This private tour is round trip from Southampton. You visit the prehistoric monument of Stonehenge, followed by a tour of historic Bath, including its famous Abbey and the Roman Baths.
After meeting your guide at the port, you depart for the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Stonehenge. Construction began around 3000 BC with the surrounding earthwork ditch, and the stone circle itself was raised around 2500 BC, making the monument roughly 4,500 to 5,000 years old. It stands on a small rise in a vast plain not far from Salisbury, and its exact purpose remains debated among archaeologists. As you walk around the stones, your guide explains the current thinking, and you'll get a real sense of their scale up close.
Next you continue to Bath, one of the most popular destinations in England and, since 1987, a UNESCO World Heritage city in its own right. Bath takes its name from its natural hot springs, which surface at around 115°F (46°C) and have flowed from the center of town for thousands of years. When the Romans arrived in Britain, they built an extensive bath house here modeled on those found throughout the Empire.
In Georgian and Victorian times, roughly the late 1700s through the late 1800s, Bath's hot springs drew not only those seeking a cure, but members of London high society, who came for the summer season and followed a routine of a morning spa treatment, afternoon tea, and evening balls or gambling.
Upon arrival, you visit the Royal Crescent and the Circus, two of the finest examples of Georgian architecture in Britain. The Circus was designed by the architect John Wood the Elder, who died just three months after construction began in 1754; his son, John Wood the Younger, completed it and later designed the Royal Crescent himself, built between 1767 and 1774.
Next you visit the famous Bath Abbey, a Late Gothic building begun in 1499 on the site of an even older, larger church, a story depicted on the Abbey's West Front. Following the Abbey visit, you have free time for lunch in a local pub (meal not included).
After lunch you visit the Roman Baths, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where the Romans built a temple and bathing complex around the hot spring that still flows with natural hot water today. The tour lets you see the ancient baths and their Roman artifacts up close.
Following the Roman Baths, you'll have additional free time in Bath, based on the drive time needed to return to Southampton.