Short break inspiration for your next trip to Portsmouth

Thinking of taking a short break in Portsmouth this year? It's a great time to start planning for a 2022 visit, with some big anniversaries to celebrate, as well as our full calendar of festivals, sporting events and exhibitions.

Whatever time you choose to visit Portsmouth this year, there will be plenty to keep you entertained. Below you'll find the best places to eat, visit and explore outdoors, whenever you decide to come down to the Great Waterfront City.

  

City foodies

When you first book a trip away, is your first thought not about what to see or do, but all the great places to eat and drink? If so then you're in good hands - you'll certainly get your fill of quality food in Portsmouth, where you'll find award winners, street food pop-ups and a lot more besides.

If choice is what you're after, Outside In is likely to be your first port of call. Inside this old tea warehouse you'll find a number of independent street food stalls offering freshly prepared eats from all across the globe. It's ideal for big groups, too, as you can each order whatever cuisine most takes your fancy - no matter how varied. Inside there's also a bar, as well as regular live music from local DJs.

A short hop from Outside In you'll find the King Street Tavern - serving up quality, authentic smokehouse BBQ. Don't just take our word for it, though. The King St has won three Good Food Awards on the bounce. Getting just one of these is difficult enough, so to secure three (and the Gold Seal that goes with it) is no mean feat.

  

City icons with a modern twist

Portsmouth isn’t just home to icons of our city, but true British and even global icons. Perhaps the most well known of these is the Mary Rose - Henry VIII's beloved flagship which sank during the Battle of the Solent in July 1545 and raised (in the largest marine salvage operation ever undertaken) some 437 years later. Alongside the hull of the ship, the world's largest collection of Tudor artefacts was also recovered, and is also on display at the museum today.

The ship may be over 500 years old, but the museum in which it stands is anything but. It's a sleek and modern attraction that puts visitors in the heart of the ship's story - from its original voyages through to its sinking and subsequent raising. It's also where you can discover the fascinating insights into some of the men onboard - including their jobs on the ship and where they originally hailed from.

Elsewhere in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard you can visit other great icons, including HMS Victory - the flagship of Admiral Lord Nelson - and HMS Warrior 1860 - the iron-hulled ship that was once the world's fastest and most fearsome.

Other more modern icons include the Spinnaker Tower, which has become emblematic for Portsmouth since it opened some two decades ago. Head up the tower's superfast lift to reach its three view decks 100 metres above sea level, which offer stunning views out across the city and the Solent. Head up to the top view deck and you'll feel the wind in your hair as it blows in through the open roof.

  

Outdoors in the city

If you want nothing more than to be out in the fresh air, or have been reluctant to book city trips over the past couple of years for fear of overcrowding, Portsmouth is the city for you.

With us being an island (the UK's only island city, in fact), you're never more than a few miles from the coast - and all the restorative sea air it brings.

One of the first places that visitors head is usually Southsea Seafront, where you can promenade along miles of seafront, admiring the views out over to the Isle of Wight and off to the horizon.

There's also Southsea Common running alongside - a vast expanse of green space adjacent to the beach. In the summer months the Common is a popular spot for ball games, dog walks, picnics and barbecues - as well as being the location for a number of big events, including Victorious Festival and the International Kite Festival.

If even this sounds a bit on the busy side, head over to Milton Common or up to Hilsea Lines at the city's northernmost edge. Here you'll find quieter walks, as well as the opportunity to spot some naturally significant birdlife making their home in the mudflats of Langstone Harbour.

You can also dine al fresco at some great city locations. The Courtyard offers outdoor dining within the walls of Southsea Castle, whereas over in Old Portsmouth you can stop for some food or drink mere metres from the sea. Or, head across to Gunwharf Quays or up to Port Solent and you have big-name restaurants in stunning harbourside spots - ideal for relaxing after a day's shopping or exploring.