• Relax on Southsea Common with a picnic.
• Follow the Renaissance Trail around the Millennium Promenade - a self guided walk with information along the way, just look out for the chain in the pavement.
• Clarence Pier - A small fairground close to the Hoverport with rides and amusement arcades.
• Listen to live music at The Bandstand every Sunday in the summer.

If you like a bit of night life there are four parts of town you should visit;

• Gunwharf Quays is a great place to eat and drink (over 20 bars & restaurants, many with waterfront views) but can be a little pricey
• Albert Road is has a fair few student pubs, wine bars and cafe-bars, not to mention the numerous Indian restaurants.
• The lesser known but nicer area of Southsea is Palmerston Road - some bars and good restaurants.
• Guildhall walk, where you will find bars such as Walkabout, Yates and Wetherspoons, and clubs Route 66 and Babylon.
• Liquid & Envy is Portsmouth's newest multi-million pound clubbing experience, close to the Guildhall (just across from Portsmouth & Southsea station).

• Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, [3]. Located in the naval base, the Historic Dockyard has a number of historic ships including the Mary Rose, HMS Victory and HMS Warrior 1860. In the Historic Dockyard there is also Royal Naval Museum and Action Stations - an interactive look at the navy of today. There is a great old pub outside of Dockyard called the Ship Anson, worth a try. Portsmouth Visitor Information Centre can be found adjacent to the visitor entrance of the Dockyard.

• The Spinnaker Tower, Gunwharf Quays, Telephone: +44 (0)23 9285 7520, [4]. Open every day from 10AM-6PM (until 10PM on Saturdays and every day during Jul and Aug). This striking and highly-visible £21 million landmark tower rises some 170 m above the redeveloping harbour of Portsmouth, symbolising the wind filling a spinnaker sail... Visitors can use the tower to view from 3 levels: at 100m, 105m and 115m. A high speed internal lift takes you to the top. Admission adult £4.95, child £4, concessions £4.50, family £16.
• Southsea Castle, [5]. Built in 1544, the Castle was part of a series of fortifications constructed by Henry VIII around England's coasts to protect the country from invaders.
• Southsea Seafront - 4 miles of seafront promenade backed by gorgeous green spaces and gardens.
• Royal Marines Museum, Southsea, Tel: 023 9281 9385 (Fax: 023 9283 8420 E-mail: info@royalmarinesmuseum.co.uk), [6]. Open every day (except Dec. 23-25 and Boxing day) 10AM-5PM. Discover the exciting story of the Royal Marines brought to life with dramatic and interactive displays. The Museum is in what was one of the most stately Officers' Messes in England, built in the 1860s with beautiful ceilings, huge paintings and a grand staircase.

• Portsmouth's Cathedrals Portsmouth is home to two cathedrals, St Thomas' in Old Portsmouth (Anglican) and St John's in the City Centre (Catholic).
• D-Day Museum, [7]. Open every day (except 24-26 Dec.) Apr-Oct 10AM-5.30PM; Nov-Mar 10AM-5PM. A fitting tribute to the sacrifice of the men & women who took part in the D-Day landings.
• Blue Reef Aquarium, Clarence Esplanade, Southsea, Tel 023 92875222, [8]. Open every day except Christmas 10AM-5PM (Nov-Feb until 4PM). Take an undersea safari at the aquarium on the seafront.
• Southsea model village (seafront)
• Southsea Rose garden
• Charles Dickens Birthplace Museum, 393 Old Commercial Road, [9]. Open every day from mid Apr-Dec 10AM-5:30PM. The famous writer Charles Dickens was born in this modest house in Portsmouth, England in 1812.
• Cumberland House Natural History Museum
• City Museum & Records Office, [10]. Home of the new Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes exhibition "A Study in Sherlock".
• Spitbank Fort, [11]. Located in the middle of the Solent is this man-made fort, built to defend Portsmouth in the 1800's. Take a trip out for a party night or Sunday dinner.
• Royal Garrison Church, a roofless English Heritage property.

Portsmouth can be reached by train from London, by motorway from anywhere in England and by ferry from France and Spain.

By plane

The nearest airport is Southampton Airport [2], located around 20 miles from Portsmouth in Eastleigh. Over 47 European destinations are served from here. There is a regular train service from Southampton airport train station (Parkway) to Portsmouth.

By train

Portsmouth is on the National Rail network. Direct trains from London take about 90 minutes from London Waterloo, a cheap day single is about £21. Other major services include Brighton (1 hour 40 minutes), Cardiff (3 hours 10 minutes) via Bath and Bristol; and Southampton (1 hour).

Alight at Portsmouth Harbour for the Historic Dockyard, Gunwarf Quays, the Spinnaker Tower and Ferries to the Isle of Wight. Alight at Portsmouth & Southsea for Portsmouth City Centre shopping, Portsmouth Guildhall and a short walk to the seafront. Alight at Fratton for Fratton Park football stadium. Portsmouth is flat and very easy to get around, so taking public transport is recommended.

For those wishing to depart via train those unfamiliar with Portsmouth's train stations will find it is easy to miss them even when only a few feet away. Portsmouth Harbour is behind the bus station at The Hard. Portsmouth & Southsea is easily found at the bottom of Commercial Road if you look out for the railway bridge just south of the building. Fratton is to be found to the east of the road bridge at the bottom of Fratton Road and north of the roundabout between Victoria Road North and Goldsmiths Avenue. The lesser frequented Hilsea Station is underneath the road bridge at Norway Road and Cosham station is located on the Cosham high street.

By car

Portsmouth is easily accessible by car via the M275 motorway with joins the M27 and A27. From London take the A3 or M3 south. As Portsmouth is an island city, routes in and out are limited and therefore congestion can be a problem.

Parking is plentiful both on street (about £1/hr) and in pay and display car parks. The city centre and Gunwharf Quays both have multi-storey car parks, and Southsea has on-street parking.

If you stroll a little away from the city centre and tourist hot spots (sometimes just around the corner in Southsea), parking can be found for free or in time-limited bays.

Motorcycles can park without a residents permit and within the marked bays. Gunwharf Quays also has a dedicated motorcycle bay in the underground car park.

If you're visiting the University then you can obtain day car passes from University House. The car parks are very busy during term-time however.

The city can be busy around rush hour but not too much so.

By bus

Local bus routes stretch as far afield as Havant and Southampton. Day passes can be bought for £3.70 which allow you unlimited travel in the Portsmouth City area or £4.80 for the whole of Hampshire.

National Express travels into the Hard (few hundred yards from harbour and historic dockyard) with links to many of the country's major cities.

By boat

There are ferry services from four ports in France as well as Bilbao in Spain.

• Saint-Malo
  • Brittany Ferries/up to 2 daily/9 hrs Brittany Ferries
• Cherbourg
  • Condor Ferries/1 Sunday service/5 hrs Condor Ferries
  • Brittany Ferries/up to 2 daily/3hrs (March - November only) Brittany Ferries
• Caen
  • Brittany Ferries/3 daily/5.45hrs (Year-round service)
  • Brittany Ferries/1 daily/3.5hrs (Summer-only fast service on Fri/Sat/Sun) Brittany Ferries

• Le Havre
  • LD Lines/ 1 daily/8 hours overnight LD Lines
• Bilbao
  • P&O Ferries/2 weekly/35 hours

There are also services to the Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey.

• Guernsey
  • Condor Ferries/1 daily/6hrs30min
• Jersey
  • Condor Ferries/1 daily/10hrs30min

The Isle of Wight is a under an hour's journey by ferry or a few minutes by hovercraft.

• Fishbourne
  • Wightlink/half-hourly during day/35 mins Wightlink
• Ryde
  • Wightlink/half-hourly during day/15 mins
  • Or catch the hovercraft every 15 minutes from southsea seafront, operated by Hovertravel

The ferry to Gosport (for Submarine and Explosion museums) runs every 7 minutes at peak times and every 15 minutes at other times until midnight. Cost is £2.20 return.

Other Routes are present within the UK

Several bus companies operate within Portsmouth and the surrounding areas. A day travel ticket can be bought for £3.60 (£2.40 concessions). It is also possible to travel between the harbour and the city centre using the train. It is a compact, flat city however, and nowhere is a very long walk.

At night, if you can find an elevated position you can navigate via the chain of blue lights along the sea-front, to the south.

Here are some of the local names for the areas which may be useful for people visiting

• The Hard, is the area around Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, Gunwarf Quays and Portsmouth Harbour Train and Bus Stations.
• Old Portsmouth/Sallyport/Spice Island, This is the area around the Anglican Cathedral, Square & Round Tower, Camber Dock and along the sea walls.
• Southsea, this is the area next to the sea at the Southern end of the island and it stretches further north to include Southsea Town Centre (Palmerston, Elm, Marmion and Albert Roads).
• Commercial Road, City centre and main shopping & market street, home of Cascades shopping mall.
• Fratton, area north of Southsea and east of Commerical Road only really of use if you are attending a football match at Fratton Park or changing trains at Fratton Station

• Portsmouth City Centre (Commercial Road & Cascades) - Usual high street names, but with Miss Selfridge, Topshop, H&M, New Look and Primark literally right next to one another, it is a shopping paradise.

• Gunwarf Quays - Outlet centre, with shops like M&S, Cadburys, Claire's, Elle. Some of the prices are cheaper than the high streets, but like wise some are exactly the same/ more expensive so shopping around is a good idea.

• Southsea Town Centre - A variety of small specialist shops, boutiques, art shops, delis, home furnishings. Also Debenhams and Knight & Lee.

• Albert Road - A good bet for smaller (non-chainstore) shops, second hand goods, antiques.

Portsmouth has literally hundreds of restaurants catering to all tastes. Further out of the city towards Fareham, the marina Port Solent offers a variety of restaurants in a pleasant environment with a multiplex movie theatre nearby, and ample (free) on site parking.

• The American Bar, Old Portsmouth. Modern European cuisine. Also great but you can drop a lot of money in this place. Does have great service!
• Bangkok, 64 Albert Road, 023 9242 9922. A nice Thai place where you can take your own drink
• Kitsch N d'Or, 37 Eldon Street, Southsea, 023 9286 1519. French style bistro food. Great for the once a month food-and-wine nights. Details are displayed outside the venue.
• Mozzarella Joes, Southsea Seafront, 023 9229 5004. A relatively new restaurant right on the pebbles, with the most amazing views of the Solent. Great for a cold glass of wine, stonebaked pizza and pasta.
• Regal House - Chinese Takeaway.
• Nemrut's, Albert Road. Exceptional value & quality Turkish/Kurdish cuisine. The friendly owner & staff make the place one of the best places to eat out in Portsmouth. Runner Up in "The News" Best Restaurant 2006 for Portsmouth area.
• No. 8 Kings Road. A destination restaurant with a Michelin Star Chef. Fabulous food and a whole banking vault of wine to choose from and entertainment every friday night!
• Rosie's Vineyard, 87 Elm Grove, Southsea, 023 9275 5944, [12]. French/Modern European. Wonderful wine selection food and atmosphere.
• Sur La Mer, Palmerston Road. French.
• Strada, Gunwharf Quays, 0239 281 7278, [13]. Italian.
• The Tenth Hole Tea Room, (next to mini-golf course), 02392 830 009. Great for light lunch but the highlight is the amazing home-made cakes.
• Tomatoes in Portsmouth is a popular gathering place for expats as well as professors and students of Ross University.

Best places for curry:

• Golden Curry, Albert Road.
• Bombay Express, 79 Albert Road, 01705821661. Probably the busiest in Portsmouth. You can take your own drinks!
• Jaipur, Albert Road.
• Saffron, Fratton Road.

As to be expected from an historic port-town, and a current university city, there is an abundance of drinking establishments in Portsmouth, from traditional pubs to chic and trendy waterfront bars. The bars and clubs along Guildhall Walk are a popular spot but despite heavy police presence, a certain degree of vigilance is adviced to ensure you have a fun and safe night out.

Southsea

• The Wine Vaults, Elm grove. Good cask ales and great atmosphere arrive early if you want a seat.

• Hole in the Wall, on or near Castle road, off Elm grove. Small pub with a 'traditional' feel, and real ales.

• Slug & Lettuce. Friendly and well priced contemporary bar on Palmerston Road.

• The Honest Politician A pub with pool tables and a relaxed atmosphere.

• The White Horse A pub with a relaxed atmosphere along Southsea Terrace.

• The Registry. A student pub near the student union with fairly cheap beer and food. Not a place for a quiet drink.

Gunwharf Quays

• The Old Customs House is a traditional pub in a historic building, within a modern setting. Great ales and food.

• Tiger Tiger is the ultimate place for a big night out - with 8 differnt bars, a club and restaurant in the same building!

Old Portsmouth

• The Still & West, Bath Square. A pub with a good view of harbour entrance and restaurant upstairs

• The Spice Island Inn also has amazing views of the harbour in action and a good restaurant.