Location: Portsmouth
Top Things to do in Portsmouth
Top Restaurants in Portsmouth
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Top 10 Specialty Museums in Portsmouth, England
Portsmouth (/ˈpɔːrtsməθ/ ( listen)) is a port city in Hampshire, England, mainly on Portsea Island, 70 miles (110 km) south-west of London and 19 miles (31 km) south-east of Southampton. It has a total population of 205,400. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Southampton and the towns of Havant, Waterlooville, Eastleigh, Fareham, and Gosport.
Restaurants in Portsmouth
1. The Mary Rose
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 5,617 reviews
The Mary Rose is home to the Mary Rose and the thousands of artefacts that were recovered from the Solent. Built between 1509 and 1511, The Mary Rose was one of the first ships able to fire a broadside, and was a firm favourite of King Henry VIII. After a long and successful career, she sank accidentally during an engagement with the French fleet in 1545. Her rediscovery and raising were seminal events in the history of nautical archaeology. After a 34 year conservation project, the Mary Rose is now fully on display within her purpose-built museum. Please note that The Mary Rose is not included in the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard 11 Attraction Ticket. We currently offer a 10% discount to holders of a valid 11 Attraction Ticket upon its presentation at either our Visitor Centre at the main dockyard entrance (Victory Gate), or at our museum. Tickets purchased before 1st April 2018 will still be accepted until their expiration date.
Reviewed By 910adrianh - Frome, United Kingdom
Have visited this museum twice now and each time have been amazed at the restoration and historical background to life onboard in Tudor times that it provides and demonstrates. Attended a brilliant talk about the threat of French invasion at the time.
2. The D-Day Story
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 946 reviews
The D-Day Story tells of the people behind the events of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy. It holds over 10,000 items – preserving, researching and acquiring objects to share with the public through exhibitions, workshops and other activities. The museum is fully accredited, meeting nationally agreed standards for UK museums. Following a £5 million transformation project, it has moved from being an military-focused museum to one that tells the personal stories behind the epic day. The museum is also home to the Overlord Embroidery, which tells the story of the operation across 34 hand-stitched panels stretching for a total of 83 metres. The D-Day Story is one of six museums run by Portsmouth Museums, part of Portsmouth City Council. Responsibility for the museums service falls under the remit of the council’s cabinet member for Culture, Leisure and Sport.
Reviewed By GeorginaS152 - Windsor, United Kingdom
What a thrill to discover on Trip Adviser the D-Day Story Museum at Portsmouth, but only AFTER our return from the D-Day 75th anniversary cruise aboard CMV’s bijou cruise ship, Marco Polo, with a surprise 24-hour adventure tacked on the end! If we’d only known about this superbly-curated museum in advance, it would have been a ‘must do’. It offers such excellent local background and research, up-to-the minute presentation and, a particular “must-see” the stunning Overlord Embroidery designed by Sandra Lawrence and worked on by 25 embroiderers for four years at the Royal School of Needlework. When we’re back in Portsmouth again in September for a round British Isles cruise on another little ship, Astoria, our top priority is to view the 34 hand-stitched panels of stunning embroidery depicting the story of the D-Day Landings of 1944 at the Museum. The DDay voyage aboard Marco Polo covered a circular route of 880 nautical miles over 7 days and moored at 4 ports thus: Portsmouth -> Antwerp -> Honfleur -> Rouen -> Portsmouth The cruise itinerary was divided between days spent at sea with many on-board activities, and shore days, when passengers were bussed to the nearby D-Day centres of interest thus: 2 June - Marco Polo sailed out of Portsmouth 3 + 4 June in Antwerp with a range of tours to suit all tastes, from small group walking/beer-tasting tours; city tours at Brussels + Ghent + canal trip; an all-day tour of seven and a half hours to Ypres, including a visit to Tyne Cot Cemetery and ending with the moving ceremony of Last Post and Reveille at the Menin Gate Memorial at 8 pm. This famous ceremony has been held each evening without fail since 1926 by volunteers from the local Fire Brigade, except during the German occupation in WWII. 5 June - at Honfleur with tours of the stylish coastal resort of Deauville; the British D-Day beaches and cemeteries at Bayeux; and Ranville cemeteries, and the Pegasus bridge and memorial dedicated to the 6th British Airborne Division, the first liberators who parachuted into Normandy on the night of 5/6 June. 6 June - cruising at sea with talks and films before the poignant service on deck at 11 am, then a sail-by of the D Day beaches before entering the Seine and mooring at Rouen - our final port in France. 6/7 June - Rouen: tours to see Monet’s Garden, a huge tourist attraction but lots of footwork - comfy shoes essential! Or a coach to Paris with a tour and a riverboat ride on the Seine. A long coach tour to the D-Day beaches where the American troops had landed; the vast American cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach with the graves of 10,000 American soldiers, killed during the Normandy invasion and subsequent military operations in WWII. All went according to plan until the weather abruptly changed!Tours returning to the ship from Paris, were delayed in heavy traffic. As a result, the ship lost its 8 pm departure slot and eventually sailed out 12 hours later. The good news was that Marco Polo didn’t have to struggle through the Channel in noisy darkness, battered by storm and swell. Instead, departing mid-morning, we sailed briskly in the sunshine through a smoother sea, ‘tho’ quite a few passengers suffered mild sea-sickness. The Captain notified all cabins by letter of the changed arrangements for a revised docking time of 9.30 pm on Saturday in Portsmouth. He told us that if people found the late arrival inconvenient, they were welcome to stay an extra night on board in the same cabin and disembark early on Sunday morning! Drinks packages were extended, we enjoyed the same high quality menus provided with the usual faultless service. The change of arrival time was a sudden shock but the Marco Polo customer care was asseamless and impeccable as ever. We finally disembarked on Sunday morning into a calm and sunny day. What an adventure we’d had, following in the tracks of thousands who’d gone before! The high spot had been the Commemoration service beautifully led by the Cruise Director on deck. He began with an amazing surprise: he read out a beautiful letter just received on board from HM the Queen. Such pride and joy, and not a few tears it created. The muster took some time as all veterans and ex-military had gathered with friends, family and interested observers for whom WWII is an intrinsic part of their own history. Passengers lined the decks above and all blended their own voices with the ship’s company. The most touching moments, which brought many to tears, were when the veterans themselves spoke those words we hear every November after the Last Post has been played followed by the 2 minute silence. A veteran spoke the Exhortation from Laurence Binyon’s “For The Fallen”(1914) “They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old, Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, We will remember them.” After the wreaths were laid came the Kohima Epitaph, carved on the memorial of the 2nd British Division in the cemetery of Kohima in North-East India. A second veteran repeated it firmly and proudly, so that all could hear: “When you go home, tell them of us and say, For your tomorrow, we gave our today.” The wreaths were laid - one in the sea because it was bio-degradable, and two in the swimming pool, which were not. When the service ended, the emotion turned from memories to laughter and pride that another remembrance had been achieved. In her Christmas Day speech last year, HM the Queen said: “We cannot grieve if we did not love.” So true! The abiding feeling after a solemn, thought-provoking service like this one is that of a job well done, a life well-lived, whether brief or long, people remembered with honour, respect and - above all - love. The D-Day story again well told, both on board ship and at the wonderful D-Day Museum, Portsmouth.
3. National Museum of the Royal Navy
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 356 reviews
Reviewed By PBPG - Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Good value ticket, £31 gets you into everything except the Mary Rose and it’s valid for a year. We saw HMS Warrior, HMS Victory, Boathouse Number 4, had a Harbour tour (saw both HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Elizabeth) and a trip across the water to tour the submarine, HMS Alliance. Even if we never come back that was £31 well spent. The café in Boathouse 7 was a disappointment, poor selection and expensive. Plus they had run out of Earl Grey Tea, That smacks of very poor stock management. Most of the staff were very good, knowledgeable and friendly, with the exception of one lady as you went on board the HMS Victory that didn’t think the weight of metal a warship could fire in a broadside was important! Parking is nearby and reasonably priced, we paid £9 for the day
4. Portsmouth Historic Dockyard
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 7,987 reviews
Featuring world famous ships HMS Victory and HMS Warrior 1860. Plus visit HMS Alliance, the only remaining WW2 era British ocean going submarine, and the M33, the sole remaining British veteran of the bloody Dardanelles Campaign of 1915-1916. Also including the National Museum Royal Navy Portsmouth, Action Stations, the Harbour Tours, andd the Jutland Exhibition, there's plenty to see and do. Portsmouth Historic Dockyard is a great day out for all the family. Situated within a working Naval Base, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard is the only place in the world to see the Royal Navy past, present and future - a must see for anyone visiting the south of England.
Reviewed By Flantheman2334 - Gosport, United Kingdom
Individually, all of the attractions in the dockyard are not particularly cheap. However, if you buy an annual "All in" ticket, then the full price is £31 online. This covers Entry to HMS Warrior, HMS Victory, National Museum of the Royal Navy Portsmouth, Action Stations, HMS M.33, Harbour Tours, Boathouse 4, Dockyard Apprentice, Royal Navy Submarine Museum and Explosion Museum of Naval Firepower !!! And for a year!" Excellent value. The Mary Rose is an additional £18, which makes it by far the most expensive.
5. Royal Armouries - Fort Nelson
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,314 reviews
Reviewed By 481RobertS481
Free entry to an absolute treasure trove of guns, cannons, naval turrets etc set in a fort that's interesting in it's own right. All exhibits are well explained. Only very slight oddity was 2nd car park for museum says it is locked at 4.00pm an hour before museum closes.
6. Trafalgar Experience
7. HMS Victory
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,338 reviews
Reviewed By SeraB962 - Silverton, United Kingdom
I left the boat with a really good understanding of Nelson, Captain Hardy and the Battle of Trafalgar. The audio guide was brilliant, informative, a bit gory and absolutely key to understanding HMS Victory and her significance in our nation’s maritime history - watched some people steam round without one and can’t help thinking they had just 1/4 of the experience. Seeing the place where Nelson was hit and where he eventually died was quite moving. I recommend buying the 12 attractions ticket for the dockyards- HMS Victory is a real highlight.
8. The National Museum of the Royal Navy Portsmouth
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 5 reviews
Reviewed By E5690GBmaryc
Hearing the history of the ships and the history of the Mary Rose all in a great 2 days. Submarine was very educational
9. Charles Dickens' Birthplace
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 129 reviews
Reviewed By Dinglefoot - Christchurch, New Zealand
We walked from our car park near the Mary Rose to the Charles Dickens house, managed to take a wrong turn and wandered via an estate . It was so incongruous to then arrive in this rather pretty street . Although we thought very fitting with the Dickens story . The house does not have very much that was originally there but has acquired many interesting artefacts including the chaise lounge on which Dickens died . Whilst the bed is not the one on which he was born, to stand in the room in which he entered the world and then step to the next room to see where he died is very moving . There are fabulous photos and in each room this is an informative written guide . The staff are enthusiastic and extremely well informed, quite happy to give you an overview. . There’s an excellent wee shop in which to indulge your love of the great writer. Very much worth a visit .
10. Southsea Model Village
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 140 reviews
Southsea Model Village is a 1/12th scale village built in 1956. We are located on Southsea seafront next to the canoe lake and rose gardens. Just 30 seconds walk from the beach. There is also ample parking only 100 yards walk away. The model village is a delightful place to spend time for both young and old. We have a Toy Museum with toys from the past and present. An interactive miniature model fairground. The Rifleman's Tunnel which is 125ft long and holds our scale handmade model of Portsmouth Guildhall and Spinnaker Tower. Also our large g scale railway with Thomas And Friends,chugging around the Village which is especially enjoyed by our younger visitors. Not forgetting our own Castle over looking the Solent with wonderful views for miles, a perfect spot for a picnic. We have a great Snack Bar on site serving ice cream,hot & cold food, including Chips, hot dogs ,homemade gourmet burgers and baguettes with fillings of your choice all freshly made.
Reviewed By therichastill - Stevenage, United Kingdom
Southsea Model Villageis located in Canoe Lake Park. It is between the car park and the mini golf. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to this lovely village. The models are excellent and have a nod to local businesses and also there is some humour in some of the displays which is always necessary for a model village in my opinion. You can do the quiz as you go round too which helps you to try and identify certain things. There is also a small display in the armouries and above you there is a picnic area so you can have a rest if you want to. They sell refreshments and there are lots of activities for children as well as wandering round the village itself. It's a really nice place to visit. Sadly there is no gift shop but I took loads of pictures so I can enjoy these.
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