Last Updated: 11/7/20 | November 7th, 2020
A stunning hour-and-a-half train ride through the English countryside from London takes you to the town Salisbury, home of the famous Stonehenge as well as the Magna Carta. It’s an easy day trip from London>, but I found that the town has a lot to offer and traveling to Salisbury is worth at least a night’s stay.
Salisbury has been an important site throughout human history. Over 5,000 years ago, Neolithic man was dragging huge stones, weighing up to 55 tons from Wales to Salisbury to build Stonehenge. It’s one of the best and most famous historical sites in the world. The area was a huge settlement and is now surrounded by ancient burial mounds and historical artifacts.
While Stonehenge is impressive and still one of the most important historical sites in human history, Salisbury itself is even more impressive. Beautifully preserved, this picturesque English country town offers a lot to do and will leave a far more lasting impression on me than Stonehenge.
Originally, “Old Sarum” (as the old town was called) was constructed and used by the Romans and early Saxons as a fortification. With the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215, the fort and cathedral were moved to the present-day location. )The new city never had any defensive walls, as it’s surrounded by rivers on three sides and located on a hill.)
The city has been immaculately preserved over the centuries. During the German Blitz, Salisbury wasn’t bombed, as the Germans used its famous church as a waypoint during bombing runs and were under strict orders not to damage it.
Around Salisbury, one can see Elizabethan, Jacobin, and Victorian-style homes all squished together down tiny streets. The town market square is very well preserved, and outdoor cafes line the area.
There’s a lot of things to see and do in Salisbury but below are my six favorites that will take up a full day and a half, which is about the perfect time to visit. I don’t think you need much more than that.
1. Salisbury Cathedral
The highlight of my whole trip was Salisbury Cathedral. The cathedral was built in 1238 and still stands 750 years later. This huge Gothic cathedral is surrounded by grass and cloistered in a little community with a few smaller churches, homes, and other buildings. Of all the churches I’ve seen in Europe, this ranks as number one.
Inside (where no photos allowed), this church is laid out in the traditional cross-format with an entrance at one end and the prayer area at the other. Huge ceilings and large stained-glass windows adorn the sides, and the choir and seating area line the middle. What made this church really special were the tombs inside. The walls are lined with the tombs of dead bishops, kings, and queens. They are beautifully ordained in figures and symbols from the person’s life.
In the Trinity, there is a tomb that dates back to 1099. Walking past the tombs of so many historical figures, including some that signed the Magna Carta, was breathtaking, especially to a history geek such as myself. The church also houses one of the four original copies of the Magna Carta.
Chapter Office, +44 1722 555120, salisburycathedral.org.uk. Open Monday-Saturday from 10am-3pm (closed Sunday for worship). Admission is 8 GBP and includes a guided tour.
2. Walk Around The Close
Salisbury cathedral is surrounded by 80 acres of land called the Cathedral Close. This is where you’ll find most of the museums and historic houses. On one side you can see the River Avon, while the rest of the complex is protected by ancient walls. The old bishop’s palace (that is now the Cathedral School and Sarum College) is located in a late 17th-century house.
3. Market Square
Markets were first held here in 1219 and the square is still filled with stores and sellers. You can pick up anything from fresh fish to discount watches. The narrow lanes surrounding the square are named after their medieval specialties: Oatmeal Row, Fish Row and Silver St.
Visit the market on Tuesdays from 8am-2:30pm and Saturdays from 8am-3pm.
4. Visit Stonehenge
Located near Salisbury, this megalithic structure is over 3,000 years old and why most people visit the town. Scholars still are not sure how the builders got the stones all the way from Wales and have tried to replicate the feat, with dismal results.
Moreover, we only have a vague idea of Stonehenge’s purpose (we’re basically just guessing). Stonehenge is now fenced off, and you can no longer go into the circle. Visitors can only walk around the attraction. But it’s worth visiting for the mystery behind it and an excellent and detailed audio tour.
Near Amesbury, +44 0370 333 1181, english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge. Open daily from 9am-8pm in the summer and 9:30am-5pm in the winter. Admission is 19.50 GBP.
5. Explore Old Sarum
Located a couple of miles from town, this is thought to be the site of the original city of Salisbury. Settlements here date all the way back to the Neolithic Age (6,000-2,22 BCE), with a fort being constructed on the hill in the Iron Age (800-1 BCE). It’s a great place to go for a stroll and have a picnic as you sit among the ruins of history.
Castle Road, +44 0370 333 1181, english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/old-sarum. Open daily 10am-5pm. Admission is 6.50 GBP.
6. Visit the Salisbury Museum
Not only does this museum have some noteworthy archeological finds but the building itself is also significant, dating back to the 13th century. The museum is housed inside The King’s House, a building where King James I stayed on a couple of different occasions in the 1600s. There is a lot of jewelry on display you can see that dates back to the Bronze and Iron Ages.
The King’s House, +44 0172 233 2151, salisburymuseum.org.uk. Open Thursday-Sunday from 11am-4pm. Admission is 6.50 GBP.
Travelin to Salisbury can make for a great day trip from London, but to truly appreciate the area, it’s better to spend a night or two. Walk around this historical town, visit Stonehenge, its little cousin Avebury, the cathedral, and journey into the country. There’s a lot to do in Salisbury, and it’s a great respite from the chaos of London so be sure to visit the town on your next trip to the UK! There’s too much history here to avoid it!
How to Get to Salisbury
Salisbury is approximately a 90-minute drive away from London and around one hour from Portsmouth, Poole, and Southampton. There is direct train service from London, with tickets costing between 22-40 GBP.
Trains are also available from Bath, Cardiff, Exeter, Southampton, and Bristol with tickets costing between 11-40 GBP. Buses run from Heathrow Airport too, taking around 2.5-3 hours costing between 10-20 GBP.
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Photo Credit: 3 – Peter Hurford, 6 – Mark Edwards, 7 – Salisbury Museum
NomadicMatt
Sorry this did not go into more depth but I didn’t have as much time to write about the history of Stonehenge as I would have liked.
Priscilla Pham
Hi NomadicMatt,
My name is Priscilla, and I’m a producer working on a Travel Channel series. We’re currently in search of someone who is very knowledgeable of the Salisbury area that could work with our host on camera this coming June. I’d love to reach out to you privately and discuss more in depth. Please let me know if this is of interest to you.
Best,
Priscilla
Mark H
From memory, the Salisbury version is meant to be the best (condition wise) of the four. I think I also saw one in the British Museum (which has a collection of nearly everything!). There is a newer Magna Carta in Parliament House in Australia (not one of the original four, but a copy made some years later, but still in the 1200s) which Australia bought many years ago (no idea who was selling them). It felt special to see this remarkable historic document – most things like this from the 1200s have obviously not survivied the passage of time.
Anna
Great webapge Matt! Hope you dont mind – put a link to your blog from my blog. Just started the travel blogging adventure – so any tips are great! ( I sent you an email about how to create webpages, etc)
Christine Gilbert
I think it was great Matt, I think it was the perfect amount of detail. Great pics too!
Stevo
Great! Your photos are fantastic. I want to go!
I’ll be in Europe in January, not the best time of year. I’ll add Salisbury to my list of places to visit. It will be a busy three weeks.
lakshmi
very fascinating ..thanks for this virtual tour
Anthony
Dude, I’m so there. Add that to next year’s potential England/Iceland/Denmark/Spain trip.
Will
Wow…what a beautiful church…and good on ya for respecting the no photos rule. I’ve been to so many churches where people have a blatant disregard and disrespect…gets under my skin.
A visit to Stonehenge was (still is) on my list of things to do before I die – so last time I was in London, I set aside a day to go…rented a car and ventured out onto the linear parking lot that they call the M-4 (I think)…found I had no tolerance for English traffic and bagged the whole idea. Next time I’m taking the train like you did!
NomadicMatt
I’m glad you liked it all! It’s a great place!!!!
Robin
I enjoyed both Salisbury and Avesbury when we were in England. While visiting Salisbury we stayed a bit too long in the evening within the grounds to find that they lock some of the gates of the Close. I’m not sure if they still do that now or not. It turned our walk into a bit of an adventure, trying to find an open gate and wondering if we’d be spending the night on the cathedral grounds.
NomadicMatt
@robin: That sounds like an awesome adventure! what a great story!
doug
Actually, photos are allowed in Salisbury Cathedral:
http://www.salisburycathedral.org.uk/visitor.intro.php
It is a magnificent structure with beautiful two-tone stonework, ceiling mosaics and stained glass windows that will force you to say, “wow” over and over and over.
But for another cathedral and beautiful old city that are more off the beaten track and thus less crowded, check out Wells. It is about 60 miles west of Salisbury and, in my opinion, an even more beautiful cathedral. And it is only about 6 miles north of the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey.
Chris
I must say I was half expecting your post to talk about how great Stonehenge is, but in fact felt a breath of fresh air when you mentioned it was the least impressive and Sailsbury has much more to offer. I completely agree with you as I took time to visit stonehenge to tick it off my checklist but honestly I wasn’t really impressed. I think it is the mystery that shrouds Stonehenge that makes it interesting rather than the actual site itself.
Praveen
I visited Salisbury and Winchester cathedrals on the same day and found both to be beautiful with fascinating architecture. Its more picturesque in the evening! I agree that the old world charm remains in English towns even though they try to catch up with modern times.
Chris
Just wanted to say that you CAN get right up to the stones at Stonehenge provided you arrange a private guided tour with masses of advance notice. For groups of 10 (I recall) or more you can get a private tour before or after the main part of the day when the site is open to the general public. So, if you are in a group and planning well in advance you have the option to wander amongst the stones rather than circling the edges.
Hl
Wow! Thanks for the article. Chanced upon your article while searching for info on stonehenge and bath as we are thinking of visiting soon, but thanks for your recommendations! Would consider adding this to our bucketlist.
Ryan Biddulph
The Market Square looks like a blast Matt. Just like how I would envision a proper English town center. Way cool!
Ryan
Smith
I’ve always wanted to go to the Stonehenge but didn’t have any luck so far. Hopefully, I’ll visit this fall. Looks like a really beautiful place from the pictures.
Jaunting Jen
I love Salisbury. Had a chance to spend the night there a few years ago. There were still allowing photos in the cathedral then, I have tons including a few of the original Magna Carta. I highly recommend a hearty meal at a supposedly haunted 15th century pub called the Haunch of Venison.