Portsmouth travel guide

Portsmouth, United Kingdom

By the Travel Wiki editorial team

Portsmouth

Introduction

Portsmouth is a port city in Hampshire on England's south coast, and it has a distinction that sets it apart from every other city in the country: most of it sits on Portsea Island in the Solent, making it the only city in England not located primarily on the mainland. It forms part of the wider South Hampshire urban area alongside Gosport, Fareham, Havant, Eastleigh and Southampton, and lies within easy reach of Southampton to the north-west, Brighton and Hove to the east, and London further off to the north-east.

What that island setting means for you is a city shaped by the sea at every turn, densely packed and maritime in character. It is the most densely populated city in the United Kingdom, so expect an urban break where districts run into one another rather than sprawl.

Before you go

Portsmouth sits mostly on Portsea Island, separated from the mainland by only a narrow channel of seawater, so it functions more like a peninsula. It has a long naval heritage, and you can build a trip around its memorials, museums, trails and the Historic Dockyard. The city has a stretch of seafront with pebbled beaches, and as a university city it has a large, multicultural student population.

The climate is mild and oceanic, and Portsmouth sees more sunshine than much of the UK. Summers are warm, winter days are short, and daylight ranges from early morning to late evening in summer and from mid-morning to late afternoon in winter. Before you go, be aware that weekends around pub and club closing times can bring violence to the city centre and to Albert Road in Southsea, where pavements are narrow and drinkers plentiful. The Southsea seafront can feel quiet and secluded at night, so take care. Avoid Somerstown, especially after dark, and Buckland at night; if your route crosses either, choose another. Petty crime is an ongoing concern, so leave nothing on display in vehicles and consider a Park Marque facility. Finally, the football rivalry between Portsmouth and Southampton is intense: avoid Southampton colours, especially red and white vertical stripes, and avoid praising Southampton or criticising Portsmouth around the wrong people.

Getting there

Portsmouth is well connected by rail, with frequent National Rail services from London Waterloo taking between 1 hr 30 min and 1 hr 40 min via Haslemere, or about 2 hr 10 min via Winchester. Other major services include Brighton, Cardiff via Bath and Bristol, Southampton, and direct trains from Gatwick Airport. Choose your station by destination: alight at Portsmouth & Southsea for the city centre shopping, Portsmouth Guildhall and a short walk to the seafront; at Portsmouth Harbour for the Historic Dockyard, Gunwharf Quays, the Spinnaker Tower and ferries to the Isle of Wight; and at Fratton for Fratton Park football stadium. Hilsea station serves the local industrial estates and Portsmouth Rugby Club, and most visitors would have no reason to alight there. When departing, the stations can be easy to miss even when you are only a few feet away: Portsmouth Harbour is behind the bus station at The Hard, Portsmouth & Southsea sits at the bottom of Commercial Road by the railway bridge, and Fratton is east of the road bridge at the bottom of Fratton Road.

By car, Portsmouth is reached via the M275, the M27 and the A27, or from London by the A3 or M3. As an island city, routes in and out are limited, so congestion can be a problem, especially at rush hour, and most residential roads have a 20 mph speed limit. Parking is plentiful on the street and in pay-and-display car parks, with multi-storey car parks in the city centre and at Gunwharf Quays and on-street parking in Southsea; some roads have time limits for non-residents that are enforceable at all times. A Park & Ride scheme offers parking with free bus travel to the city centre and The Hard, though cars cannot leave the car parks towards the city proper. National Express coaches arrive at The Hard, a few hundred yards from the harbour and Historic Dockyard, and local bus routes stretch as far afield as Havant and Southampton. As a waterfront city, Portsmouth can also be reached by boat: cross-Channel ferries from Normandy and Brittany arrive at Portsmouth International Port at the end of the M275, with services also from northern Spain and the Channel Islands. Locally, ferries and a hovercraft cross from the Isle of Wight, the Gosport Ferry docks at the transport hub by Portsmouth Harbour station, and the Hayling Ferry carries foot passengers and cyclists from Ferry Point to Eastney. The nearest airport is Southampton, around 20 mi away in Eastleigh, from where it is simple to reach Portsmouth by train via Southampton Airport Parkway, changing at either Southampton Central or Eastleigh.

Getting around

Portsmouth is compact and flat, and most of what you'll want to see sits within a walkable band, so on a fine day you can cover a lot of ground on foot. The city lies largely on Portsea Island, which limits the routes in and out and shapes how you move around: the Historic Dockyard, Gunwharf Quays, Old Portsmouth, the city centre and the Southsea seafront are strung along a fairly short stretch. There is no metro or tram network — public transport is built around buses, the mainline railway and ferries. At night, if you can find an elevated position, you can navigate by the chain of blue lights along the seafront to the south.

Several bus companies run local routes, including First Bus Solent and Stagecoach South, reaching as far as Havant and Southampton; day passes are the simplest way to pay, whether for a single operator, the Portsmouth city area, or the wider county. Trains link the central stations, and travelling between the harbour and the city centre by train is a handy shortcut. For the city centre shopping area and Portsmouth Guildhall, alight at Portsmouth & Southsea; for the Historic Dockyard, Gunwharf Quays, the Spinnaker Tower and ferries to the Isle of Wight, alight at Portsmouth Harbour, which sits behind the bus station at The Hard. Fratton is the stop for Fratton Park. National Express coaches arrive at The Hard, and a Park & Ride scheme lets you park and ride a free bus into the city centre and The Hard, with buses running until the early or late evening depending on the day. Taxis are easy to come by: two local minicab companies can be prebooked, many taxis can be flagged down or found at ranks around the city, and Uber operates here too.

Where to stay

Portsmouth's accommodation is spread across the city, with options to suit most trips. You can browse listings through the official VisitPortsmouth website, and the Visitor Info Centre can check availability and make bookings on your behalf. For a base within walking distance of the local attractions, look at the guesthouses and hotels around Bellevue Terrace in Southsea, including 1 Bed and Breakfast at No3 and the Pembroke Park Hotel, which puts you minutes from the old town and the seafront, with Portsmouth and Southsea both easily walkable. The Florence House Hotel and Somerset House Hotel, set just back from the seafront on Malvern Road, are the city's only boutique accommodation and place you within easy reach of everything. Near the Portsmouth & Southsea train station, the Ibis Portsmouth Centre is another good choice, while the Holiday Inn Express sits right at Gunwharf Quays.

Elsewhere in the city, the Duke of Buckingham is on High Street, and the Queen's Hotel is a must for Mr. Bean fans, having been the setting for the episode "Mr. Bean in Room 426". Spitbank Fort offers something different, with refurbished lighthouse accommodation. If you're arriving or leaving by ferry, the Travelodge Portsmouth on Kingston Crescent in North End is within easy reach of the Continental ferry port and the Isle of Wight ferry, and close to the city centre, shopping and Gunwharf Quays. Further out, Travelodge Portsmouth Hilsea on Copnor Road is a good base if you want to keep active, with Hilsea Lido, the rugby club and fitness centres within jogging distance and a running track along the water.

Food & drink

Portsmouth has hundreds of restaurants catering to all tastes, from familiar chains like Taco Bell, JD Wetherspoon and Greggs scattered throughout the town to independent spots in the neighbourhoods. For a light lunch, the Tenth Hole Tea Room near the mini-golf course on Eastern Parade is known for its home-made cakes, while Jenny's Restaurants on Charlotte Street, Ocean Fresh Fish & Chips and Britannia Fish and Chips on Kingston Road and The Hard, the Nut Cafe and North End Cafe on London Road, and The Fratton on Fratton Road cover the budget end. Towards Fareham, the marina at Port Solent offers a variety of restaurants in a pleasant environment with a multiplex cinema nearby and free onsite parking.

For curry, head to Albert Road, where Indian restaurants line the street and prices stay low, or Palmerston Road for a more expensive setting. Mid-range options include abarbistro in Old Portsmouth for modern European cuisine, The Beach Club on Clarence Esplanade in Southsea for stonebaked pizza and pasta with views over the Solent, and Panero Lounge and Becketts Southsea for British fare. The Chambers on Landport Terrace sits at the splurge end. For drinks, Guildhall Walk and the area around the railway station have bars and clubs and are well-policed, though you should keep your wits about you. Southsea's Albert Road is the main drag for student pubs, wine bars, cafe-bars and Indian restaurants, with places like the Bold Forester, Brewhouse & Kitchen, The Deco, Emporium Bar, Festing, Hole in the Wall, The Honest Politician, The Kings, The Phoenix and The Wine Vaults, where you should arrive early for a seat. Palmerston Road is more up-market, with tables out in the road, and includes Meat and Barrel for burgers, wings and ribs, Croxton's Kitchen & Tap House, The Jolly Sailor, The Lord Palmerston, Shenanigans and The Southsea Village. Gunwharf Quays has over twenty bars and restaurants, many with waterfront views, such as the Ship Anson, The Old Customs House, The Ship & Castle, The Fleet and Park Tavern. In Old Portsmouth you'll find The Bridge Tavern, The Chambers with its roof terrace, The Dolphin, The Pembroke, The Sally Port Inn, Spice Island Inn and The Still & West with harbour views, and The Wellington, which claims to be the oldest pub in Portsmouth.

What to see and do

Portsmouth's headline attraction is the Historic Dockyard, a major naval heritage site set within an active Royal Navy base. Historic warships including HMS Victory and HMS Warrior are here, along with the National Museum of the Royal Navy and other museums, exhibitions and interactive attractions; allow anywhere from half a day to a full day depending on your interest. Within the dockyard, the Mary Rose Museum is built around the preserved hull of Henry VIII's flagship, which sank in 1545 and was raised in 1982 after more than 400 years underwater, displayed in a climate-controlled environment alongside thousands of Tudor artefacts recovered from the wreck. Advance booking is strongly recommended. Across the harbour at Gunwharf Quays, the Spinnaker Tower rises some 170 m above the redeveloping waterfront, its shape symbolising the wind filling a spinnaker sail; a high-speed internal lift takes you to viewing levels at 100 m, 105 m and 115 m.

In Southsea you can visit Southsea Castle, built in 1544 as part of Henry VIII's coastal defences and heavily modified through to the end of World War II, with a small temporary exhibit and a permanent one in the keep. The Southsea Seafront runs for 4 mi (6.4 km) of promenade backed by green spaces and gardens, and nearby are the Southsea Model Village at Lumps Fort, the Southsea Rose Garden inside the 19th-century fort, and the Ernest Smith Clock Tower on Castle Road. Elsewhere in the city, Portsmouth Cathedral in the old town holds a piece of Lord Nelson's flag and the tomb of an unknown member of the Mary Rose's crew, while St John's Catholic Cathedral sits in the city centre. Museums include the Royal Marines Museum in Southsea, the D-Day Story with its Overlord Embroidery and a restored landing craft tank, the Charles Dickens Birthplace Museum, Cumberland House Natural History Museum, the Portsmouth Museum and Art Gallery, and the Blue Reef Aquarium on the seafront. Further afield, Portchester Castle is one of the best preserved Roman fortifications in Northern Europe, Portsdown Hill offers views across Portsmouth and the South Downs with countryside walks and traditional pubs, and the Royal Armouries at Fort Nelson sits on the hill. For activities, relax on Southsea Common with a picnic or barbecue, follow the Renaissance Trail around the Millennium Promenade, take in Clarence Pier's fairground and arcades, hear live music at the Southsea Bandstand on summer Sundays, or catch football at Fratton Park and rugby at Portsmouth Rugby Football Club.

When to go

Portsmouth has a mild oceanic climate, and it sees more sunshine than much of the UK. Summers here are warm and bright, with long daylight hours running from around 5AM to 9:15PM, which leaves plenty of time for outdoor sightseeing and seaside time in the evening. Nights stay comfortable, and occasional hotter spells can push daytime temperatures higher still.

Winters are short and cool rather than severe, but the days are very limited, with daylight only from about 8AM to 4PM. Expect cool, grey conditions typical of an oceanic winter. With so little daylight, indoor attractions and early dinners tend to shape a winter visit.

Festivals & events

Portsmouth's festival calendar peaks in August with the Victorious Music Festival, the city's headline event of the summer. If your visit coincides with it, plan your accommodation and travel well ahead, as the city is at its busiest.

Three days in Portsmouth

Day one begins in Portsmouth, on Portsea Island in Hampshire, England, where the Solent shapes the city's edge. Start at the Historic Dockyard, the city's maritime heart, then wander into Old Portsmouth and along the waterfront. In the evening, head to Albert Road in Southsea for food and drink; Southsea itself is the place to base yourself, with its seafront and easy reach of the rest of the city. Avoid Somerstown and Buckland after dark.

Day two takes you along the Southsea seafront and through Southsea's streets, with the Solent on one side and the city behind you. Summers here are warm and breezy, while winters feel raw and damp off the water. Use the day to explore on foot, then eat in Southsea or on Albert Road. If you want a change of scene, Gosport, Fareham and Havant are close by across South Hampshire.

Day three is for the wider area. National Rail links Portsmouth with London Waterloo via Haslemere and Winchester, and with Southampton, Brighton and Hove, Bath, Bristol and Cardiff; Gatwick Airport is reachable by train. Choose your final hours in Southsea or the Historic Dockyard before you leave. Finally, note that Park Marque is a local option if you need somewhere to stay.

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