Portsmouth is an island city with the Historic Dockyard, HMS Victory and the Mary Rose Museum, and the seafront at Southsea.
Portsmouth Historic Dockyard brings HMS Victory and the Mary Rose Museum together on one site, with one ticket for several attractions. The Mary Rose Museum is built around Henry VIII's ship, which was raised from the Solent. The Spinnaker Tower is temporarily closed from 11 October while Portsmouth City Council and Landsec agree a new arrangement, so check its website before you plan a visit. The seafront at Southsea is a short distance from the harbour. The Historic Dockyard says it is open all year round, with plenty of space to explore.
Portsmouth Harbour station, at The Hard Interchange, is managed by South Western Railway. It has some step free access to all platforms but no lifts. Portsmouth City Council lists its car parks on its website, with charges, opening times and payment methods, and sells season tickets for selected car parks. Drivers can apply for a Park It card for discounts in the Isambard Brunel multi-storey car park. Visitors who drive can compare the council's car parks by charge and opening time before they choose one.
Photo: Editor5807, CC BY-SA 3.0A formal Victorian park in central Portsmouth, created in 1878 and designed by Alexander McKenzie. It has a fountain from the original landscape, an aviary, nine naval memorials and wildlife habitats.
Photo: Brian Deegan, CC BY-SA 2.0Portsmouth's city museum and art gallery, reopening after its galleries were transformed for the Portsmouth100 exhibition. Local communities helped shape the displays, which tell the story of Portsmouth as a city.
Photo: Christine Matthews, CC BY-SA 2.0The museum displays the Tudor warship Mary Rose, rescued from the seabed, together with objects recovered with her. It is run by an independent charity that relies on ticket income to maintain the ship and collection.
Photo: N Chadwick, CC BY-SA 2.0The Portsmouth house where Charles Dickens was born, now a museum about his life and work. Its collection is larger than the museum has space to display, so many items are kept in an off-site store.
Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar, now in dry dock at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. The ship is in a long conservation project, so visitors can see the work under way and hear the tools being used.
Photo: Christine Matthews, CC BY-SA 2.0Britain's largest, fastest and most revolutionary iron-hulled warship, moored at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. Visitors can walk the restored decks and meet the costumed Victorian crew.
Four miles of seafront from Old Portsmouth to Eastney, with beaches, historic defences, green space and a promenade with views across the Solent. Southsea Common and Canoe Lake Park sit alongside, with space to walk, picnic and barbecue.
Photo: Paul Gillett, CC BY-SA 2.0An aquarium on the Southsea seafront with marine and freshwater animals in its exhibits and a programme of talks through the day.
Photo: Colin Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0Gosport Ferry crosses Portsmouth Harbour between Gosport and Portsmouth in about four minutes, and the Gosport terminal is next to the bus station. The Portsmouth side connects to the Harbour station and The Hard Interchange.
Photo: N Chadwick, CC BY-SA 2.0A museum on Clarence Esplanade about the liberation of Europe from Nazi occupation in the Second World War. The story is told through the possessions and words of the people who took part.
Photo: Peter Trimming, CC BY-SA 2.0A coastal castle on Clarence Esplanade with a keep, ramparts and a film room. The courtyard cafe is open all year.
Photo: Paul Gillett, CC BY-SA 2.0Royal Navy Museums: Submarines tells the story of the Submarine Service from its earliest experiments to modern covert operations. Visitors can go aboard HMS Alliance, a Second World War submarine, and see HMS Holland 1, the Royal Navy’s first submarine.
Photo of Gosport: Colin Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0A town park at the western end of Gosport High Street, with flower beds, shrub borders, a children's play area and two boating lakes. One lake hosts international model boat competitions.
Photo: N Chadwick, CC BY-SA 2.0A natural history museum in Southsea with a butterfly house and displays of wildlife and natural history. It is popular, so queues can form at busy times.
Photo of Gosport: Colin Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0Royal Navy Museums: Explosion is in an 18th-century gunpowder store at Priddy’s Hard in Gosport. It traces naval weapons from gunpowder to modern missiles and torpedoes, and has views across the harbour from its café.
The historic Hilsea Lido, renovated by Portsmouth City Council as part of the Hilsea Lines project and now run by South Downs Leisure. It offers swimming, adult swimming coaching, sauna sessions and family activities.
A Palmerston fort built in the 1850s and 1860s to protect Portsmouth harbour, and largely unaltered. Visitors can see the keep, the parade ground, the gun ramps and the moated keep.
Photo: ITookSomePhotos, CC0Gosport Splash Park is a free outdoor play area on the Stokes Bay seafront, with traditional play equipment and water features that run in the summer. It is designed for children aged 8 and under.
A covered outdoor rink in Guildhall Square for the Christmas season, so skating goes ahead whatever the weather. There are dedicated family and SEND sessions, and non-skaters can watch from a covered side area.
Theatre Royal Portsmouth stages its first in-house pantomime this Christmas, with a cast of local performers and drag artist Cherry Liquor in the title role. It is a traditional family panto with songs, booing and plenty of audience participation.
Two domes on the Plaza at Gunwharf Quays host a festive immersive theatre show for families by day, a Father Christmas grotto and a bar. The Elf Emporium show uses live performance, puppetry and projection and lasts 25 minutes.
Visitors can meet members of the conservation team working on the Victory Live: The Big Repair project onboard HMS Victory in Portsmouth. The sessions run daily from 26 to 30 October 2026, between 11:00am and 3:00pm, and suit families visiting during half-term. Booking is recommended.
A caulking workshop at Victory Live: The Big Repair on HMS Victory in Portsmouth, led by expert shipwrights. Visitors learn the traditional method of sealing wooden ship seams. Booking is recommended, and it suits families over the October half-term.
For one weekend HMS Warrior is dressed for a Victorian Christmas Eve in 1863, with the crew preparing their festive show and Father Christmas waiting in the Captain's Cabin. Families can join in with carols, parlour games, crafts and a present trail around the decks.
Families join Captain Compass to solve a mystery and learn how small actions can help protect our oceans. The event mixes theatre, storytelling and STEM activities on HMS Warrior in Portsmouth on 24 October 2026, from 12:15pm to 3:00pm. Booking is recommended.
Image: Kings TheatreA children's show inspired by Ms Rachel, staged at the Kings Theatre in Southsea on 25 October 2026 at 12:30pm. It suits toddlers and families, and tickets are needed. Full pricing and age guidance are available on the event page.
Visitors to The Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth can learn how the Mary Rose is being preserved for future generations during this free October half term event on 24 and 25 October, running from 11:00am to 3:00pm. It is presented by The Mary Rose Trust and the University of Portsmouth and suits families visiting over half term. Booking is recommended.
Photo: Brian Deegan, CC BY-SA 2.0Portsmouth's city museum and art gallery, reopening after its galleries were transformed for the Portsmouth100 exhibition. Local communities helped shape the displays, which tell the story of Portsmouth as a city.
Photo: Christine Matthews, CC BY-SA 2.0The museum displays the Tudor warship Mary Rose, rescued from the seabed, together with objects recovered with her. It is run by an independent charity that relies on ticket income to maintain the ship and collection.
Photo: N Chadwick, CC BY-SA 2.0The Portsmouth house where Charles Dickens was born, now a museum about his life and work. Its collection is larger than the museum has space to display, so many items are kept in an off-site store.
Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar, now in dry dock at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. The ship is in a long conservation project, so visitors can see the work under way and hear the tools being used.
Photo: Christine Matthews, CC BY-SA 2.0Britain's largest, fastest and most revolutionary iron-hulled warship, moored at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. Visitors can walk the restored decks and meet the costumed Victorian crew.
Photo: Paul Gillett, CC BY-SA 2.0An aquarium on the Southsea seafront with marine and freshwater animals in its exhibits and a programme of talks through the day.
Photo: Editor5807, CC BY-SA 3.0A formal Victorian park in central Portsmouth, created in 1878 and designed by Alexander McKenzie. It has a fountain from the original landscape, an aviary, nine naval memorials and wildlife habitats.
Four miles of seafront from Old Portsmouth to Eastney, with beaches, historic defences, green space and a promenade with views across the Solent. Southsea Common and Canoe Lake Park sit alongside, with space to walk, picnic and barbecue.
Photo: Peter Trimming, CC BY-SA 2.0A coastal castle on Clarence Esplanade with a keep, ramparts and a film room. The courtyard cafe is open all year.
Photo of Gosport: Colin Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0A town park at the western end of Gosport High Street, with flower beds, shrub borders, a children's play area and two boating lakes. One lake hosts international model boat competitions.
A Palmerston fort built in the 1850s and 1860s to protect Portsmouth harbour, and largely unaltered. Visitors can see the keep, the parade ground, the gun ramps and the moated keep.
Photo: ITookSomePhotos, CC0Gosport Splash Park is a free outdoor play area on the Stokes Bay seafront, with traditional play equipment and water features that run in the summer. It is designed for children aged 8 and under.
The rest of the 24 places we list within 8 km, closest first.
