10 Best Things to Do in Portsmouth

Portsmouth is best known as a historic dockyard, so where better to start your day than Portsmouth Historic Dockyard? Just south of the Royal Navy’s modern docks and north of the Portsmouth Harbour train station, Portsea is a hub of Britain’s proud naval heritage. Within a very small area is HMS Warrior (Britain’s first iron-hulled warship), HMS M.33 (a World War I-vintage gunboat), the remains of the Mary Rose (a Tudor-era warship) and HMS Victory (Admiral Nelson’s flagship). The National Museum of the Royal Navy is a good place to start, giving you a more general round-up of the surrounding warships and their place in British history.

The Victory is perhaps one of the most famous warships in Britain, if not the world. She has a number of battle honours to her name, but she’s best remembered for her part in the 1805 Battle of Trafalgar, where she was the flagship of Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson. Victory is technically still a commissioned ship in the Royal Navy, but her primary role is now as a museum ship, showing visitors what life was like at sea in the Napoleonic Wars.

With well over 100 stores and restaurants, Gunwharf Quays is a sprawling shopping complex right in the heart of Portsmouth. It’s an outlet mall, so you can expect luxury designer goods at quite considerable discounts. Big brands available include Armani, Tommy Hilfiger, Superdry, Paul Smith and more. Come back to the Quays after dark for one of Portsmouth’s best nightlife scenes, with plenty of great pubs and clubs.

The Spinnaker Tower is among the UK’s tallest structures, rising 170 metres above Gunwharf Quays. It has a very similar shape to the Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai, probably because both are based on sails. You can ride the high-speed lift (or take nearly 600 stairs, if you’re feeling extremely ambitious) up to the glass-floored Sky Walk or the Sky Garden, where you can relax on artificial grass and enjoy the view across the harbour. In between them is The Clouds – a café with an outstanding view. Naturally, it’s usually extremely busy, so pre-booking a table is recommended.

At the Mary Rose Museum, you can explore the remains of the Mary Rose battleship, which was the flagship of the English Navy during the reign of King Henry VIII. The ship sank during the Battle of the Solent in 1545 after 34 years in service, and it was only recovered in 1982. In addition to the ship, you’ll see thousands of artefacts from Tudor England on display at the Mary Rose Museum.

The Mary Rose Museum remains open until 5.30 pm daily, though we recommend arriving no later than 3.30 pm so that you have at least 2 hours to explore all the exhibitions.

The Nelson Trail is a free self-guided walking tour of some of the older parts of Portsmouth, stopping at places of interest related to Vice Admiral Lord Nelson. It’s a very simple, easy route, starting at St George’s Road, heading right down High Street and then following the coastline to end at the anchor of Victory, by Clarence Pier. Interesting stops along the way include Portsmouth Cathedral, the Spur Redoubt and The George Inn. It’s only a 1-mile walk, but it’s a good idea to wear comfortable shoes. You can find the route at tourist information offices and online.

Clarence Pier is a funfair near the entrance to Portsmouth Harbour, right next to the hovercraft port. The fair stretches along the beach, not out to sea from it. It includes a big wheel, a couple of rollercoasters, a mini golf course and an amusement arcade. Some of the attractions close during the winter months, but it has that very typical British seaside atmosphere in summer. Come a little early on Sunday morning and you can check out the car boot sale in a nearby field before the park opens.

D-Day in June 1944 saw a massive multinational army crossing the English Channel into occupied France – an awe-inspiring undertaking, which Portsmouth played a pivotal role in. The D-Day Story is a modern museum which tells the tale of that undertaking through archive films and photos, as well as period artefacts. To give you an idea of the sheer scope of the operation, there’s an 83-metre-long embroidery showing the landing craft crossing the sea – basically a modern-day Bayeux Tapestry. Within a short walk of the museum is Southsea Castle, which is also worth a visit.

The Hilsea Lines is an old and long-abandoned line of defence. The overgrown crumbling brickwork dates back to 1871. The old moat and bombproof gun emplacements (or casemates) are certainly impressive, but it’s the natural habitat that has grown around them which makes it worth the visit. There a nature trail in the park which takes about an hour to walk and will give you the best chance of spotting some colourful creatures.

The Portsmouth Guildhall is the home of culture and entertainment in the city. The events calendar is filled virtually year-round, with concerts, comedy and drama. Having been the first place to host a live performance of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon album, it continues to attract big names to this day. There are also regular exhibitions and conferences you can visit during the day. For smaller but edgier plays, the New Theatre Royal Portsmouth is just down the road and, as with most good theatres, there are several bars in the immediate area.