Budget Salisbury

If you are on a tight budget, don’t let that stop you making a visit to Salisbury. We’ve put together some top tips on visiting Salisbury on a budget and making the most of your money when exploring our city. 

Booking a budget-friendly break

If you are planning on staying here for a few days then be sure to look out for our special offers pages. Offers are regularly updated so keep checking back for seasonal breaks, discounted stays and much more helping you make the most of your pounds. 

The longer you book for, generally the better rates you will get on your stay, particularly when it comes to staying in a self-catering property or holiday cottage. 

You can also find some low-cost solutions for places to stay including several campsites within the area and a youth hostel at Cholderton, approximately 12 miles from the city centre, but handy for some of the area’s main sites such as Stonehenge, plus, it’s right alongside Cholderton Charlie’s Rare Breeds Farm. 

Keep an eye out for our free events

There are many free events that take place for free throughout the year. These include the annual Downton Cuckoo Fair, St George’s Day Celebrations, the biennial Salisbury Art Trail, Music in the Park, the Heritage Open Days in September and much more. 

Look out for free exhibitions at Salisbury Arts Centre, Fisherton Mill, the Young Gallery and from time-to-time within the Cathedral Close and take a browse of our events listings for full details of what’s coming up when you plan on visiting. 

Enjoy a free day out

There are several places in and around Salisbury that you can visit for free. 

If you are travelling as a young family then River Bourne Community Farm makes for a lovely day out. Set on the outskirts of the city, in the Laverstock area, this farm is home to chickens, cattle, pigs, alpacas and much more. Get involved in helping out or simply take a wander around the farm. 

Just a short walk from the Cathedral Close, you will find St Thomas’s Church. The church is believed to pre-date the Cathedral and is home to a beautifully-preserved Medieval ‘doom’ painting portraying judgement day. It is free to visit this church although donations are very welcomed. Information sheets and often guides are on hand within the church to share some of the fascinating history of this religious building. 

Although there are admission charges for Stonehenge stone circle and the Stonehenge visitor centre, did you know that you can walk quite a lot of the wider Stonehenge landscape for free? Park up at Woodhenge (just of the A345, north of Amesbury) and take in the sights of Durrington Walls, the Cursus and several ancient burial mounds. 

Continuing with the history theme, the National Trust’s Figsbury Ring is also well-worth stopping by to explore. Set back from the A30 London Road, near Firsdown, this site is home to an Iron Age hillfort. From here, there are extensive views over the surrounding countryside with glimpses of Salisbury Cathedral’s spire in the distance. It is also a very good spot for finding wildflowers during the spring and summer months. 

If you love nature then pop along to one of Wiltshire Wildlife Trust’s nature reserves in the area. Their flagship reserve is Langford Lakes, just off the A36 between Salisbury and Warminster. This large site is home to three lakes, some small ponds and an abundance of wildlife. Nearer by, Wiltshire Wildlife Trust has the Cockey Down, Coombe Bissett Down and the Devenish nature reserves. 

Make the most of your memberships to the National Trust or English Heritage

There are several places that you can visit for free if you are a National Trust or English Heritage member. These include:

National Trust: Mompesson House (in the Cathedral Close), Stonehenge and Stourhead.

English Heritage: Old Sarum, Stonehenge and Old Wardour Castle. 

Bring a picnic

Rather than planning meals out in restaurants and cafes why not buy your fresh fruit and vegetables and other foodie items from one of our regular markets and whip up the perfect picnic. We’ve some great picnic spots you can choose from too where you can soak up the views. 

Save money on transport costs

If you are planning to arrive by train look out for special offers being run by the local train companies (Great Western Railway and South Western Railway) particularly during school holidays.

Travelling from London? Then it’s often a cheaper option to come to Salisbury via the National Express coach service rather than the train. 

Want to explore further? 

Use Salisbury as a base to explore the wider county. We’ve put together some ideas for what to do on a budget across Wiltshire on the VisitWiltshire website.