How much does it cost?

From £1,399 per person, the operator's advertised from-price, read on its own page on 12 Sept 2026. About $1,890 at ECB reference rates. Departures, room types and dates can price differently; the operator's page is the final word.

Is train travel included?

Yes, the tour includes two heritage steam train rides, a 2.5-mile round trip on the Swindon & Cricklade Railway on day 5 and a 5-mile round trip on the East Somerset Railway on day 6, plus all coach travel.

Is this trip escorted?

Yes, it's an escorted tour with a UK Tour Manager throughout, though guests make their own way to Salisbury to start and finish.

The tour stays at the Mercure White Hart Hotel in Salisbury for all six nights, a 4-star hotel.

What is the Stonehenge visit like?

An exclusive after-hours experience inside the inner stone circle, an area usually roped off to the public, timed near sunset.

Seven departures are listed, in April, May, July, August and September across 2026 and 2027.

What is not included?

Cancellation and travel insurance, lunches on days 5 and 6, and travel to and from Salisbury at the start and end of the tour.

Great Rail Journeys · Escorted tour

Ancient Stones & Treasures of Wiltshire

Escorted Wiltshire tour: private Stonehenge access and two heritage steam trains

Great Rail Journeys runs this 7-day, 6-night escorted tour of Wiltshire from a single base at the Mercure White Hart Hotel in Salisbury, with a UK Tour Manager throughout. Guests make their own way to Salisbury to begin, then join a programme built around the county's ancient sites and rail heritage. A private tour of Salisbury Cathedral takes in the world's oldest working clock and an original 1215 Magna Carta, before an exclusive after-hours visit inside Stonehenge's inner stone circle, an area usually roped off to visitors. Other days bring a guided tour of the Avebury henge with lunch at the Red Lion pub inside the stone circle, a free day to explore Salisbury independently, and two heritage steam train rides, on the Swindon & Cricklade Railway and the East Somerset Railway, alongside visits to Old Wardour Castle and the STEAM railway museum. It suits history-minded travellers who want a fully guided week based in one place rather than changing hotels each night.

Price history

Across 5 checks, this price has risen £200 since 4 Jul, to £1,399.

Each point is a day we checked this operator's own page, not a weekly average, and the line holds flat between checks rather than guessing at movement we did not see. 3 of 5 points are a live read of the operator's page. Hollow points are values shown when the trip was first listed here and never confirmed with the operator.

What to know before you look closer

The single traveller price (£1,799) is 50% higher than the twin-share price (£1,199), a notably high single supplement.
Lunches on days 5 and 6 are not included; they are taken independently at station cafés.
Travel to and from Salisbury at the start and end of the tour is not included; guests arrive and depart independently.
Day 3 includes only breakfast; dinner that evening is not included, likely because of the timing of the sunset visit to Stonehenge.

Day by day

Day 1overnight: Salisbury
Arrival in the historic city of Salisbury
Your holiday begins today as you arrive independently in the cathedral city of Salisbury and make your way to our charming Georgian hotel, the Mercure White Hart Salisbury, conveniently located in the heart of the city. After checking in, there's time to get to know the city at leisure, including Cathedral Close and Fisherton Mill. Return to the hotel to meet the Tour Manager and group and enjoy a welcome glass of prosecco before our first three-course dinner in the hotel restaurant.
Day 2overnight: Salisbury
Exploring Avebury's Neolithic wonders
This morning, we are introduced to Wiltshire's expansive history on a guided tour of the prehistory galleries at Wiltshire Museum, viewing the largest collection of Early Bronze Age gold on public display in England. We continue to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Avebury, stopping for lunch at the famous Red Lion thatched pub, followed by a guided tour and talk on Britain's largest and most complex Neolithic henge monument. There's free time to explore West Kennet Avenue and Silbury Hill before returning to our hotel for dinner.
Day 3overnight: Salisbury
Touring a local vineyard and exploring Salisbury Cathedral
This morning we board our coach for a visit to Bluestone Vineyards, with a tour, a tutored wine tasting and a light lunch overlooking the Wiltshire countryside. Returning to Salisbury, we enjoy entrance to Salisbury Cathedral, with Britain's tallest spire and the world's oldest working clock, and a private tour to see one of only four original Magna Carta, signed by King John in 1215. The afternoon is free before dinner together at the hotel.
Day 4overnight: Salisbury
Unforgettable private Stonehenge experience
A free morning to explore Salisbury at your own pace, including the Salisbury Museum. In the late afternoon we board our coach to Stonehenge, arriving this evening for an exclusive experience entering the inner stone circle of this UNESCO World Heritage site, usually roped off to visitors, with free time to walk among the 5,000-year-old stones and enjoy the sunset. The coach then takes us back to our hotel for tea and biscuits. On late-August and September departures, the exclusive Stonehenge experience takes place in the morning, before it opens to the public.
Day 5railovernight: Salisbury
Wiltshire rail heritage and the Swindon & Cricklade Railway
After breakfast, we set out by coach to Blunsdon station where we explore the railway museum before boarding a heritage steam train for a round trip on the Swindon & Cricklade Railway, passing Hayes Knoll and Taw Valley Halt. After lunch independently at the station's Whistle Stop Café, we head to Swindon to visit STEAM, the museum of the Great Western Railway, for an hour-long guided tour. We return to Salisbury with free time before dinner at the hotel.
Day 6railovernight: Salisbury
Old Wardour Castle and the East Somerset Railway
A visit to 14th-century Old Wardour Castle awaits after breakfast, with free time to explore the ruins, east tower and fairy grotto. We transfer by coach to Cranmore Station for an independent lunch at the station café, then board a heritage steam train for a five-mile round-trip into the countryside around Shepton Mallet, with time after to explore the museum and engine shed. Our coach transfers us back to our hotel ahead of our final dinner.
Day 7
Homeward bound
With its long and fascinating history, Wiltshire has provided a charming and captivating holiday destination, from magical Avebury and Stonehenge's inner circle to Salisbury Cathedral's Magna Carta, Old Wardour Castle and journeys on heritage railways. After breakfast today, your Wiltshire holiday draws to a close and, as you check out of our hotel, you can set off home or continue to explore Wiltshire independently.

The moments this trip is built around

Day 2A guided tour of Avebury's stone circle, one of Britain's largest and most complex henges, includes lunch at the Red Lion pub set in the middle of the circle.
Day 3A private tour of Salisbury Cathedral reveals Britain's tallest spire, the world's oldest working clock, and one of only four surviving original copies of the 1215 Magna Carta.
Day 3An exclusive after-hours visit inside Stonehenge's inner stone circle, usually roped off to visitors, lets the group walk freely among the 5,000-year-old megaliths near sunset.
Day 5A heritage steam train carries the group on a 2.5-mile round trip on the Swindon & Cricklade Railway through the Wiltshire countryside, followed by a visit to the STEAM museum of the Great Western Railway.
Day 6After exploring Old Wardour Castle, a 14th-century fortress destroyed by dynamite in the English Civil War, the group rides a heritage steam train on a five-mile round trip on the East Somerset Railway.

Included

Expertise of a UK Tour Manager from start to finish
6 nights' 4-Star hotel accommodation
All rail and coach travel throughout your tour
Breakfast each day, 2 lunches, 5 dinners
All guided tours and excursions

Not included

Cancellation & Travel Insurance

Questions travellers ask

How much does it cost?: From £1,399 per person, the operator's advertised from-price, read on its own page on 12 Sept 2026. About $1,890 at ECB reference rates. Departures, room types and dates can price differently; the operator's page is the final word.
Is train travel included?: Yes, the tour includes two heritage steam train rides, a 2.5-mile round trip on the Swindon & Cricklade Railway on day 5 and a 5-mile round trip on the East Somerset Railway on day 6, plus all coach travel.
Is this trip escorted?: Yes, it's an escorted tour with a UK Tour Manager throughout, though guests make their own way to Salisbury to start and finish.
What hotel is used?: The tour stays at the Mercure White Hart Hotel in Salisbury for all six nights, a 4-star hotel.
What is the Stonehenge visit like?: An exclusive after-hours experience inside the inner stone circle, an area usually roped off to the public, timed near sunset.
When does it depart?: Seven departures are listed, in April, May, July, August and September across 2026 and 2027.
What is not included?: Cancellation and travel insurance, lunches on days 5 and 6, and travel to and from Salisbury at the start and end of the tour.