Sunday services are less frequent, so check the current Stagecoach timetable before you travel.
All told, budget around 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes door to door once you allow for the connection. There's also the Swindon Bus Company's Route 42 (Marlborough to Calne via Avebury), a useful alternative if you're coming from that side, though it does not run on Sundays at all.
By car
Avebury is about 27 miles from Bath, roughly 45 minutes to an hour depending on traffic, via the A4 and A361 through Devizes or Calne. There's a National Trust car park on site: £8 for the day, or £5 after 3pm, with large vehicles and coaches priced higher. Parking is free for National Trust and English Heritage members, Blue Badge holders, and motorcycles.
What you'll find when you get there
The stone circle and the wider henge landscape are open from dawn to dusk, every day, and cost nothing to walk through. Alongside the stones, Avebury has a small cluster of paid attractions with their own separate opening hours, typically from mid-morning to late afternoon: the Alexander Keiller Museum, which holds finds from the site's excavations, Avebury Manor, and its walled garden. There's also a National Trust shop, a second-hand bookshop, and a café for lunch or a cream tea. Check current opening times for the museum and manor before you go, since they're shorter than the stone circle's dawn-to-dusk access and vary seasonally.
Give yourself at least two hours to walk the henge properly. Unlike Stonehenge, there's no set route, so you can wander among the stones, follow the ditch and bank around the perimeter, and detour into the village, which sits inside the circle itself.
Should you do both in one day?
It's possible if you have a car, since Avebury and Stonehenge are roughly 45 minutes apart, but it's a long day covering three separate car parks and two ticketed sites. Without a car, combining them in a single day by public transport isn't realistic given the separate routes involved. If you're weighing up how much of the Cotswolds and Wiltshire countryside you can fit in, our Cotswolds from Bath guide covers the wider area, and getting around Bath without a car has more on local transport basics before you set off.
FAQs in brief
Bring layers and decent shoes; the site is exposed farmland with no shelter beyond the café. Dogs are welcome on leads. And if you're visiting near the summer solstice in June, expect the car park to fill early and public transport to be genuinely useful, since parking can't accommodate everyone.