Why Salisbury?
Salisbury is the perfect place for a group of young students to explore:
- It's safe. It is a small, friendly city where your students can safely experience life in England.
- It's interesting. It is full of historic buildings, monuments and museums. Stonehenge is nearby.
- It's beautiful. It has a magnificent medieval cathedral, an iron age hill fort and riverside walks.
- It's fun. It has swimming, tennis, golf, a theatre and a cinema.
- It's only an hour and a half from London on the train!
It's very easy to get to London - and the main London airports - from Salisbury.
If you've got a moment, take a look at this video of a beautiful city:
Activities and Excursions
See our Group activities page for information about how we can help to arrange activities for your group.
Places to visit
There is a wide range of places you can visit, starting with local visits and then places further afield.
Local places you can visit on foot
Salisbury Cathedral
Salisbury’s world-famous cathedral is remarkable for its amazing spire, visible from miles around, as well as what lies within, including one of the oldest mechanical clocks still in existence. The adjoining octagonal Chapterhouse is where you will find a copy of the historic Magna Carta (1215) – a blueprint for democracy within a monarchy.
Walk through the Salisbury Water-meadows
The walks by the Nadder and Avon rivers will bring you feelings of peace and tranquility.
Walk to Old Sarum
If you have an energetic group, you can walk from town up to the original site of Salisbury, Old Sarum, which later became a hill-fort and has wonderful views of the surrounding countryside. There is also a bus!
Other places to visit in Salisbury
Market Square
The large Market Square, in the centre of town, is always busy and still has a market on certain days. Surrounded by shops, pubs and cafés, it’s a great place to meet up and chill!
Specialist shops
Near the railway station, you will find an area of fascinating specialist shops that are a refreshing change from the global chains.
Easily reached by coach or public transport
London
Salisbury is on an express train line to London. Trains take around 1 hour 40 minutes to reach Waterloo Station, which is on the south bank of the river Thames, very close to many of the main sights, including the River, Houses of Parliament (Big Ben), London Eye.
Stonehenge and Avebury
Stonehenge is one of the most fascinating ancient monuments in the world - of great interest to those who love ancient history, mystery and science. It is situated near Salisbury. It can be visited by coach or using the dedicated bus, which leaves from Salisbury station.
Stonehenge is very famous, but don’t overlook Avebury – another famous Stone Circle, to the west of Stonehenge. You can easily visit both in one day.
Bath
The World Heritage city of Bath is easily reached by train. Famous for its Roman baths and Abbey, it is also a great place to hang out, with loads of nice shops, cafés, pubs and parks.
Other places you can visit by bus, train or coach
- Bournemouth
- Jurassic Coast
- Oxford
- Southampton
- Brockenhurst (New Forest)
- Dorchester (Thomas Hardy country)
… and many other places of interest.
Visits by mini-bus or coach
(places not easily visited by public transport)
- New Forest
- Beaulieu, with its world-famous motor-car museum
- Paultons Park – Theme Park
Other local activities
Tennis – there are lots of public tennis courts.
Golf – organised by arrangement, including group sessions where students are taught the basic shots.
Sing-songs – we can organise a young guitarist to meet your group and get them singing some English songs!
Cinema – Salisbury has an Odeon cinema, with various screens, showing all of the top current films.
Transport options
Getting around is easy for groups based in Salisbury.
On foot
Salisbury is a small city, and the centre and other places of interest (the Cathedral, Water Meadows by the river and the central shopping area) can easily be visited on foot. For groups wanting to walk further, there are also fantastic countryside itineraries on foot of between 3 and 15 kilometers.
Local bus
You can visit some very interesting and attractive towns, for example Shaftesbury, Fordingbridge (a small town on the river Avon). Fares are reasonable, though more expensive than similar journeys in most other countries.
Train
Salisbury has direct connections with:
- London
- Bath
- Bristol
- Romsey/Southampton
Train travel in the UK is not cheap, but special fares are available for groups.
Coach
A private coach gives you total flexibility and is the best option for groups of 30+