History & Heritage itinerary

2 day

Salisbury has been welcoming visitors since 1227. A wonderfully intimate city, set in beautiful Wiltshire countryside.

Five rivers, the Cathedral Close, medieval buildings, green spaces and water meadows – Salisbury is a city on a human scale, a city made for exploring.

Alongside the cathedral and museums, visitors benefit from a thriving cultural scene, a busy Charter Market and a panoply of independent retailers and creators.

Experience Salisbury's History & Heritage itinerary

Day 1:

As you arrive into Salisbury you’ll see the tallest spire in the country, standing at a breath-taking
404ft / 123m guiding travellers to Salisbury city for over 800 years. Join an organised tour of Salisbury Cathedral where you will learn all about the cathedral’s history and how it defiantly moved two miles from Old Sarum to its location today.

See an original 1215 Magna Carta, one of four surviving copies, and the world’s oldest working clock, thought to date back to medieval times in 1386. Take time to walk around the cathedral, absorbing the atmosphere as you look up to the majestic stained-glass windows.

Stop for some refreshments in the Cathedral’s Refectory Restaurant, Salisbury Museum Café, or the Bell Tower Tea Rooms (summer only) where you’ll be rewarded with magnificent views of Salisbury Cathedral.

Salisbury is an intimate, friendly cathedral city of ageless beauty and captivating living history. Explore Britain’s largest Cathedral Close, reflecting architectural styles from the 13th to 18th Century. Here you will find Mompesson House, an 18th Century Queen Anne masterpiece of a townhouse, and location for the film Sense and Sensibility, Arundells, a former prime minister’s beautiful home, Salisbury Museum, showcasing impressive historic collections, The Wardrobe, the Rifles Berkshire and Wiltshire Museum and Sarum College, providing private retreats and study breaks.

Salisbury is full of incredibly old pubs, but The Haunch of Venison is believed to be the oldest. Relax in the cosy bar area downstairs before dinner in the gastropub upstairs. History fans will love that there is a secret tunnel and rumour has it, this is where Churchill and Eisenhower planned D-Day.

There are plenty of great places to stay in Salisbury, choose one steeped in history with a stay at either Best Western The Red Lion Hotel, Europe’s oldest purpose-built hotel or the elegant grade II listed Mercure White Heart Hotel – both have excellent facilities. Find more SLEEP options here.

Day 2:

Salisbury is a modern medieval city and offers visitors an experience like no other. If you visit on a Tuesday or Saturday, you can experience the Charter Market located in the market place, near the Guildhall (home to our award-winning Visitor Information Centre). One of the oldest markets in Britain, Salisbury has hosted a weekly market since 1227. Today you will find a vibrant, friendly market packed with fresh, local artisan produce and unique products – perfect for taking home a gift or two.

If you like to people watch, then head over to Henderson’s Artisan Bakery for a great spot to see
the hustle and bustle of the Charter Market, whilst enjoying a coffee and pastry.

Then, onto St Thomas’s Church, this 13th Century church is home to Britain’s largest and bestpreserved Doom painting. Take time to look up and around to see if you can spot all 250 angels, located on the roof, walls and pillars of this historic Anglican church. Entry to the church is free and there is a free mobile guide that can be downloaded, ahead of your visit.

In Salisbury, we celebrate the unique and the quirky, the local and the original. Discover Salisbury’s independent shops, with over 200 to visit. Salisbury is a shopper’s paradise, unlike any other high street. Just 10 minutes from the city centre is Fisherton Mill, located in a 19th Century Mill, the largest independent gallery in the South of England. Here you will find a unique collection of work from renowned artists, sculptors and makers and an award-winning café. Find details of all our SHOPS here.

If you have time, visit Old Sarum, an iron age hillfort on the outskirts of the city and the original site of Salisbury Cathedral and Stonehenge, England’s greatest mystery, home to the world famous pre-historic stone circle – located just 10-miles north of the city of Salisbury. The Stonehenge Bus Tours run regularly from Salisbury city centre and take in both attractions.
Your experience....
Featured
Salisbury Cathedral

Salisbury Cathedral has been a place of worship, welcome, and hospitality for over 800 years. The story of this great Cathedral is a tale of defiance and ingenuity that begins back in 1218.

City Centre Location

Dog Friendly

Disabled Access
2 minutes

2 minutes
Arundells

Arundells is a Grade II Listed home in the heart of Salisbury Cathedral Close. It is the former home of the late Sir Edward Heath – Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974.

City Centre Location

Dog Friendly

Disabled Access

Venue Hire Available
5 minutes
Mompesson House

Mompesson House is the largest house on Choristers’ Green in Salisbury’s Cathedral Close and is one of the most warm and welcoming.

City Centre Location

Disabled Access
5 minutes
The Haunch of Venison

The Haunch of Venison is one of the oldest pubs in Salisbury. It has oak beams, antique furnitue and wood-panelled walls which all add to the atmosphere. Downstairs is a cosy pub area while upstairs is a restaurant offering gastropub food. It has bee...

Dog Friendly

City Centre Location

Vegetarian Options

Independent Business
10 minutes
Mercure White Hart Hotel

Salisbury's Mercure White Hart Hotel is an elegant 4-star Georgian hotel conveniently located in the heart of the city centre.

City Centre Location

Free Parking

Venue Hire Available

Meeting Room Hire Available

Vegetarian Options
10 minutes
Salisbury Charter Market

Every Tuesday and Saturday, Salisbury's historic Charter Market is held in the Market Place with a variety of local traders offering a range of fresh local produce and products.

Independent Business

City Centre Location

Dog Friendly

Disabled Access
2 minutes
Henderson's Artisan Bakery & Cafe

Located on Salisbury's historic Market Square, Henderson's is an independent bakery and cafe. Their breads, buns, cakes and pastries are handmade on the premises using only the finest ingredients, many of which are locally and sustainably sourced.

Independent Business

City Centre Location

Outside Seating Available
5 minutes
St Thomas's Church

In the heart of the city centre, St Thomas's Church is an open and inclusive Anglican Church that has been welcoming visitors for almost eight hundred years. One of the must see sights of Salisbury.

City Centre Location

Disabled Access
10 minutes
Fisherton Mill - Gallery | Cafe | Studios

Fisherton Mill is so much more than an amazing art gallery located in one of Salisbury's most beautiful restored buildings.

Independent Business

City Centre Location

Outside Seating Available

Dog Friendly

Disabled Access

Vegetarian Options
At a glance....
Featured
Salisbury Cathedral

Salisbury Cathedral has been a place of worship, welcome, and hospitality for over 800 years. The story of this great Cathedral is a tale of defiance and ingenuity that begins back in 1218.

City Centre Location

Dog Friendly

Disabled Access
The Cathedral Refectory

The Refectory restaurant at Salisbury Cathedral is open all year round and offers stunning views, and possibly the most unique view, of the spire through the glass roof.

City Centre Location

Outside Seating Available

Vegetarian Options
Salisbury Cathedral Close

800 years of history is on show in Salisbury’s Cathedral Close. At 80 acres it is Britain’s largest Cathedral Close and reflects architectural styles from the 13th through to the 20th Century.

City Centre Location

Dog Friendly

Disabled Access
The Haunch of Venison

The Haunch of Venison is one of the oldest pubs in Salisbury. It has oak beams, antique furnitue and wood-panelled walls which all add to the atmosphere. Downstairs is a cosy pub area while upstairs is a restaurant offering gastropub food. It has bee...

Dog Friendly

City Centre Location

Vegetarian Options

Independent Business
Best Western The Red Lion Hotel

The Red Lion Hotel Salisbury is Europe's oldest purpose-built hotel. It is housed in a 13th century building that now features 60 guest bedrooms, a traditional restaurant and bar for both residents and the public.

Independent Business

City Centre Location

Disabled Access

Outside Seating Available

Vegetarian Options

Meeting Room Hire Available

Venue Hire Available
Salisbury Charter Market

Every Tuesday and Saturday, Salisbury's historic Charter Market is held in the Market Place with a variety of local traders offering a range of fresh local produce and products.

Independent Business

City Centre Location

Dog Friendly

Disabled Access
Henderson's Artisan Bakery & Cafe

Located on Salisbury's historic Market Square, Henderson's is an independent bakery and cafe. Their breads, buns, cakes and pastries are handmade on the premises using only the finest ingredients, many of which are locally and sustainably sourced.

Independent Business

City Centre Location

Outside Seating Available
St Thomas's Church

In the heart of the city centre, St Thomas's Church is an open and inclusive Anglican Church that has been welcoming visitors for almost eight hundred years. One of the must see sights of Salisbury.

City Centre Location

Disabled Access
Fisherton Mill - Gallery | Cafe | Studios

Fisherton Mill is so much more than an amazing art gallery located in one of Salisbury's most beautiful restored buildings.

Independent Business

City Centre Location

Outside Seating Available

Dog Friendly

Disabled Access

Vegetarian Options

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