What to do and see in Isle of Portland, England: The Best Hidden Gems Things to do

Moonfleet sails daily from Portland Marina in Dorset, out into Weymouth Bay and to remarkable destinations along Dorset's beautiful coastline! All trips depart from and return to Portland Marina - come down, see us and have a look around in between trips. Treat yourself to a day at sea sailing our classic Tallship, Moonfleet! Here’s a real opportunity for both novice and sailor to try your hand at classic tallship sailing around Southern England’s stunning Jurassic Coastline and the fascinating chalk downlands of The Isle of Purbeck and stone cliffs on The Isle of Portland. For those keen to have a go, our crew will provide an opportunity to try most activities that can be fitted into the short voyage, from weighing anchor to hoisting the mainsail - and even taking the helm! Or alternatively If you don’t yet have the confidence to be hands on, you may sit back to watch and enjoy the ride!

With over 15 years experience of the travel industry and tour companies in America and the UK, Dorset Tours knows what it takes to provide you with a great day out! Being located on Portland in England, we are ideally situated as your tour start point to the south coast. We use new spacious air-conditioned vehicles with plenty of room to enjoy your tour with space for your bags. We only use local guides. We know the Jurassic Coast like no one else. We guarantee you will see more sights on the Jurassic Coast with us than any other tour company. We can't wait to host you here on the Jurassic Coast!

Visiting Portland on a cruise? Then why not come on the best & friendliest local tour available & see the best of Dorset & the Jurassic Coast in ‘70s VW style(but with a better, modern engine!)!! We provide a far more bespoke & friendly tour than standard coach & minibus trips & certainly without spending most of the day on the road like some tours. See Durdle Door, Lulworth Cove, magnificent castles, Roman ruins & picturesque villages!

The Castletown D-Day Centre is a family friendly, interactive WWII museum that tells the story of the thousands of US military personnel who in June 1944 sailed from Dorset to the beaches of Normandy.

For nearly 300 years a lighthouse has stood on Portland Bill to guide vessels heading for Portland and Weymouth and acting as a waymark for vessels navigating in the English Channel. A red sector light warns mariners of the hazardous Shambles Bank lying three miles offshore. Tours of Portland Bill Lighthouse are organised by AMH Support Services under licence from the Corporation of Trinity House.

Dinosaurs, shipwrecks and smugglers, Roman and Viking invasions, stone carving, seafaring, ground breaking scientists and world-famous authors, Portland museum packs in an astonishing collection that reflects the history and people of this exceptional island community! Portland Museum is a gem – tucked away in a beautiful corner of the island in two cottages dating to the seventeenth century, a stone’s throw from Rufus Castle and the stunning Church Ope Cove, on the South West Coast Path Although joined to the mainland by a tombolo, a wave formed beach, the island has always been regarded, and self-identified, as somewhere different and the museum’s collection reflects this. Staffed by volunteers from the local community, Portland Museum looks forward to welcoming visitors eager to find out about author Thomas Hardy and museum founder Dr Marie Stopes’ connections to the island. Portland Museum has something to interest everyone!

An abandoned stone quarry which has now been turned into a nature reserve and stone sculpture park. The remnants of the quarry's limestone has been used to create sculptures within the quarry. The site has been left to regenerate naturally, with control of invasive scrub forming the main management. Tout Quarry is a creative and educational resource for visitors, schools and universities who come to learn about wildlife and stone heritage through Dorset Wildlife Trust and the Portland Sculpture and Quarry Trust. Over the past two years DWT has removed a huge percentage of cotoneaster and thus allowed many native plants and flowers to prosper. UPDATE You may notice some work being done at the North East end of the quarry,a quote from our Warden "At present if you go through that entrance you will follow the path up to a level compacted stone circle. The circle once finished will have 10 'Memory stones' in a sort of sun dial shape. Each stone will be hand carved in situ, incorporating a different Portland theme. For instance one stone will have wildlife carvings, another heritage etc. The stones will also reflect light in different directions."

St George's is one of the most magnificent 18th-century church in Dorset. It rises from the rocky and dramatic peninsula of Portland and is the masterwork of a local mason named Thomas Gilbert whose grandfather supplied the Portland stone used to build St Paul's Cathedral. The interior is fabulously preserved with its lectern, pulpit, box pews and galleries all surviving. The sprawling churchyard is a treasure trove of fabulous headstones and memorials that tell tales of murder, piracy and adventure in a gloriously atmospheric setting.