Southampton Tours

[Macama]

Thank you very much John, we've provided a great help, now we know how to move from GTW at the cruise terminal in the best way.

 

Best Regards

[Macama]

Thank you very much for your translation VMax1700 with our level of English any help is easy.

Seeing your location I think you're in a place that will make our cruise July 3 scale, but as we booked yesterday we currently only transfers made ​​with your help.

The next job is to prepare that we visit on each scale as it is the first we have to get to work quickly.

 

Best Regards

[luvs2beachit]

Being a local, I know a fair bit about the city & the surrounding places of interest.

But being a local, I only know about it from a local's perspective - I've never looked for a "tour" or a guide.

Bearing those two things in mind, here's my four-penn'orth.

 

Southampton isn't a tourist city, it's a working port & city. Although 2 or 3 or 4 ships turn around each day, Southampton is rarely a mid-cruise port-of-call so there's no great tourist infrastructure.

The city does have some sights, certainly enough to keep a busy tourist interested for half a day, or make that a full day for a lazy tourist.

Most sights, such as the Tudor Merchant's House & the Medieval Merchant's Hall, are on an easy circular walking tour in the old part of the city, these can be self-guided or you can join a walking tour or fix a private walking tour with

http://www.stga.org.uk/

The Bargate is right in the centre of the city, it was the main entrance to the walled city, a large part of the walls survive

The old part adjoins the new city centre shopping area at The Bargate (old part runs south from The Bargate, shopping centre runs north from the Bargate). At the other end of the main shopping street (Above Bar) is a new Sea City museum located in the Civic Centre.

So if you want to combine some interesting, if unexceptional, sights with some shopping, you can have a pleasant & inexpensive day.

Plenty of info at

http://www.visit-southampton.co.uk/site/historic-old-town

(check out maps & other pages on that website)

The city sights & shops are easily walkable from City cruise terminal & Ocean terminal, but from Mayflower or QE11 terminals you'll need a short £5 to £7 taxi ride.

 

Although Southampton itself is quite limited it's a great base for sights beyond the city, including some quite distant but very accessible for a day-trip by train. Here's a few examples:

 

http://www.beaulieu.co.uk/

Take the little http://www.hytheferry.co.uk/travel.php from Town Quay (ten to fifteen min walk from City or Ocean terminals) across Southampton Water to Hythe, & a 6 mile taxi ride from the taxi rank at Hythe pier across a corner of the New Forest to Beaulieu. Arrange a time for the driver to return for you - there's no taxi rank at Beaulieu. The place is worth a minimum of two hours, up to a full day. No guide required.

(I've just noticed, the Hythe Ferry map has the names of City & Mayflower terminals transposed)

 

Salisbury & Stonehenge.

Very easy to visit by train. Half-hourly direct service to Salisbury, journey time about 30 mins, day-return costs about £10. Take the Stonehenge ho-ho

http://www.thestonehengetour.info/route.shtml

from the station to Stonehenge, on the return alight in Salisbury city centre for the cathedral etc, then ho-ho or walk or taxi hop to the station for the return train.

There's an audio tour at Stonehenge, alternatively you can hire a private guide to collect you from the ship or meet you at Salisbury or at Stonehenge. This will be expensive, worthwhile only for folk with a deep interest in Stonehenge.

http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/service/planjourney/search

 

Bath.

A spa town with roman baths etc, magnificent Georgian architecture, Jane Austen connections. Very popular with visitors from overseas. About an hour by train, hourly service (passes through Salisbury, but you'll not have time to combine Bath & Salisbury). Guides available locally, either private or join a walking tour.

http://visitbath.co.uk/

 

Winchester

Only about 15 mins by train, about 3 direct trains per hour. Quite similar to Salisbury, the main attraction is its cathedral. Not so laid-back as Salisbury. I guess guides are available, but its easy to visit independently with a little research.

http://www.visitwinchester.co.uk/

 

Portsmouth & Southsea.

About 30 mins by train, half-hourly direct service. By remaining on the train past the main Portsmouth & Southsea station to its terminus at Portsmouth Harbour, you are right alongside the historic dockyard & ships. Much more to offer close by, such as Gunwharf Quays & Spinnaker Tower, then perhaps a short taxi ride to Southsea seafront for another batch of sights including the D-Day museum, the adjacent Southsea Castle (small, but free admission), & views across the Solent to the Isle of Wight. Again, there are doubtless local guides but no real need.

http://www.visitportsmouth.co.uk/

 

For all the above, the only transport you'll need is as mentioned, plus possibly a short taxi hop from ship to rail station - these places are easily walkable once you've arrived. Other than the Stonehenge ho-ho (which is essential) the ho-ho buses IMHO aren't worthwhile.

Bath or Portsmouth/Southsea will be very full days, worth an early start, the others pretty easy.

 

If you want to tour by car, a whole host of other options are available. Google New Forest, Jurassic coast, Glastonbury/Wells/Cheddar. You can of course combine various options.

I really don't think you'll find a "guided tour" of these places. You may be able to meet up with a guide at some of them, but a good option is West Quay Cars. They're used a lot by CC members for airport transfers etc, but they've set up a subsidiary

http://www.discoverthesouth.co.uk/

These are driver/guides. Not qualified guides, but drivers hand-picked for their general knowledge of tourist sights & a friendly and informative disposition.A pretty pointless expense if you simply wanted to visit, say, Beaulieu motor museum or Portsmouth historic dockyard, but a good option for a tour.

 

JB :)

 

 

Thank you John for posting all this wonderful information. It is exactly what I was looking for for a few days post-cruise stay in Southampton. However, after reading other posts I am finding that there are places other than Southampton that we could consider staying. e.g. Bath, Salisbury, Winchester etc. Our primary goal is to see the British countryside. We have been to London several times but have never stayed outside of that area so whatever we see in the countryside will be a new experience for us. We are planning to stay somewhere, other than London, for 3 days before catching our flight out of LGH. My questions to you, or to anyone who might have some suggestions are the following:

1. Is Southampton the best place for us to stay to be centrally located to visit Bath,Stonehenge,Salisbury and possibly Portsmouth(which we hadn't even considered until after reading your post)? Cotswold (sp?), New Forest an Winchester are others areas we have heard good things about but are not sure how to get there or where to stay or even if we should consider staying in those places.

 

2. Are there other areas where we should consider staying for our post-cruise vacation other than those listed above?

 

As I said earlier everything will be new to us so we are open to suggestions.

We are interested in local culture and history

We are a group of 6 and our plan is to take private transportation to wherever we eventually decide to settle but than would like to be able to use public transportation to visit points of interest. :)

 

Thanks,

Judie

[Alaskanb]

I am thinking of staying in Lymington, New Hampshire as a base pre-cruise and explore using the New Forest Tour bus

http://www.thenewforesttour.info

I went to university in Portsmouth and went on field trips to the New Forest--it's a fascinating area if you want to see countryside.

[John Bull]

Thank you John for posting all this wonderful information. It is exactly what I was looking for for a few days post-cruise stay in Southampton. However, after reading other posts I am finding that there are places other than Southampton that we could consider staying. e.g. Bath, Salisbury, Winchester etc. Our primary goal is to see the British countryside. We have been to London several times but have never stayed outside of that area so whatever we see in the countryside will be a new experience for us. We are planning to stay somewhere, other than London, for 3 days before catching our flight out of LGH. My questions to you, or to anyone who might have some suggestions are the following:

1. Is Southampton the best place for us to stay to be centrally located to visit Bath,Stonehenge,Salisbury and possibly Portsmouth(which we hadn't even considered until after reading your post)? Cotswold (sp?), New Forest an Winchester are others areas we have heard good things about but are not sure how to get there or where to stay or even if we should consider staying in those places.

 

2. Are there other areas where we should consider staying for our post-cruise vacation other than those listed above?

 

As I said earlier everything will be new to us so we are open to suggestions.

We are interested in local culture and history

We are a group of 6 and our plan is to take private transportation to wherever we eventually decide to settle but than would like to be able to use public transportation to visit points of interest. :)

 

Thanks,

Judie

 

Hi Judie,

If you're going to be using public transport, Southampton is ideal because it is a railway junction with frequent direct trains east to Portsmouth, north-east to Winchester & London, north to Oxford, north-west to Salisbury (& by ho-ho from there to Stonehenge) & Bath, south-west to Bournemouth & Weymouth. No need for transport when you get to those places - the rail stations are tolerably central & the towns/cities pretty compact.

And of course lots of other places on those routes.

And National Express coach routes from Southampton.

And ferries to the Isle of Wight.

The New Forest is close to Southampton. Without a car, best bet is a fifteen minute local bus ride to Lyndhurst, which is the "capital" of the New Forest & the intersection of two ho-ho routes.

 

Choose a hotel reasonably handy to Southampton central rail station - they'll also be close to the city centre shops, pubs, restaurants etc.

http://www.londontoolkit.com/travel/southampton_accommodation.htm

(the thumbnail map on this page shows the locations)

All the hotels on this link are walkable to the station, some are just across the road. Novotel is the best of those opposite the station, Premier Inn West Quay is very popular, right by the city's main mall & just a ten minute walk from the station.

 

The Cotswolds are the exception. There's no direct train service from Southampton to any of the Cotswold towns, and I suspect that transport within the Cotswolds is pretty sketchy. Folk tour the Cotswolds by tour coach or private transport/tour.

Mebbe Cruise Critic's resident Eagle from the Cotswolds has a few ideas.

Mebbe hire a car for the day?

Mebbe direct train to Oxford & meet up with a private tour operator based in Oxford.

Mebbe a tour coach from London? (lots of tours daily from London)

Mebbe a tour coach from Southampton. I used to drive for a Southampton-based coach operator, including occasional day-trips to the Cotswolds. Here's their website

http://www.coliseumcoaches.co.uk/TourList.aspx?Type=WebItem&ID=10

(scroll down to Moreton-in-Marsh)

But amongst all Southampton area coach operators there are probably only a couple of dozen Cotswolds day-trips a year, because they're geared to local residents. If you're set on a day-trip from Southampton & have your dates, I can trawl through & see if there's one scheduled.

 

http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/

 

http://www.thestonehengetour.info/

 

http://www.thenewforesttour.info/#3

 

JB :)

[BLS]

Mahalo nui (thank you!)

I beleive we can safely book 2 nights in Southampton and spend a day exploring Salisbury and Stonehenge!!!!

 

Aloha,

Beverly

[Cotswold Eagle]

 

The Cotswolds are the exception. There's no direct train service from Southampton to any of the Cotswold towns, and I suspect that transport within the Cotswolds is pretty sketchy. Folk tour the Cotswolds by tour coach or private transport/tour.

Mebbe Cruise Critic's resident Eagle from the Cotswolds has a few ideas.

Mebbe hire a car for the day?

Mebbe direct train to Oxford & meet up with a private tour operator based in Oxford.

Mebbe a tour coach from London? (lots of tours daily from London)

Mebbe a tour coach from Southampton. I used to drive for a Southampton-based coach operator, including occasional day-trips to the Cotswolds. Here's their website

http://www.coliseumcoaches.co.uk/TourList.aspx?Type=WebItem&ID=10

(scroll down to Moreton-in-Marsh)

But amongst all Southampton area coach operators there are probably only a couple of dozen Cotswolds day-trips a year, because they're geared to local residents. If you're set on a day-trip from Southampton & have your dates, I can trawl through & see if there's one scheduled.

 

JB :)

 

Missed this one earlier :) From Southampton for the Cotswolds without a car, I think go to Oxford by train and consider a tour from there - Cotswolds Roaming do a variety of day and half-day tours:

 

http://www.cotswold-roaming.co.uk/cotswold-tours/

 

Alternatively change trains and head to Moreton-in-Marsh (40 minutes from Oxford, scenic ride) and arrange a private tour, or use the local bus services (needs planning!). You can also hire bicycles or just walk from Moreton.

Edited July 9, 2013 by Cotswold Eagle

[luvs2beachit]

Hi Judie,

If you're going to be using public transport, Southampton is ideal because it is a railway junction with frequent direct trains east to Portsmouth, north-east to Winchester & London, north to Oxford, north-west to Salisbury (& by ho-ho from there to Stonehenge) & Bath, south-west to Bournemouth & Weymouth. No need for transport when you get to those places - the rail stations are tolerably central & the towns/cities pretty compact.

And of course lots of other places on those routes.

And National Express coach routes from Southampton.

And ferries to the Isle of Wight.

The New Forest is close to Southampton. Without a car, best bet is a fifteen minute local bus ride to Lyndhurst, which is the "capital" of the New Forest & the intersection of two ho-ho routes.

 

Choose a hotel reasonably handy to Southampton central rail station - they'll also be close to the city centre shops, pubs, restaurants etc.

http://www.londontoolkit.com/travel/southampton_accommodation.htm

(the thumbnail map on this page shows the locations)

All the hotels on this link are walkable to the station, some are just across the road. Novotel is the best of those opposite the station, Premier Inn West Quay is very popular, right by the city's main mall & just a ten minute walk from the station.

 

The Cotswolds are the exception. There's no direct train service from Southampton to any of the Cotswold towns, and I suspect that transport within the Cotswolds is pretty sketchy. Folk tour the Cotswolds by tour coach or private transport/tour.

Mebbe Cruise Critic's resident Eagle from the Cotswolds has a few ideas.

Mebbe hire a car for the day?

Mebbe direct train to Oxford & meet up with a private tour operator based in Oxford.

Mebbe a tour coach from London? (lots of tours daily from London)

Mebbe a tour coach from Southampton. I used to drive for a Southampton-based coach operator, including occasional day-trips to the Cotswolds. Here's their website

http://www.coliseumcoaches.co.uk/TourList.aspx?Type=WebItem&ID=10

(scroll down to Moreton-in-Marsh)

But amongst all Southampton area coach operators there are probably only a couple of dozen Cotswolds day-trips a year, because they're geared to local residents. If you're set on a day-trip from Southampton & have your dates, I can trawl through & see if there's one scheduled.

 

http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/

 

http://www.thestonehengetour.info/

 

http://www.thenewforesttour.info/#3

 

JB :)

 

Thank you John for responding to my questions. Your information is wonderful and certainly has saved me many hours of research. I am sure I will be back with some more questions after I read through all the links you provided! :D

[Bob++]

May I add, that after reading this thread, I can't think of anywhere else on the interweb that would give such detailed and accurate information.

[STANCPA44]

I will be spending six nights between cruises in May, both cruises are out of Southampton. The Emerald Princess transatlantic which will arrive on May 3rd and than departing on the Queen Mary2 on May 9th.

 

I was thinking about buying a rail pass and going on day trips from Southampton. Places I am planning on going on day trips by train are Stonehenge and Bath for one day, London for a day trip or two and since I am a fan of the Micheal Jecks historical novels, the area around Exeter (the Devon area). The Exeter trip I would travel back and forth for two days.

 

Is this doable, or am I being too optimistic.

 

Thanks,

 

Stan

[John Bull]

I will be spending six nights between cruises in May, both cruises are out of Southampton. The Emerald Princess transatlantic which will arrive on May 3rd and than departing on the Queen Mary2 on May 9th.

 

I was thinking about buying a rail pass and going on day trips from Southampton. Places I am planning on going on day trips by train are Stonehenge and Bath for one day, London for a day trip or two and since I am a fan of the Micheal Jecks historical novels, the area around Exeter (the Devon area). The Exeter trip I would travel back and forth for two days.

 

Is this doable, or am I being too optimistic.

 

Thanks,

 

Stan

 

Hi, Stan,

I don't know my stuff on RailCards. Certainly they can save a great deal of money on regular fares if used for a number of journeys.

But do check whether a RailCard also offers a good saving on cheap day-return fares, which are typically about the same price as a one-way fare.

For instance a one-way to London Waterloo costs about £36, but a cheap day-return costs around the same as a one-way, provided that the London-bound train is timetabled to arrive after 10am. And since you have no deadline time to return that evening, the "arrive after 10am" cheap day-return proviso is no great hardship.

 

There are two or three direct train per hour to London Waterloo, taking only about 90 minutes. And a ho-ho stop just around the corner from Waterloo station, toward the London Eye. http://www.theoriginaltour.com/tour-information/tour-routes.htm?ID=6

 

Combining Stonehenge & Bath into a single day trip from Southampton can be done, but because Stonehenge by public transport means train to Salisbury then ho-ho bus to Stonehenge & back to Salisbury, it's quite time-consuming. So it would eat deeply into your time in Bath & you'd not have time to explore Salisbury. Better IMHO to visit Bath one day, and Salisbury/Stonehenge another day. Both Bath & Salisbury are dead from around 5pm-5.30.

 

Exeter is rather more difficult.

Yes, Exeter (and Crediton & Plymouth) are fairly easy by train - but although I know nothing about Michael Jecks & his books, I get the impression the books are based more on the moors & countryside than the towns. IMHO neither Exeter nor particularly Crediton have much to offer the tourist or have much to do with the wild or rural parts of Devon. For that, you'd need a car.

Perhaps an overnite hotel in Plymouth, & spend a day travelling to & looking round Plymouth, then next day a pre-booked private taxi tour of the moors & selected locations from the books ending at Exeter rail station.

Or, why not seek advice from the man himself or his fans????

http://www.michaeljecks.co.uk/index.html

 

JB :)

Edited December 14, 2013 by John Bull

[mary v]

We are sailing out of Southampton in Aug. and are also planning to stay a few days after our cruise in Southampton....thanks for the info. It has been great to confirm some of the sights we already researched and to add a few more. Several years ago we went to the Cotswold area....we stayed in Cheltenham and were able to use bus service to many of the towns. We also took a train to Southampton from there to pick up a cruise at that time. We are from the U.S. and did fine using all the public transportation. We went to Stratford on Avon from Cheltenham . We enjoyed our pre cruise time .

Thanks again for the information....

Maryann

[i_crust]

Dear Jonh Bull! I was very pleased to find your wonderful tips. In 2012 we were already in Southampton, but then it was a port of embarkation/disembarkation. Unfortunately, in July, 2014 we arrive in Southampton only for one day (again with MSC Opera), and your information is very valuable and useful (because I think to go to London only for 3-4hours is a grave crime:).

P.S. Sorry for my terrible "Soviet English":)

[John Bull]

Dear Jonh Bull! I was very pleased to find your wonderful tips. In 2012 we were already in Southampton, but then it was a port of embarkation/disembarkation. Unfortunately, in July, 2014 we arrive in Southampton only for one day (again with MSC Opera), and your information is very valuable and useful (because I think to go to London only for 3-4hours is a grave crime:).

P.S. Sorry for my terrible "Soviet English":)

 

Вы Советский Engish лучше, чем мой русский :D

 

this reply the combined efforts of JB & Googletranslate :)

[CruisesOnMyMind]

Moving my question to the Foods thread for consistency sake.

Edited January 13, 2014 by CruisesOnMyMind

[chubbypiggy]

Being a local, I know a fair bit about the city & the surrounding places of interest.

But being a local, I only know about it from a local's perspective - I've never looked for a "tour" or a guide.

Bearing those two things in mind, here's my four-penn'orth.

 

Southampton isn't a tourist city, it's a working port & city. Although 2 or 3 or 4 ships turn around each day, Southampton is rarely a mid-cruise port-of-call so there's no great tourist infrastructure.

The city does have some sights, certainly enough to keep a busy tourist interested for half a day, or make that a full day for a lazy tourist.

Most sights, such as the Tudor Merchant's House & the Medieval Merchant's Hall, are on an easy circular walking tour in the old part of the city, these can be self-guided or you can join a walking tour or fix a private walking tour with

http://www.stga.org.uk/

The Bargate is right in the centre of the city, it was the main entrance to the walled city, a large part of the walls survive

The old part adjoins the new city centre shopping area at The Bargate (old part runs south from The Bargate, shopping centre runs north from the Bargate). At the other end of the main shopping street (Above Bar) is a new Sea City museum located in the Civic Centre.

So if you want to combine some interesting, if unexceptional, sights with some shopping, you can have a pleasant & inexpensive day.

Plenty of info at

http://www.visit-southampton.co.uk/site/historic-old-town

(check out maps & other pages on that website)

The city sights & shops are easily walkable from City cruise terminal & Ocean terminal, but from Mayflower or QE11 terminals you'll need a short £5 to £7 taxi ride.

 

Although Southampton itself is quite limited it's a great base for sights beyond the city, including some quite distant but very accessible for a day-trip by train. Here's a few examples:

 

http://www.beaulieu.co.uk/

Take the little http://www.hytheferry.co.uk/travel.php from Town Quay (ten to fifteen min walk from City or Ocean terminals) across Southampton Water to Hythe, & a 6 mile taxi ride from the taxi rank at Hythe pier across a corner of the New Forest to Beaulieu. Arrange a time for the driver to return for you - there's no taxi rank at Beaulieu. The place is worth a minimum of two hours, up to a full day. No guide required.

(I've just noticed, the Hythe Ferry map has the names of City & Mayflower terminals transposed)

 

Salisbury & Stonehenge.

Very easy to visit by train. Half-hourly direct service to Salisbury, journey time about 30 mins, day-return costs about £10. Take the Stonehenge ho-ho

http://www.thestonehengetour.info/route.shtml

from the station to Stonehenge, on the return alight in Salisbury city centre for the cathedral etc, then ho-ho or walk or taxi hop to the station for the return train.

There's an audio tour at Stonehenge, alternatively you can hire a private guide to collect you from the ship or meet you at Salisbury or at Stonehenge. This will be expensive, worthwhile only for folk with a deep interest in Stonehenge.

http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/service/planjourney/search

 

Bath.

A spa town with roman baths etc, magnificent Georgian architecture, Jane Austen connections. Very popular with visitors from overseas. About an hour by train, hourly service (passes through Salisbury, but you'll not have time to combine Bath & Salisbury). Guides available locally, either private or join a walking tour.

http://visitbath.co.uk/

 

Winchester

Only about 15 mins by train, about 3 direct trains per hour. Quite similar to Salisbury, the main attraction is its cathedral. Not so laid-back as Salisbury. I guess guides are available, but its easy to visit independently with a little research.

http://www.visitwinchester.co.uk/

 

Portsmouth & Southsea.

About 30 mins by train, half-hourly direct service. By remaining on the train past the main Portsmouth & Southsea station to its terminus at Portsmouth Harbour, you are right alongside the historic dockyard & ships. Much more to offer close by, such as Gunwharf Quays & Spinnaker Tower, then perhaps a short taxi ride to Southsea seafront for another batch of sights including the D-Day museum, the adjacent Southsea Castle (small, but free admission), & views across the Solent to the Isle of Wight. Again, there are doubtless local guides but no real need.

http://www.visitportsmouth.co.uk/

 

For all the above, the only transport you'll need is as mentioned, plus possibly a short taxi hop from ship to rail station - these places are easily walkable once you've arrived. Other than the Stonehenge ho-ho (which is essential) the ho-ho buses IMHO aren't worthwhile.

Bath or Portsmouth/Southsea will be very full days, worth an early start, the others pretty easy.

 

If you want to tour by car, a whole host of other options are available. Google New Forest, Jurassic coast, Glastonbury/Wells/Cheddar. You can of course combine various options.

I really don't think you'll find a "guided tour" of these places. You may be able to meet up with a guide at some of them, but a good option is West Quay Cars. They're used a lot by CC members for airport transfers etc, but they've set up a subsidiary

http://www.discoverthesouth.co.uk/

These are driver/guides. Not qualified guides, but drivers hand-picked for their general knowledge of tourist sights & a friendly and informative disposition.A pretty pointless expense if you simply wanted to visit, say, Beaulieu motor museum or Portsmouth historic dockyard, but a good option for a tour.

 

JB :)

 

Hi JB,

 

Southampton will be one of our ports for our TA cruise. We will be there in early May from 7 a.m. - 8 p.m. I am thinking of just doing a relaxing day and just DIY in Southampton. We will be arriving at the Ocean terminal. I got some information from the site you gave us http://www.discoversouthampton.co.uk/uploads/media_items/old-town-walk-map.original.pdf , and I am thinking of doing the Old Town walking tour. According to the map, our self-guided tour will start at Bargate Street.

 

I have a few questions:

 

1. From our cruise terminal, do we need to take a cab to get to Bargate St.?

2. If we can walk to Bargate St., how much walking time do you think we need?

3. How much time do you think we need to do the entire walking tour?

4. After our walking tour, if we still have time, I am thinking of doing

some shopping. Is there any big mall around Bargate Street?

 

Thank you in advance for your assistance.

[John Bull]

Hi JB,

 

Southampton will be one of our ports for our TA cruise. We will be there in early May from 7 a.m. - 8 p.m. I am thinking of just doing a relaxing day and just DIY in Southampton. We will be arriving at the Ocean terminal. I got some information from the site you gave us http://www.discoversouthampton.co.uk/uploads/media_items/old-town-walk-map.original.pdf , and I am thinking of doing the Old Town walking tour. According to the map, our self-guided tour will start at Bargate Street.

 

I have a few questions:

 

1. From our cruise terminal, do we need to take a cab to get to Bargate St.?

2. If we can walk to Bargate St., how much walking time do you think we need?

3. How much time do you think we need to do the entire walking tour?

4. After our walking tour, if we still have time, I am thinking of doing

some shopping. Is there any big mall around Bargate Street?

 

 

Thank you in advance for your assistance.

 

Hi, c.p.

Very brief coc I,m on ships wifi.

From ocean terminal without luggage you can walk to barrage / bargate st in about 15 mins, if it's for a meet allow 25.

I,d guess a walking tour of old town needs about 2 hrs if you want to see inside the Tudor merchants house etc but the actual walking time is probably 40 mins. If you want to include sights in oxford st and above bar mebbe add another 30. Plus an hour in sea city titanic museum at the civic centre.

There's a big mall right at bargate st, called west quay mall.

On the same side of the mall as bargate street is the old-established main shopping street, called Above Bar, which is mainly pedestrianised.

 

Have a good one, scuse typos, ships wifi charges make it too pricy to correct

 

JB:)

[chubbypiggy]

Hi, c.p.

Very brief coc I,m on ships wifi.

From ocean terminal without luggage you can walk to barrage / bargate st in about 15 mins, if it's for a meet allow 25.

I,d guess a walking tour of old town needs about 2 hrs if you want to see inside the Tudor merchants house etc but the actual walking time is probably 40 mins. If you want to include sights in oxford st and above bar mebbe add another 30. Plus an hour in sea city titanic museum at the civic centre.

There's a big mall right at bargate st, called west quay mall.

On the same side of the mall as bargate street is the old-established main shopping street, called Above Bar, which is mainly pedestrianised.

 

Have a good one, scuse typos, ships wifi charges make it too pricy to correct

 

JB:)

 

JB,

 

My most sincere appreciation for your thoughtfulness in answering my questions even when you are on the ship and using pricey Wi-Fi. :)

 

Our port time is from 7 a.m. - 8 p.m. We plan to leave the ship around 11 a.m., and be back on the ship by 5 p.m. After some researches, my plan is to do the QE2 mile DIY tour, starting from the cruise port and ending at East Park (Andrew Park).

http://cruisesouthampton.com/markers/the-qe2-mile

 

Then do some shopping at the West Quay mall. And if we are not too tired, and if time allowed, then do the Old Town walking tour from Bargate Street to Castle Way to Forest view to Bugle St, and then continue to go South to town Quay, then back to the ship.

http://www.discoversouthampton.co.uk...p.original.pdf

 

I have a few more questions, but please wait until you are off the ship before you answer the questions; please don't use the pricey Wi-Fi for my answers. My cruise starts in about 7 weeks, so I don't mind to wait for the answers.

 

My questions are:

1. How long is the walk from Ocean terminal to Town Quay and High St.? Is it a safe and easy walk on good road?

2. After shopping at West Quay mall, if we are too tired, and decide to take a taxi from the mall to the cruise terminal, is taxi easily available outside the mall?

3. If we are not tired and decide to continue southbound from the mall back to the ship using the Old Town walking tour, how long is the walk from Bargate St. to Castle Way to Hamtum St. to Bugle Street to Town Quay, back to the ship? We don't plan to do any inside visits. Is that a safe route on good roads?

 

Thank you in advance for your assistance!!

[mjlace]

We will be sailing from Southampton after a two week land tour and would like to do laundry prior to boarding the ship. We'll stay at Premier Inn West Quay the night before we sail.

 

Do you know if there is a launderette available in close proximity to the hotel, and if so, would it be open during evening hours, or early enough in the morning (a Saturday) to do laundry before boarding the ship? Would it be a self service facility or a drop-off facility? Are laundry supplies available or do we need to bring our own?

 

After reading all the posts about great places to sightsee, I know this is a very boring topic, but there aren't laundry rooms on our sailing and it must be done sometime. Thanks for any help you can give.

 

JB, if you respond, please wait until you're off the ship. Our sailing isn't until late summer.

 

MJ

[chubbypiggy]

JB,

 

My most sincere appreciation for your thoughtfulness in answering my questions even when you are on the ship and using pricey Wi-Fi. :)

 

Our port time is from 7 a.m. - 8 p.m. We plan to leave the ship around 11 a.m., and be back on the ship by 5 p.m. After some researches, my plan is to do the QE2 mile DIY tour, starting from the cruise port and ending at East Park (Andrew Park).

http://cruisesouthampton.com/markers/the-qe2-mile

 

Then do some shopping at the West Quay mall. And if we are not too tired, and if time allowed, then do the Old Town walking tour from Bargate Street to Castle Way to Forest view to Bugle St, and then continue to go South to town Quay, then back to the ship.

http://www.discoversouthampton.co.uk...p.original.pdf

 

I have a few more questions, but please wait until you are off the ship before you answer the questions; please don't use the pricey Wi-Fi for my answers. My cruise starts in about 7 weeks, so I don't mind to wait for the answers.

 

My questions are:

1. How long is the walk from Ocean terminal to Town Quay and High St.? Is it a safe and easy walk on good road?

2. After shopping at West Quay mall, if we are too tired, and decide to take a taxi from the mall to the cruise terminal, is taxi easily available outside the mall?

3. If we are not tired and decide to continue southbound from the mall back to the ship using the Old Town walking tour, how long is the walk from Bargate St. to Castle Way to Hamtum St. to Bugle Street to Town Quay, back to the ship? We don't plan to do any inside visits. Is that a safe route on good roads?

 

Thank you in advance for your assistance!!

 

JB,

 

I don't want this thread to get lost, so I am submitting this post to keep it on the list. After you get off the ship, and when you have time, I would appreciate it if you could answer my three above mentioned questions.

 

Thank you.:)

[John Bull]

JB,

 

I don't want this thread to get lost, so I am submitting this post to keep it on the list. After you get off the ship, and when you have time, I would appreciate it if you could answer my three above mentioned questions.

 

Thank you.:)

 

Ooops, yes, sorry, I did forget. :rolleyes:

Thanks for the gentle nudge.:)

 

1. Ocean Terminal to Town Quay is half a mile total. About a ten minute walk, half of it in the docks & almost all on sidewalks, no restriction on walking through this part of the docks.

Turn left when you exit the dock gate & in 5 minutes you'll reach Town Quay traffic lights, opposite the bottom of High Street. Very simple.

 

To the Bargate, at the far end of High Street, is a further half-mile. So a total of 20 mins from Ocean Terminal. All of this on sidewalks.

 

2. Several taxi ranks by the West Quay Mall. I think they're all the on Bargate side of the Mall - the back of the Mall is multi-storey carparks, so hardly anyone without a car exits that way.

 

3. Your planned route from the Mall back to the ship isn't much further than your planned route out, little over a mile and about 25 minutes.

 

But can I suggest that instead you "walk the city wall" as part of your route.

 

Might be worth reversing your plans & do the "interesting" walk before you load yourself up with goodies from the Mall, and take a taxi or the simple High Street route back to the ship.

 

So turn left out of the dock gate, in 5 minutes straight on past those High Street/Town Quay traffic lights, & after Ennio's restaurant turn right just before the quaint little Wool House into the one-way street, French Street.

Medieval Merchant's House is a couple of hundred yards up French Street.

Turn left alongside the Medieval Merchant's House (footpath only), turn right at the Duke of Wellington - you can see the Tudor House from there. Back to the Duke of Wellington & now turn right into Westgate Street. The West Gate is directly ahead of you, with Westgate Hall on its left. Not sure if you can access the wall here, but you can if you walk past Westgate Hall.

Walking the walls to the Bargate involves steps down & back up a time or three due to breaks, but well worth it for the views alone.

You can descend at Arundel Tower adjacent the Mall, or continue over the modern footbridge to descend adjacent the Bargate.

 

To walk back to the ship, walk down the High Street from Bargate to the waterfront, cross the road & turn left, from there to dock gate in 5 minutes

 

JB :)

[chubbypiggy]

Thank you JB.

 

I will check your suggested route on my map, and if I have questions, I will ask again.:p

[whatcruiseisnext]

Thank you so mcuh for all this info, John!

[FritzG]

Thank you, John, for the wonderful information. We'll have 2 days in Southampton pre-cruise in September, and you've given us plenty of great ideas from which to choose.