At the heart of the city is Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. Here you can explore Lord Nelson’s flagship, HMS Victory and tour Queen Victoria’s battleship, HMS Warrior 1860. You can see Henry Vlll’s Mary Rose and trace the history of the Royal Navy at the Royal Naval Museum. Then come right up to date with “Action Stations” an interactive attraction on today’s navy.
Why not take a harbour tour to see the naval ships, and harbour fortifications from the water.
Other attractions include Charles Dickens’ birthplace, the D-Day Museum featuring the Overlord Embroidery, Southsea Castle, the Royal Marines Museum, and Portsmouth Cathedral.
Portsmouth has its own resort area, Southsea, offering four miles of beach and promenade, including gardens and piers. You can take an undersea safari at the Blue Reef Aquarium or splash around at the Pyramids with their fun pools, flumes and waves.
At the harbour entrance lies Gunwharf Quays, a world-class waterfront shopping and leisure development. Spinnaker Tower is also situated here. This is a striking new attraction soaring 170m into the air and offering spectacular views over the south coast.
If you want to shop then Portsmouth City Centre and Southsea offer an excellent selection of shops from high street names to independent retailers.
Detailed City Guide to Portsmouth