Portsmouth, the great waterfront city, has miles of sea views and centuries of history. Located on Hampshire’s South Coast, Portsmouth is an island city, totally surrounded by water.

Portsmouth Historic Dockyard

With more than 800 years of naval history, Portsmouth’s world renowned Historic Dockyard is a must-see. Featuring HMS Victory, the new Mary Rose Museum and HMS Warrior 1860, along with the National Museum of the Royal Navy, Action Stations and Harbour Tours, this attraction offers a full day’s visit.
The boat-shaped Mary Rose Museum, a £35 million heritage project to build an internationally-renowned museum, reunites the Mary Rose hull together with her collection of artefacts, placed in context.

Spinnaker Tower
Soaring 170m above Portsmouth and the Solent, the Spinnaker Tower is taller than the London Eye, Blackpool Tower and Big Ben. The three viewing decks with floor-to-ceiling glass windows provide breathtaking 350˚ panoramic views stretching up to 23 miles, giving visitors a unique perspective of the city and surrounding area. Daring visitors can almost walk on air by crossing the glass floor on view deck one before enjoying refreshments in the Café in the Clouds on the second viewing level.
Gunwharf Quays
Visit Gunwharf Quays and shop at over 90 designer outlets, eat at one of 30 cosmopolitan bars, restaurants and coffee shops, work it off at the health and fitness centre, catch a film at the 14 screen Vue cinema, bowl at the 26 lane Bowlplex then dance the night away at Tiger Tiger, all on the water’s edge!

Waterfront - Old Portsmouth to Southsea Seafront
A walk along Portsmouth’s impressive waterfront is a real journey into the city’s past. Arrange a guided walk to gain an expert’s view or self-guide yourself along the Millennium Promenade, taking in the Camber Dock, Round Tower and Square Tower.

Literary Connections
For literary fans, Portsmouth is a surprising destination. The great author Charles Dickens was born in Portsmouth and his birthplace is preserved as a fascinating museum. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created his famous character Sherlock Holmes while residing in Portsmouth and the city is now home to a large collection of Conan Doyle memorabilia, on display as ‘A Study in Sherlock’ exhibition at the City Museum.

Cultural Scene
Portsmouth also has a lively and diverse cultural scene. All year round there are city wide events and live entertainment - find live music, theatre and comedy in Portsmouth Guildhall, Kings Theatre and New Theatre Royal along with smaller independent venues like the Cellars at Eastney and the Wedgewood Rooms. A wide range of independent eateries such as Pie and Vinyl, the Garage Lounge and Abarbistro sit alongside major chains at Gunwharf Quays such as Brasserie Blanc and Jamie’s Italian. Add to this a great mix of outlet, independent and vintage shopping, food and boutique markets, all within easy reach of each other and the ever impressive waterfront.

Shopping
Portsmouth offers a unique shopping experience; from the award winning Gunwharf Quays and major high-street names in the city centre to the array of independent, vintage and quirky shops in Southsea selling everything from retro clothing to antique furniture just a pebble’s throw from the beach.

For more details about events, local attractions and where to stay, and a copy of the free visitor guide call the Portsmouth Visitor Information Service on +44 (0) 23 9282 6722 or email [email protected]; details can also be found on website www.visitportsmouth.co.uk. Follow Portsmouth on Twitter for all the latest news and events @visitportsmouth; visit the city’s Facebook page or experience Portsmouth on YouTube searching for Visit Portsmouth.

Getting There

There are regular car ferry links between Portsmouth and Caen, Cherbourg, Le Havre in France and Bilbao and Santander in Spain. Please visit http://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk for more information about schedules, prices and to book your crossing. Portsmouth International Port is only 2 hours travelling time from London and with excellent motorway links and rail connections, especially from the Midlands and South England.

The major London airports of Gatwick and Heathrow are both 60 miles (100 kilometres) away and are in easy reach of Portsmouth via good rail and rail/coach connections.

Southampton International Airport is just 22 miles away and receives flights from domestic UK airports, the Channel Islands as well as some French and Dutch airports. Please visit www.southamptonairport.com for more information.