Portsmouth

Introduction

The Spinnaker Tower, Portsmouth.

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Portsmouth has graciously evolved from a traditional naval city to a contemporary waterfront destination in recent years. With modern bars & restaurants on the water's edge along with one of United Kingdom's newest icons, the Spinnaker Tower, the new and old fit together seamlessly.

Head out to Southsea for four miles of seafront promenade backed by gorgeous green spaces and a range of quirky individual shops.

At only 1.5 hours from London, Portsmouth is easily accessible and a breath of fresh air.

Neighbourhoods

Sights and Activities

Portsmouth has a wide variety of visitor attractions, but is most famous for its collection of historic naval ships, including HMS Victory, HMS Warrior and Henry VIII's Mary Rose.

• Spinnaker Tower – This 170-metre-tall tower has a triple observation deck at the top which provides an aerial view of the city and as far as 37 kilometres away. The tower is modelled after a sail, a reflection of the city's maritime history.
• D-day Museum
• Royal Naval Museum
• Royal Marines Museum - in Southsea, near Portsmouth.
• Southsea Castle
• Two cathedrals: Roman Catholic and Anglican!

Events and Festivals

Weather

Like much of southern England, the weather generally is not something to write home about, but not particularly bad either. Summers last from June to September when temperatures are generally around 20 degrees Celsius during the day, sometimes a bit lower and warm days of 25 degrees Celsius or more are certainly possible. Nights are generally mild. Winters are mild as well, with temperatures well above zero and just occasionally a few degrees below zero at night. Precipitation (mainly rain, snow is rare) is possible during all months, though autumn and winters are wetter.

Getting There

By Plane

By Train

By Car

By Bus

By Boat

From France

• Transmanche Ferries between Le Havre and Portsmouth.
• P&O Ferries between Le Havre and Portsmouth.
• LD Lines between Le Havre and Portsmouth.
• P&O Ferries between Caen and Portsmouth.
• Brittany Ferries between Caen and Portsmouth.
• P&O Ferries between Cherbourg and Portsmouth.

From Guernsey

• Condor Ferries between St Malo, Guernsey and Portsmouth.

From Spain:

• P&O Ferries depart from Bilbao every three days at around noon time and arrive at Portsmouth just after 17:00 the following day.
• Brittany Ferries depart from Santander once weekly for Portsmouth in the 24-hour journey.

Getting Around

By Car

By Public Transport

By Foot

By Bike

Eat

Drink

Portsmouth has a lively pub and club scene, with venues ranging from the upmarket and alternative, to the cheap and downright dirty. Depending on your a good idea of a night out, the city should be able to accommodate you. For those after a nice quiet drink, the bars along Albert Road and adjoining sidestreets are a mixture of old-man-pubs and younger, more trendy student hangouts like the One-Eyed-Dog and the Little Johnny Russels. Other student pubs worth checking out are the Honest Politician (on Elm Grove) the Registry (opposite the Portsmouth University Nuffield Centre).

If you want something a bit more lively, try the Gunwharf Quays area where fashionable bars and clubs are all conveniently huddled together in this flash new harbour area. Tiger Tiger and Jongluers are clubs where you can expect to see scantily-clad ladies and groups of marauding lads.

A rang lower down the ladder is the Guildhall Square, where you'll see an ambulance and police van permenantly stationed every Friday and Saturday night. Here cheap drinks abound, with Wetherspoons, Walkabout and Bar Me providing the fuel. The area really calms down during the week and is well worth a visit from Monday to Thursday as the students are out, and tend to be a much more relaxed (and less violent) bunch.

Last tip: dont forget to bring your ID (drivers license or passport) because at most venues it's a standard requirement after 6/7pm.

Sleep

Budget

Mid-Range

Upscale

Work

Learn

• University of Portsmouth

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

Post

The Royal Mail provides postal services in the United Kingdom. The Royal Mail's store fronts are called Post Office and offer services ranging from sending letters and packages to foreign currency exchange. Use the branch locator to find the nearest Post Office branch. An alternative includes TNT Post.
It's common for a post office to be incorporated into a grocery store, where there will be a small counter located at the back of the store for dealing with post related matters. All post offices are marked with signs that say 'post office' in red lettering. Post boxes can be found at any post office and standalone large red post boxes on the streets or red boxes in the sides of public buildings.