Portland Cruise Excursion - Stonehenge Transfer Only
Weymouth, England
- 6 to 8 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
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Overview
See UNESCO World Heritage Sites in just one day on this group tour from Portland to Stonehenge. There's no need to worry about organizing transport or navigating the roads—this full-day experience combines convenient transport with ample free time to explore at your own pace. Choose whether to opt for admission to both or just one of the stops (own expense), and see the best of southern England while listening to a free audio guide that adds context to what you see.
- Round-trip transport from Portland Port Cruise Ship Dock ensures a hassle-free experience
- Travel comfortably onboard an air-conditioned coach
- Check off two of England's top sights in just one handy day trip
- An included audio app adds context and insight to your exploration
What's Included
- Unguided - Transportation only
- Coach Trip - You will be traveling with up to 51 others
- Free Downloadable Audio Guide
- This is not a Private Tour - You will be sharing with others from your cruise ship
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Parking Fees
- Stonehenge Tickets not included & should be purchased on the day£25.00 per person
- Unguided - Transport only Experience
- This tour can be cancelled if minimum numbers are not reached
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Portland Port Cruise Ship DockCastletown, Portland DT5 1BD, UK
After disembarking, walk towards the coaches and look for the sign “Stonehenge – VIATOR”. Due to local port regulations, you may be required to take the free shuttle to Portland Castle instead. If so, you will be notified beforehand via the Viator/TripAdvisor messaging system.
End point
- Portland Port Cruise Ship DockCastletown, Portland DT5 1BD, UK
We'll drop you back into the port after your tour.
Start time.9:00 am
Itinerary
1
Stonehenge
2 hours • Admission Ticket Not Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Most travelers can participate
- Stonehenge tickets are NOT included in this tour
- Unguided Experience (Transport Only)
- This tour can be cancelled if minimum numbers are not reached
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 39 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
We took the shuttle to the castle. John our van driver gave some information on the way to Stonehenge. The drive was about 1.5 hrs through beautiful English Countryside. We spent 1.3 hours at Stonehenge which was plenty. Then drove to visit Salisbury Cathedral. Very nice. Our driver John was a very nice gentleman. He made a quick stop at a grocery so we could pick up some candy we were looking for. When we got back to Portland he gave a a little drive around to see the area and beauty of the town, extra bonus
Reviews
4.0
based on 22 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
This is a transportation only excursion. However, the driver was very knowledgeable about the area and was able to add a lot to the trip. I was disappointed that the transportation did not include Salisbury and Salisbury Cathedal.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Hi Katherine, Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. We're pleased to hear that you found your driver knowledgeable and that they were able to add to your experience during the journey.
We're sorry to hear you were disappointed that the excursion didn't include Salisbury and Salisbury Cathedral. The tour is titled "Portland Cruise Excursion - Stonehenge UNESCO Site Only".
We do try to be as clear as possible about what this experience includes. The tour is titled "Portland Cruise Excursion - Stonehenge UNESCO Site Only", and in the tour information we also state "Transport Only - Free Time" to help guests understand that this excursion is a direct transfer to Stonehenge rather than a guided sightseeing tour of multiple locations.
We really appreciate your feedback, as it helps us continue to improve how we communicate the details of our tours. Thank you for choosing Dorset Tours, and we hope to welcome you back to Dorset in the future. Kind regards, Jenny
It’s a great tour! Our guide, who is also a Weymouth firefighter, was very knowledgeable of the local history. Our driver, Chris, was wonderful. The two of them made a great team! They were funny!! Stonehenge was very interesting. I highly recommend this tour.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you so much for your wonderful review and recommendation. We're delighted to hear you enjoyed your visit to Stonehenge.
It's great to know that Jonnys local knowledge and Chris's driving helped make your day so enjoyable. They really do make a fantastic team, and we'll be sure to pass on your kind comments to them both.
We hope to welcome you back to Dorset again in the future!
Long bus ride but worth it
Our tour guide Jonny was very nice
Food at Stonehenge was not that good.
Bathrooms clean
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you for your review. We're pleased to hear you enjoyed your visit to Stonehenge and that Jonny helped make the journey enjoyable with his friendly approach.
We're sorry to hear the food at Stonehenge didn't meet your expectations. While the café is operated by English Heritage and is outside of our control, we appreciate you sharing your feedback.
Thank you for choosing Dorset Tours, and we hope to welcome you back again in the future.
The ride to Stonehenge was very nice and the guide informative. Stonehenge was beautiful. Slight miscommunication messages sent from provider , stated bus would be at port at 9:30 or slightly after. When we got off boat at 9:20, bus was fully loaded and they been waiting 10 min for us. Other then that perfect excursion
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you for your kind review. We're delighted to hear you had a wonderful visit to Stonehenge and enjoyed the commentary during the journey.
We're sorry for the confusion regarding the coach departure time. We can't always guarantee exactly when our coach will clear security at the port, so we ask guests to make their way to the meeting point for the stated departure time. It's excellent that you arrived promptly, and we're pleased the coach was ready and waiting for you.
Thank you again for your feedback, and we hope to welcome you back to Dorset in the future.
We took the shuttle to the castle. John our van driver gave some information on the way to Stonehenge. The drive was about 1.5 hrs through beautiful English Countryside. We spent 1.3 hours at Stonehenge which was plenty. Then drove to visit Salisbury Cathedral. Very nice. Our driver John was a very nice gentleman. He made a quick stop at a grocery so we could pick up some candy we were looking for. When we got back to Portland he gave a a little drive around to see the area and beauty of the town, extra bonus
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Thank you so much for your kind review!
We're so glad you enjoyed the day, it sounds like you made the most of both Stonehenge and Salisbury Cathedral, and I'm especially pleased to hear that John looked after you so well. He really does go the extra mile (or stop!) when he can, and I know he’ll appreciate your lovely comments.
It’s great to hear you enjoyed the scenic drive through the countryside and the little bonus tour of Portland at the end, it’s such a special area and we always like to share a bit more when time allows.
Thanks again for joining us!
Kind regards,
Jenny
Pretty good excursion, aligned with cruise ship timelines and gives a little bit of Weymouth town exploring when combined with town shuttles. I wish there was more time in Salisbury however a lot to see and the time is limited. Bus driver was great and keeping on track.
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Thank you for your kind review! We're glad you enjoyed the excursion and appreciated the timing with your cruise. Salisbury is such a special place — we wish we had more time there too! Delighted to hear your driver kept everything running smoothly.
As instructed, we took the free shuttle from the port to Portland Castle (just a quick 3-minute ride). Jenny met us there and got us onto a comfortable coach for the trip to Stonehenge.
A couple of tips: keep an eye on your Viator messages; that’s how they’ll contact you! Book your Stonehenge tickets in advance, but be aware they’re non-refundable if you can’t make the tour. Also, this is clearly advertised as unguided - it’s a transfer to Stonehenge and back, not a commentary tour.
We had no issues with timing and enjoyed around two hours at Stonehenge, which was plenty for us. Yes, it can be busy, but that’s to be expected at such a popular site. Some of the negative reviews about “lack of time” seem a bit unfair, with a bit of planning, it all worked out fine.
Our driver, John, was friendly, helpful, and very professional. Overall, a smooth and enjoyable trip!
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Thank you so much for your thoughtful review. Our first priority is always to make sure guests are back at their ship on time, so I’m really glad you appreciated this and still had plenty of time to enjoy Stonehenge. It’s great to hear you found the transfer from Portland smooth and straightforward, and I’ll be sure to pass your kind words on to John. We really appreciate your tips for future travellers too — and we’re delighted you enjoyed your day with us!
Poor communication. Excursion show 10am at Port and then no one showed up. We called multiple times to see where we were supposed to meet up and then went to message company to see that the meeting instructions were texted. Never seen the messages and never received any other communication for confirmation.
Response from Host, Aug 2025
This reviewer never experienced this tour. We send clear meeting instructions through the Viator system in three separate emails before the tour and never send text messages as a form of communication. We received no calls from you. We also never meet at 10:00 am — that is far too late for this tour. You did not book or travel with us, and we are working with Viator to have this review removed.
There is not nearly enough time for this excursion to make any sense. We feel that this was a complete rip-off and believe we should get at least a partial refund. We had a maximum of 3.5 hours to spend at these two locations combined. At Stonehenge, we had at total of about 2.25 hours to spend there. We had to wait 45 minutes in line for tickets. Another line for the shuttle was about 35 minutes and we had to allow another 30 minutes to return. We were able to get close to the stones, take a few quick pictures and get back in line for the shuttle. Not even enough time to get in the long line to walk around the stones. We're able to say that we caught a quick glimpse of the stones but that's it. The focus was only to get back to the bus in time. Not much less than a NIGHTMARE!.
Then on to Salisbury Castle. Rushed because of long lines to get tickets. No chance of waiting in line to get actually inside the castle. Took some pictures from the outside, walked the grounds for about 20 minutes, spent 15 minutes in gift shop and had to get back to bus.
This excursion might work for either Stonehenge OR Salisbury Castle but definitely NOT BOTH! Feeling VERY RIPPED-OFF!
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Hello Richard Pinches, your real issue seems to be with English Heritage and how Stonehenge operates? The ticket office, the queues and the shuttles, all of which we cannot control. August is the busiest month of the year, and you chose not to pre-purchased tickets, so unfortunately, your line was long. Again, that is not something we can control I'm afraid.
You booked with us because we’re 65% cheaper than the cruise lines, and since you didn’t buy a Stonehenge ticket either, it seems fair to say you do appreciate the cheaper things in life.
Our job is to get you there, within the time available on your cruise schedule, and most importantly, get you back to the ship on time. You did see Stonehenge, you did visit Salisbury Cathedral, and you did get back to the port without issue.
A “nightmare” would have been missing your ships departure, right Richard?
Our driver didn’t manage our time very well. Things may have been very different if the tour started earlier. We were not given enough time to enjoy Stonehenge at all which was very disappointing. The driver didn’t even remember that we were passengers on his bus, and my wife and he said we were on another bus which made us think our bus left us. I then called the tour operator to sort things out.
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Hi Philip, thank you for your feedback. This was not really the drivers fault, please try and understand that our tours run to very tight cruise ship deadlines, and our first priority is always to return you to the ship on time. Many passengers returned on schedule, however if you become separated at both Salisbury and Stonehenge, this can reduce your own time at the sites. We also have no control over traffic conditions or how busy Stonehenge is on the day, understand on peak days queues can be much longer than expected. The driver did his very best and followed the planned itinerary exactly as advertised. Kind regards, Jenny
This tour was amazing! Jenny Broom the tour operator answered every single question I had in a timely fashion, and I truly appreciated all the information she gave me. The bus driver was incredibly patient even though 11 people were late to come back to the bus. He remained composed and Calm ( I would’ve left them) as they showed no sense of responsibility and didn’t even rush up to the bus. My only suggestion would be to have this as a one stop tour as there was not a lot of time to get from the bus to the stones and then back to the bus. Thank you for an incredible experience
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Hi Cynthia,
Thank you so much for your lovely words! I’m really glad all the information I sent was helpful and that you felt looked after before the tour. I’ll also be sure to pass your kind comments on to our driver — I know he’ll appreciate hearing that his patience didn’t go unnoticed, especially in those moments when not everyone makes it back on time!
I completely understand your point about wanting more time at Stonehenge. It’s such a special place, and we want our guests to have as much time as possible to soak it all in. We’ll definitely take your suggestion on board and look into the possibility of offering this as a Stonehenge-only tour in the future.
Thanks again, Cynthia — it really was a pleasure having you with us!
Best wishes,
Jenny
Just be prepared and know that this is literally only transportation- no guide, no conversation, just the very long drive. Plan for at least two hours, even though the description says an hour and a half. You will only have 30 minutes at most to see the stones and that is if you catch the first shuttle to the stones. The entire organization at Stonehenge is chaos. This is not necessarily the travel company fault but there are thousands of people there and even though you have prepaid for a ticket, you still have to get in the queue, which is another 30 minutes. Salisbury cathedral is lovely but again only a very short time and then you’re back for another 2 Hour Dr. back to which you will be lucky to catch the last shuttle back to Fort. Stonehenge was on our bucket list, but I truly wish I would’ve done this in London instead of at this point I do not recommend.
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Hi Patricia, this tour is clearly described as “Unguided (Transport Only)” in the listing, we also confirm this in all email communications, and it was communicated again when I met you at check-in.
You booked and paid for transport to Stonehenge & Salisbury without tickets included, not a guided commentary tour.
Timings are set to ensure you return to your cruise ship on time, which is always our first priority, and queues at Stonehenge are managed by English Heritage, and are completely out of our control.
You received exactly the service advertised, in a nice air conditioned vehicle with a lovely driver, so we feel this review is misleading and unfair.
We are quite puzzled as to why you booked an unguided tour but expected it to be guided?
Jenny
It would be very helpful if the tour company told us what company we were traveling with and how to find the right bus (color or a sign in the window). I talked to the company by phone and she told us to head left When we found the bus it was to the right and starting to leave. Once we found our bus, things improved and the tour was a nice experience .
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Hello Leslie, We believe you may have left this review for the wrong company, as we have no record of any booking under your name. We also communicate our exact meeting location through the Viator email system, which provides clear written instructions to all our guests before the tour.
Additionally, I did not speak to anyone on the phone on the day of your cruise arrival, so the interaction you’ve described could not have been with us. Kind regards, Jenny
Except for the long drive it felt almost spiritual when we arrived to see the stones please note there is an additional 30 minutes drive to Salisbury and then the long drive back to the port to board our ship, all in all the transfers were very easy to follow
Our guide was very friendly
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Thank you, Pat, for your kind words. We're so pleased to hear that visiting the stones felt like a meaningful experience for you. While the journey is indeed a bit long, we're glad our transfers were smooth and easy to follow. Delighted you enjoyed our friendly guide, i'll be sure to pass on your kind words!
It was basically just a bus that takes you to Stonehenge and the church. It’s a nice, clean, air conditioned bus. There is no guide on the bus to fill the LONG drive with interesting facts about where you are visiting or pointing out landmarks as you travel. Also, I emailed ahead of time and asked if I should purchase tickets for the attractions prior to our visit and was told not to. They said we should just buy them when we get there. The lines were horrifically long to buy tickets so I am glad I went ahead and bought the tickets during the bus ride there. For the church you have to say a specific time for your ticket so I just asked the bus driver for an approximate time and it worked out. While at Stonehenge you will barely have enough time to wait in line for the shuttle, walk around the circle, take a few pictures, wait in another HUGE line for the shuttle back and barely make it to the bus in time. So don’t waste even a second wandering around. The church is stunning and there is food on site and just enough time to have a quick bite in the beautiful courtyard. I gave 4 stars bc for the amount paid I feel like there should be a guide on the bus and I also think there could have been at least another 20-30 minutes added to Stonehenge and we still would have made it back to the ship with no problem at all.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Thank you so much for your review and feedback — it’s really appreciated!
As noted in the tour description, "Unguided Experience (Transport Only)" - This is to help keep the overall cost down. Our driver is there to assist with logistics, while the sites themselves — Stonehenge and Salisbury Cathedral — both offer free audio guides and on-site guides who are happy to help. External guides are not permitted to lead tours inside either location, so we focus on providing smooth and comfortable transport between stops.
With regards to tickets: we completely understand the frustration with queues, but the reason we recommend purchasing on the day is because Stonehenge does not offer refunds on Tickets. So if your cruise ship fails to dock or you’re unable to join the tour, your Stonehenge ticket will not be refunded. We try to avoid customers losing money unnecessarily in the event of last-minute changes.
That said, we're really glad you enjoyed the day overall — and thank you again for travelling with us!
All very correct. The bus very punctual and the fast trip although it is far and are an hour and a half out and another tabto back
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Response from Host, Jul 2025
Thank you for your review! We're pleased to hear everything went smoothly and that the coach was comfortable & punctual. While Stonehenge is a bit of a distance, we’re glad you found the journey efficient and well-organised. We appreciate you taking the time to share your experience with us!
¡Gracias por su opinión! Nos alegra saber que todo fue correcto y que el autobús fue puntual. Aunque Stonehenge está algo lejos, nos complace saber que el viaje le pareció rápido y bien organizado. ¡Agradecemos que haya compartido su experiencia con nosotros!
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