Destination guides > Europe > England > Southeast England > Hampshire > Portsmouth & Southsea
Portsmouth & Southsea
Portsmouth is best known for its naval history and its historic seafront is home to several of the Royal Navy's grand old ships including Henry VIII's Mary Rose, Admiral Nelson's HMS Victory and HMS Warrior.
Today it is a sprawling city that encompasses suburban Southsea with its own string of attractions along the Clarence Esplanade.
Practical information
Tourist Information Centre (Clarence Esplanade)
Clarence Esplanade, Southsea
Tel (023) 9282 6722
Website www.visitportsmouth.co.uk
Open Jan-Jun 9.30am-5.15pm daily; Jul-Aug 9.30am-5.45pm daily; Sep-Dec 9.30am-5.15pm daily
Tourist Information Centre (The Hard)
The Hard, Portsmouth
Tel (023) 9282 6722
Website www.visitportsmouth.co.uk
Open Jan-Mar 9.30am-5.15pm daily; Apr-Sep 9.30am-5.45pm daily; Oct-Dec 9.30am-5.15pm daily
Coming & going
Portsmouth has two train stations, Portsmouth and Southsea station on Commercial Road in Portsmouth city centre and Portsmouth Harbour station near the historic waterfront. There are frequent train services to London and also along the coast to Brighton and Southampton.
Buses terminate at the Hard Interchange, which is located adjacent Portsmouth Harbour train station. National Express (tel 0870 580 8080; website www.nationalexpress.co.uk) run buses to London; Megabus also have buses to London and First and Stagecoach operate buses to destinations in Hampshire and neighbouring counties.
Portsmouth Continental Ferry Port has ferries to France, Spain, the Channel Islands and the Isle fo Wight.
Brittany Ferries (tel 0870 366 5333) sail to Caen, Cherbourg and St Malo in France; LD Lines (tel 0870 458 0401) sail to Le Havre, France; Condor Ferries (tel 0845 345 2000) sail to Guernsey and Jersey; P&O Ferries (tel 0870 520 2020) sail to Bilbao in Spain and Wightlink (tel 0870 582 7744) have ferries sailing every half hour to Ryde on the Isle of Wight.
Every half hour Hovertravel hovercrafts go between Southsea Hoverport and Ryde on the Isle of Wight. The trip takes around 10 minutes and the return fare is £13.40.
Local transport
Solent Transport co-ordinates the south Hampshire's public transport, which includes buses operated by First and Stagecoach and a train network. A bus rapid transit network is planned for the future.
The Solent Travelcard is good for unlimited travel on all bus routes across southern Hampshire, including Portsmouth and Southampton. This pass costs £6.50 a day or £25 a week.
The Gosport ferry (tel (023) 9252 4551) connects Portsmouth Harbour station with Gosport on the opposite side of the harbour. The ferry runs every 7½ to 15 minutes and is the easiest way to get to Gosport.
Hostel accommodation
Portsmouth & Southsea Backpackers
4 Florence Road, Southsea, Hampshire P05 2NE
Tel (023) 9283 2495
Sightseeing, museums & tourist attractions
PORTSMOUTH
Charles Dickens' Birthplace Museum
Charles Dickens was born in Portsmouth and the house in which he was born has been furnished as it was when John and Elizabeth Dickens first set up their home here in 1809.
393 Old Commercial Road, Portsmouth
Tel (023) 9282 7261
Website www.charlesdickensbirthplace.co.uk
Admission £3.50, students £2.50
Open 7 Feb 10am-5pm; Apr-Sep 10am-5.30pm daily
Natural History Museum
Portsmouth's Natural History Museum has exhibits on the wildlife that once lived in the Portsmouth area. The museum also features an aquarium and a butterfly house.
Cumberland House, Eastern Parade, Southsea
Tel (023) 9282 7261
Website www.portsmouthnaturalhistory.co.uk
Admission free
Open Jan-Mar 10am-4pm daily; Apr-Oct 10am-5.30pm daily, Nov-Dec 10am-4pm daily
Portsmouth City Museum
This museum has displays on the history and development of Portsmouth.
Museum Road, Portsmouth
Tel (023) 9282 7261
Website www.portsmouthcitymuseums.co.uk
Admission free
Open Jan-Mar 10am-5pm daily; Apr-Sep 10am-5.30pm daily; Oct-Dec 10am-5pm daily
Spinnaker Tower
Opened in late summer 2004, the massive 165m Spinnaker Tower is Portsmouth's newest and biggest landmark. The observation deck at the top of the tower offers breathtaking views of the harbour.
Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth
Tel (023) 9285 7520
Website www.spinnakertower.co.uk
Admission £7, students £6.20
Open 10am-6pm daily
PORTSMOUTH HISTORIC DOCKYARD
Portsmouth's main attraction is the historic dockyard that is home to many of Britain's most historic sailing ships. The Dockyard's outstanding attractions include:
Action Stations
This attraction provides an insight into today's Royal Navy. It features hands-on exhibits and a large format film that shows you what life is like aboard a Type 23 frigate.
Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, Portsmouth
Bus Hard Interchange Train Portsmouth Harbour
Tel (023) 9286 1512
Website www.historicdockyard.co.uk
Admission £12.50, students £8.50; inclusive ticket to all Portsmouth Historic Dockyard attractions £18, students £13.50
Open Jan-Mar 10am-5pm daily; Apr-Oct 10am-5.30pm daily; Nov-Dec 10am-5pm daily
HMS Victory
The Royal Navy's best known warship was under the command of Vice Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson off Cape Trafalgar in 1805 and it has been restored to its original splendour to commemorate the 2005 bicentenary of the Battle of Trafalgar.
Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, Portsmouth
Bus Hard Interchange Train Portsmouth Harbour
Tel (023) 9286 1512
Website www.historicdockyard.co.uk
Admission £12.50, students £8.50; inclusive ticket to all Portsmouth Historic Dockyard attractions £18, students £13.50
Open Jan-Mar 10am-5pm daily; Apr-Oct 10am-5.30pm daily; Nov-Dec 10am-5pm daily
HMS Warrior 1860
When it was launched in 1861, HMS Warrior was the most advanced warship ever built. It has now been restore to its original glory.
Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, Portsmouth
Bus Hard Interchange Train Portsmouth Harbour
Tel (023) 9286 1512
Website www.historicdockyard.co.uk
Admission £12.50, students £8.50; inclusive ticket to all Portsmouth Historic Dockyard attractions £18, students £13.50
Open Jan-Mar 10am-5pm daily; Apr-Oct 10am-5.30pm daily; Nov-Dec 10am-5pm daily
Mary Rose
Henry VIII's favourite warship was built between 1510 and 1511 and was sunk in battle against a French fleet in 1545. The Mary Rose lay in its watery grave for hundreds of years before being found by divers and raised in front of a TV audience in 1982. There is an adjoining museum that features over 1200 items taken from the wreck and the museum's Bonaventure Gallery has hands-on exhibits that give you an idea of life aboard the Mary Rose in Tudor England.
Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, Portsmouth
Bus Hard Interchange Train Portsmouth Harbour
Tel (023) 9286 1512
Website www.historicdockyard.co.uk
Admission £12.50, students £8.50; inclusive ticket to all Portsmouth Historic Dockyard attractions £18, students £13.50
Open Jan-Mar 10am-5pm daily; Apr-Oct 10am-5.30pm daily; Nov-Dec 10am-5pm daily
Royal Naval Museum
This excellent museum recounts 800 years of naval history with much of the museum focusing on Horatio Nelson, HMS Victory and the Battle of Trafalgar.
Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, Portsmouth
Bus Hard Interchange Train Portsmouth Harbour
Tel (023) 9286 1512
Website www.historicdockyard.co.uk
Admission £12.50, students £8.50; inclusive ticket to all Portsmouth Historic Dockyard attractions £18, students £13.50
Open Jan-Mar 10am-5pm daily; Apr-Oct 10am-5.30pm daily; Nov-Dec 10am-5pm daily
SOUTHSEA
Blue Reef Aquarium
This aquarium on the sea front in Southsea features a walk-through aquarium with tropical marine life. There are open-top tanks where you can get close to rays and sharks and a freshwater area that features three Asian short claw otters.
Clarence Esplanade, Southsea
Tel (023) 9287 5222
Website www.bluereefaquarium.co.uk
Admission £9, students £8.25
Open Jan-Feb 10am-4pm daily; Mar-Oct 10am-5pm daily; Nov-Dec 10am-4pm daily
D Day Museum
This excellent museum has displays depicting the events of 6 June 1944, which changed the course of World War II. The museum is also home to the Overlord Embroidery, an 83m-long embroidery that is intended to be a modern counterpart to the Bayeux Tapestry.
Clarence Esplanade, Southsea
Website www.ddaymuseum.co.uk
Admission £6, students £4.20
Open Jan-Mar 10am-5pm daily; Apr-Oct 10am-5.30pm daily; Nov-Dec 10am-5pm daily
Royal Marines Museum
This museum shows the history of the Royal Marines from their formation in 1664 to the present day.
Southsea Esplanade, Southsea
Tel (023) 9281 9385
Website www.royalmarinesmuseum.co.uk
Admission £5.95, students £3.75
Open Jan-May 10am-4.30pm daily; Jun-Aug 10am-5pm daily; Sep-Dec 10am-4.30pm daily
Southsea Castle
Southsea Castle was built in 1544 as part of Henry VIII's coastal fortifications. Throughout the centuries it was strengthened and used as a military base right up to 1960, when Portsmouth City Council restored the castle to how it looked in the 19th century.
Clarence Esplanade, Southsea
Tel (023) 9287 7261
Website www.southseacastle.co.uk
Admission £3.50, students £2.50
Open Apr-Oct 10am-5pm daily
GOSPORT
Gosport lies across the harbour from Portsmouth and is easily reached by the Gosport ferry (tel (023) 9252 4551), which departs from the dock behind Portsmouth Harbour station.
Explosion
This small museum focuses on the history of naval warfare and includes displays of gunpowder, explosives, mines, guns, torpedos and missiles.
Priddy's Hard, Gosport
Ferry Gosport
Tel (023) 9250 5600
Website www.explosion.org.uk
Admission £4, students £2
Open Sat-Sun 10am-4pm (last entry 3pm)
Royal Navy Submarine Museum
A visit to this museum gives you the opportunity to go inside a Royal Navy submarine, the HMS Alliance. The museum's collection features four submarines and one submersible survey vessel as well as over 4000 artefacts.
Royal Navy Submarine Museum, Haslar Jetty Road, Gosport
Tel (023) 9252 9217
Ferry Gosport, then bus 9
Website www.rnsubmus.co.uk
Admission £9
Open Jan-Mar 10am-4.30pm daily; Apr-Oct 10am-5.30pm daily; Nov-Dec 10am-4.30pm daily
