Is This Historic English Landmark Actually Worth The Price Of Admission?

Chances are, when you think of stone henges, only one comes to mind first. Stonehenge is England's icon of prehistory and mystery, and likely the most famous monument of its kind in the world. Nestled in the green and rolling hills of Wiltshire in the south of England, about 90 miles from London, the monument was constructed around the same time of the Sphinx in ancient Egypt.

This ring of stones dates back to 2500 B.C. The strange structure seems to have sparked wonder and curiosity in tourists ever since. While the jury may forever be out on what the ceremonial stones in England's Chalkland were truly lugged and stacked for, students of history and selfie-hungry tourists alike can't seem to get enough of wondering.

There's even evidence that ancient Romans visited Stonehenge, but maybe not in the same volume as tourists flock to the UNESCO World Heritage site today. Around 1.3 to 1.4 million visitors pay a call to Stonehenge per year, and can pay dearly for the privilege, from ticket prices to souvenirs to full-tour costs. In this article, we'll summon the wisdom of the ancients to determine if this historic English landmark is worth the portion of your income you can spend on vacation, or if a tour of this mystery of history is truly just a tourist trap.

Glossy photos of Stonehenge show a perfect ring of ruined stones against sun-drenched green fields and blue skies. While these images depict a protected treasure of history appealingly and impossibly frozen in time, that level of protection leads to one of the chief complaints tourists may have about traveling to Stonehenge.

Multiple reviews from unhappy travelers on travel review site aggregator Tripadvisor charge Stonehenge with the high tourist crime of being not what they expected. This is because some tourists find the fact that Stonehenge is roped off to be a deep — and costly — bummer. While Stonehenge tourists in the Victorian era could walk amongst the stones, picnic amongst the stones, and were even given chisels to take bits of the stones home with them, attitudes changed by the 1970s, when archaeologists and preservations started protecting the monument for future generations.

These days, what Stonehenge lacks in complimentary chisels, it attempts to make up for with thoughtful on-site exhibitions. These exhibits may be cold comfort for tourists spending big on travel, food, souvenir, and ticket costs for a not-so-up-close-and-personal experience with history. Stonehenge ticket prices vary by season, and are 15% more expensive if made without an advance online purchase. The off-peak winter season single tickets for adult travelers start between £22.70 and £25.00, which is roughly between $28 and $31. During the busy peak summer season, a single adult ticket is priced between £28.10 and £31.00, or between $35 and $39.

The argument can be made that taking a two-hour journey from London to see some old rocks is a foolish endeavor, but that is quite the grim view. Savvy tourists drawn to Stonehenge's strange power can book a shoulder season vacation to save money and take advantage of lessened henge-crazy crowds. Seriously fearless and frugal tourists can dive right into the tourism deep end, by planning a trip to Stonehenge for the summer solstice and equinox, when admission to Stonehenge is free. Crowds will be high, but hey — so might ancient mystic powers.

Stonehenge is also not the only game in henge town, nor the only henge in its area. The Sarsen Trail, a 26-mile walking route, connects Stonehenge with another Neolithic, megalithic neighbor: the Avebury stone circle. A long walk or short drive from Stonehenge, Avebury boasts a stone circle that isn't roped off and can be touched, and there's even a supposedly haunted pub inside the wide stone circle. Avebury also grants free admission to visitors.

Still, Stonehenge is a classic for a reason, and the structure is part of a wider archaeologically significant expanse. Perhaps the most cost-effective way to enjoy Stonehenge is to also enjoy Avebury and surrounding sights that can be viewed from a well-researched, low-priced tour bus. Once travelers tire of henges, sighting curiosities like the hillside chalk portraits of Wiltshire white horses and the shocking Cerne Abbas Giant in Dorset might just make a pricey trip quite priceless.