Hotel recommendation in Portsmouth - plus day trips

[YoPhilly]

I'll need a pre-cruise hotel in Portsmouth for a couple of nights next September.  Any recommendations for a solo traveler who is dependent on public transportation?  Also, I'd love to do one or two day trips from Portsmouth via train or bus - what would you recommend?

[John Bull]

For convenience to the train system, buses, ferries, and the city's major sights such as https://www.historicdockyard.co.uk/ a hotel in Old Portsmouth around The Hard or Gunwharf Quays is ideal.

For a modern hotel at a reasonable cost, Holiday Inn Express in Gunwharf Quays https://www.booking.com/hotel/gb/exhiportsmouth.en-gb.html?aid=376362&label=bh-yRUEyMXdyFdX6V220K8x8QS541115883818%3Apl%3Ata%3Ap1%3Ap22%2C563%2C000%3Aac%3Aap%3Aneg%3Afi%3Atiaud-1183547560947%3Akwd-1983705807%3Alp1006715%3Ali%3Adec%3Adm%3Appccp%3DUmFuZG9tSVYkc2RlIyh9YTQUGSsRwx9_llxDbUbGjaI&sid=18fa2770b94d56cde2bfd5a718f53275&dest_id=220759;dest_type=hotel;dist=0;group_adults=2;group_children=0;hapos=1;hpos=1;no_rooms=1;req_adults=2;req_children=0;room1=A%2CA;sb_price_type=total;sr_order=popularity;srepoch=1669541990;srpvid=53ad43f2937a005c;type=total;ucfs=1&#hotelTmpl .

For something a little quirky and fitting for the Royal Navy's home port, The Royal Maritime Club, a short stroll from The Hard and the Historic Dockyard & Ships. Formerly a club  just for visiting naval officers it's now an attractive 3-star hotel with navy overtones and usually a smattering of current and retired navy personnel among the guests. We've stayed there, and it'd be my choice again.

https://www.booking.com/hotel/gb/royal-maritime-club.en-gb.html?aid=376362&label=bh-yRUEyMXdyFdX6V220K8x8QS541115883818%3Apl%3Ata%3Ap1%3Ap22%2C563%2C000%3Aac%3Aap%3Aneg%3Afi%3Atiaud-1183547560947%3Akwd-1983705807%3Alp1006715%3Ali%3Adec%3Adm%3Appccp%3DUmFuZG9tSVYkc2RlIyh9YTQUGSsRwx9_llxDbUbGjaI&sid=18fa2770b94d56cde2bfd5a718f53275&dest_id=220759;dest_type=hotel;dist=0;group_adults=2;group_children=0;hapos=2;hpos=2;no_rooms=1;req_adults=2;req_children=0;room1=A%2CA;sb_price_type=total;sr_order=popularity;srepoch=1669541990;srpvid=53ad43f2937a005c;type=total;ucfs=1&#hotelTmpl

 

There's also the Premier Inn Portsmouth Harbour. Premier Inns are Britain's best budget chain.

 

All are a very short stroll to the Travel Interchange (Portsmouth Harbour train station, local buses, taxi rank, ferries to the Isle of Wight or across the harbour entrance to Gosport), Portsmouth Historic Dockyard and included boat trips to the other side of the harbour for HMS Alliance Submarine Museum and "Explosions",(Naval firepower museum housed in one of the ring of "Palmerston's Follies" Napoleonic forts which protected the city), the Spinnaker Tower (go up only in clear weather), local pubs and the shops & eateries of Gunwharf Quays.

 

The other major tourist area , the seafront of the conjoined holiday city of Southsea, is a short bus ride and offers waterfront promenade with views (and hovercraft) across to the Isle of Wight, D-Day museum and alongside it the diminutive but free Southsea Castle  (from where Henry V111 watched the Mary Rose capsize & sink), the "Blue Reef" aquarium and a selection of other attractions for holiday-makers.

If you have the time, the energy, and the right weather, it's a waterfront walk of 2 miles / 40 minutes from Southsea waterfront back to The Hard, taking in the Square Tower, the Round Tower, and the harbour entrance with a convenient watering hole at the Spice Island Inn or adjacent Still & West pub. 

https://goo.gl/maps/Xi88LonidaHD7pnn9

 

There's more than enough to see in the city during your 2 - 3 days - the Historic Dockyard & Ships are worth a whole day (easiest to split into 2 half-days).

But if you want to get out of the city

- taxi to Fort Nelson (another of the ring of Napoleonic forts) which houses an excellent (and free) armoury museum. Book the taxi to collect you at a pre-arranged time, allow yourself 90 to 120 minutes. 

- taxi or train+taxi to the ruined Norman  Portchester Castle. Again, book the taxi to collect you, allow yourself about 60 minutes at the caste.

- direct hourly train (about 1 hour 15, £24 return ticket) to the laid-back cathedral city of  Salisbury and from there The Stonehenge Tour ho-ho to Stonehenge

- for a lazy day, fast-ferry or hovercraft to Ryde on the Isle of Wight (not the car ferry, tits terminal on the Island is quite remote for foot passengers). 

- train to Chichester and bus or taxi from there to the Weald & Downland open-air museum at Singleton. Involves some walking between the historic buildings. Again, book the taxi to collect you, allow yourself at least 2 hours at the museum

 

NB. If your ship is sailing from Portsmouth, it's not from The Hard / Harbour it's from the International ferry & cruise terminal - a five minute taxi ride away.

 

Perhaps you should have given yourself about 14 nights in Portsmouth 😏

 

JB 🙂

Edited November 27, 2022 by John Bull

[YoPhilly]

2 hours ago, John Bull said:

For convenience to the train system, buses, ferries, and the city's major sights such as https://www.historicdockyard.co.uk/ a hotel in Old Portsmouth around The Hard or Gunwharf Quays is ideal.

For a modern hotel at a ….

 

Perhaps you should have given yourself about 14 nights in Portsmouth 😏

 

JB 🙂

John Bull, thanks so much for your suggestions.  There’s so much to see, you may be right.  I may tack on another night or two.  I had thought there wasn’t so much to see as in Southampton, but your comments clearly indicate you really like Portsmouth.  
 

As far as hotels go, I love a good “quirky”!

 

Regarding transportation from the airport, is Heathrow or Gatwick more convenient for a train/bus to Portsmouth?

[John Bull]

5 hours ago, YoPhilly said:

 

Regarding transportation from the airport, is Heathrow or Gatwick more convenient for a train/bus to Portsmouth?

 

Pretty simple from Gatwick 6 days a week - station in the airport's South Terminal, trains every half-hour, one change of train at either Havant (near Portsmouth) or Fratton (Portsmouth suburb) depending which train.

But on sundays - limited timetable, totally different route, two or three changes, total journey time 2.5 to 3 hours, & one-way ticket  £60 + per person. National Express bus isn't much better even on weekdays - £22 to £37 pp, via a change in central London, journey time about 6 hours.

So on a sunday I'd recommend a pre-booked private transfer - try  Portsmouth-based https://www.aquacars.co.uk/ I'll guess at a cost somewhere north of £100 for a sedan, journey time about 2 hrs.

 

From Heathrow best is a RailAir bus to Woking station where you switch to a direct train. Half-hourly service, total journey time about 2.5 hours,  combined one-way ticket under £20. Same on sundays except frequency is hourly, not half-hourly.

By Nat Express coach all the way - limited frequency, some direct (about 3 hrs) & some via a change in central London (about 4 hrs 40 mins). £10 - £15 per person.

Again, a private transfer will cost about £125. Try Southampton-based https://westquaycars.com/

 

https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

For the hotels that I suggested your destination is Portsmouth Harbour station - it's the end of the line, after the main Portsmouth & Southsea station

https://www.nationalexpress.com/en

Same place, but for buses it's called The Hard, Portsmouth

 

Yes, Portsmouth has a great deal more to offer to tourists than Southampton, because of its Royal Navy heritage and because it's conjoined with the resort city of Southsea (only locals know where the join is 😏)

 

JB 🙂

 

 

[YoPhilly]

Wonderful info.  Thank you for your help.

[phabric]

I stayed at Holiday Inn Express Gunwharf Quays 2x.  A great location for Portsmouth Historic Dockyard and waterfront.

[YoPhilly]

4 hours ago, phabric said:

I stayed at Holiday Inn Express Gunwharf Quays 2x.  A great location for Portsmouth Historic Dockyard and waterfront.

Thanks for the recommendation.  It looks very popular

[LidoLiz]

We are just back from a three-day pre-cruise stay in Portsmouth.
We stayed at the Premier Inn right across the street from the Dockyards. It’s also a short walk from the bus/train interchange ….so it was a perfect location. 
We came from Heathrow, and due to the recent rail disruption we took a car service (Jewels) from Heathrow. It removes a lot of the post-flight transfer stress, having a driver waiting for you in the terminal, and who will whisk you right to the hotel. More expensive than a bus or rail link, but after a 9 hour trip, it was worth it!

We spent about five hours at the Dockyards. Even on a cold blustery day, there was a lineup, so try to go when it opens. The HMS Victory and the Mary Rose were amazing, and we easily could have spent two days there. We also walked down towards Southsea and visited the D-Day Museum, a worthwhile couple of hours.

We did day trips to both Salisbury and Winchester, both with easy rail connectivity from Portsmouth and Southampton, depending on where your cruise is leaving from.