Tourists have criticised the new Stonehenge Visitor Centre, saying that the whole experience is a rip-off.

Since the new £27m visitor centre opened four weeks ago, visitors have used review websites such as Trip Advisor to complain about problems, particularly the transport taking visitors from the centre to the ancient stones, and ticket queues.

One reviewer called the centre a “monstrously ugly carbuncle” while another said “the whole experience feels like a scam”.

People reported having to queue for over an hour for the land train – three carriages pulled by a Land Rover which can carry 45 people – and those who braved the mile-and-a-half walk had to dodge the transport as there is no separate footpath. With only two land trains, English Heritage has hired coaches.

Many were also unimpressed that the entry fee had doubled in price with the opening of the new centre and said the ticket office was open to the elements in what is essentially a “wind tunnel”.

A Devon couple said: “This was over ten years in the planning. How could they have got it so wrong?”

Kate Davies, Stonehenge’s general manager, said: “This is a brand new operation, on a completely different scale to the old visitor centre and naturally, during these early days, there have been some issues. But we are solving them – we have increased our shuttle service taking people to the stones and from February 1 our timed ticketing system will swing into place.

“The majority of feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. We appreciate all the feedback and would ask people to be patient while we iron out the few remaining issues.”