the waterfront city
visitportsmouth.co.uk
Climb the tallest indoor climbing tower
Day 1
in the UK, get on board a WWII landing
Afternoon - Time to shop! Choose from three of the city’s dedicated
craft, ride the waves indoors, or look a
shopping areas. Portsmouth’s City Centre has all the big names you’ll
recognise along with a traditional street market. Southsea boasts an
tropical shark in the eye; Portsmouth
impressive range of independent specialist retailers, two department
has plenty of things to keep you and the
stores and a host of high quality shops. Or head to the superbly situated
Gunwharf Quays and discover more than 95 designer outlet stores.
family occupied!
Evening - Spend an evening in Southsea where you’ll find a selection
of stylish wine bars and distinctive restaurants. Catch a show at the
majestic Kings Theatre or check out the upcoming musical talent at The
Get the kids scratching their heads with a visit to Action Stations’
Wedgewood Rooms.
InterAction gallery. Boasting some serious science and technology
exhibits, you’ll get to grips with gizmos and gadgets whilst injecting
Day 2
a little education into your visit.
Morning - After breakfast, take yourselves on a mini-Culture Trail of
Think museums are boring and stuffy? Then think again;
the city. Begin at aspex gallery, Gunwharf Quays for a fix of innovative,
Portsmouth’s museums are extremely child-friendly and lots of fun.
contemporary visual art. Here you’ll find work of artists from Portsmouth
The D-Day Museum takes visitors on a journey through wartime
alongside internationally recognised names.
Britain, with walk-through air-raid shelters, a D-Day control room
Then head to the City Museum to discover more about Sherlock Holmes
and a crashed glider before leading you on board a real landing craft.
and his creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, in the award-winning A Study in
At the Royal Marines Museum you can learn about jungle warfare
Sherlock exhibition.
and even come face to face with snakes and scorpions! Visit
Afternoon - Make your way to Portsmouth’s famous Historic Dockyard.
Portsmouth Natural History Museum and let your children find
Explore three of the most important warships ever built – HMS Victory,
out all about the city’s wildlife and geology. In season, enjoy the
HMS Warrior 1860 and the Mary Rose, then visit the fantastic Action
Stations and Royal Naval Museum. Finish off with a leisurely Harbour Tour
museum’s butterfly house and garden.
to see today’s naval dockyard and bustling harbour in action.
Blue Reef Aquarium is the perfect place for a family visit, with
Evening - Evenings are the perfect time to visit Gunwharf Quays, with over 30
regular talks and feeding demonstrations, a walk-through
cosmopolitan bars and restaurants. Whether you’d like an intimate meal for
underwater tunnel, cute otters and fascinating fish. Don’t forget
two, bar snacks and partying, or something in-between you’re in the right place.
your bathers in the warm weather because the Blue Reef Beach Club
has a sandy beach, giant water cannons, pirate’s bridge and rockpool
Day 3
sandpit! Or why not take the family to see Pompey play at Fratton
Morning - Enjoy a well-deserved lie-in then take a walk along the
Park? A day at the football will get pulses racing and is a chance to
Renaissance Trail, starting at The Hard. The trail follows a chain motif
see the Premier League’s finest in action.
set in the pavement along the Millennium Promenade and information
panels provide glimpses into the history of the area along the way. Take a
When the weather’s good, you can’t beat Southsea’s seafront.
breather along the way with a visit up the Spinnaker Tower and look down
With pebble beaches to explore and gigantic green spaces you can
over all the fabulous places you have visited during your stay.
soak up the sea air and enjoy nature’s playground. The children are
Lunchtime - Now you’ve worked up an appetite, complete your visit
bound to notice the funfair shining like a beacon from Clarence Pier,
to Portsmouth with a traditional lunch at one of the historic pubs in
so indulge them with a few wild rides or a turn in the arcades. Or
Old Portsmouth - alongside cobbled streets, a fishing port, one of our
head over to the Pyramids Centre for more family fun.
cathedrals and centuries of history. Watch the world float by from a sunny
terrace, or cosy up by an open fire depending on the weather!
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