Twin Cities

Portsmouth has forged strong relationships with other cities around the world. Our twin, sister and friendship city links celebrate the similarities between our Great Waterfront City and others across the miles.

In fact, we have relationships with countries the world over, including France, Germany, the USA, Canada, Australia and China.

Our twin and sister cities are:
Caen, France
Duisburg, Germany
The Falkland Islands
Haifa, Israel
Halifax, Canada
Maizuru, Japan
Portsmouth Atlantic Compact (Portsmouths in Virginia, New Hampshire and Rhode Island), USA
Sydney, Australia
Sylhet, Bangladesh
Zhuhai, China
Zhanjiang, China

Below you'll find a little more information on each of our twin and sister cities, as well as the tourism links we share. All images were provided for use by each of the destinations.

  

Caen

^{Caen's Chateau (built 1060)}

The city of Caen, once home to William the Conqueror, is a vibrant city in Normandy. It has been linked to Portsmouth by Brittany Ferries since 1986 and is just 15 minutes from the cross-Channel ferry port of Ouistreham.

Perfectly positioned for those visiting the D-Day Landing Beaches, the city's museum, Mémorial de Caen, is vast, focusing both on the history and repercussions of war in the 20th century, as well as post-war peace keeping. The museum stands on the very spot where some of the fighting for Caen took place in 1944. Its D-Day exhibition uses a large split screen to show the D-Day Landings simultaneously from the viewpoints of both the Allied Forces and Germans.

Caen's castle has one of the largest medieval walls in Europe and the Vaugueux neighbourhood nearby with its Caen-stone houses date back to the Middle Ages. It is probably one of the most popular, best-known parts of Caen and is home to many restaurants and bars that come to life in the evenings along the main street (rue du Vaugueux) and old town square. Edith Piaf herself used to go there to see her grandparents, who ran a café in the neighbourhood!

Apart from its history, the city is full of fantastic architecture, green space and its busy marina, while close by you can find beaches and seaside resorts.

Destination Caen La Mer.

  

Duisburg

^{Duisburg's Inner Harbour}

The partnership between Duisburg and Portsmouth was confirmed in 1950 and is the second oldest Anglo-German twinning, which aimed to unite Germany with Europe after the war.

Duisburg is a city in the Ruhr area of Western Germany, located on the Rhine river, close to Dusseldorf. It was a major centre of iron, steel and chemical industries in the 19th century and it was for this reason that Duisburg was heavily bombed in the Second World War, with 299 raids on the city.

Today, Duisburg produces more steel than any other city in Europe and disused production facilities such as the Landschaftspark have been imaginatively transformed into visitor attractions and event spaces for corporate and cultural events. The former ironworks at Landschaftspark is now one of the world’s finest leisure parks and home to Europe’s largest artificial diving centre within the old gasometer. The site is among the world’s most unique monuments to industrial heritage.

Other attractions in the city include the inner harbour (the world’s largest inland port with 21 docks and 40km of wharf), the Rheinorange sculpture (a walkable steel sculpture at the end of the regional Ruhrtalradweg cycle path) and Duisburg Zoo, which is among one of the most frequently visited zoos in Germany.

Visit Duisburg.

  

Falkland Islands

^{Gentoo Penguin, Falkland Islands}

The Falklands is one of the city's newest links; supporting veterans who remain in the city through the Armed Forces Covenant is a significant factor for formalising the relationship.

There are already strong links to Portsmouth: Falkland Islands Holdings plc owns the Gosport Ferries, and many older children make the journey to study here after leaving their local secondary school.

The Falklands remain one of the last great wilderness destinations. Four wheel drives are the mode of transport, and little planes will take you to islands abundant with penguins, albatrosses and petrels that are there for you alone to discover and enjoy.

Off the beaten track, there are miles of stunning landscape, beaches and magnificent bird life.

Falkland Islands Tourist Board.

  

Haifa

^{The Bah'ai Gardens}

This sister city relationship was set up in 1963 at the invitation of the city of Haifa, when it realised that many Israeli naval personnel were on courses at the time in the Royal Naval dockyard and other military establishments in and around Portsmouth.

Haifa is Israel's third largest city and sits on the slopes of Mount Carmel facing the Mediterranean Sea. The city's Bah'ai Gardens, which forms part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is probably the most visited in the city. The beautiful gardens are a place of pilgrimage for members of the Bah'ai faith, where visitors sit on the garden's terraces that slope down towards the sea.

The city is famous across Israel for its mixed population of Jews and Arabs, where they live peacefully side by side. The result has brought about some wonderful blends of Arabic and Jewish cultures to the city.

Tourist Israel - Haifa.

  

Halifax

^{Kayaking in Halifax Harbour}

Though one of our newest formal links, the relationship with Halifax is actually among Portsmouth's oldest. The provincial capital of Nova Scotia is home to the Royal Canadian Navy, which has worked alongside the Portsmouth Naval Base since 1759. Looking ahead, there are great opportunities for trade, investment and educational missions between the two cities.

The Halifax area has the world's second largest natural harbour and is a multi-cultural hub, with hundreds of different ethnicities represented across its regions. It is the largest city on Canada's East Coast.

The city has a variety of attractions to offer, from its historic citadel to its bustling waterfront and its national immigration museum, which details the million or so immigrants who entered Canada via Pier 21 between 1928 and 1971.

Discover Halifax.

  

Maizuru

^{Higashi Maizuru}

Portsmouth's link with Maizuru was initiated in 1998 to support an increase in Japanese tourism and economic development between two cities that shared historical military links. There has been a successful programme of young people from Maizuru visiting Portsmouth throughout the partnership, especially following successful funding bids to support programmes with young people.

Maizuru has funded approximately 25 young people from their city to attend Portsmouth each year since 1998. Once here these individuals have taken part in a range of English language teaching and tourism activities. In 2016 a link was established with Mayfield School and this has gone onto secure funding that enabled a group of Portsmouth young people to visit Maizuru in 2018.

The city surrounds an inlet of the Sea of Japan, along the northeastern coast of the Kyoto prefecture and is one of the main ports in the area. It is approx. 2 hours from Kyoto itself.

Maizuru Tourism Association.

   

Portsmouth Atlantic Compact

The so-called Portsmouth Atlantic Compact links our city with three of its namesakes in the USA - one each in New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Virginia. However, we share plenty more than name alone!

   

Portsmouth, New Hampshire

^{Gundalow at Prescott Park, Portsmouth, New Hampshire}

Originally a working seaport, Portsmouth, NH was once one of the nation's busiest, seeing vast scores of merchant ships travelling up and down the Piscataqua River.

Portsmouth continues to be a working port, where tugboats can be seen escorting ships through the currents of the tidal river. Today, the port sees five million tons of cargo on import/export ships from trading partners worldwide, plus pleasure boating and commercial fishing vessels.

Settled in 1623, Portsmouth, NH claims to be America's third oldest city. It served as an important port on the Eastern coastline until the late 1800s, before rail travel overtook the shipping industry. It is listed as one of America’s Dozen Distinctive Destinations by The National Trust for Historic Preservation and has been called “one of the most culturally rich destinations in the country” with a “stimulating mix of historic buildings, sidewalk cafes, great restaurants, art galleries, jazz clubs and distinctive artisans’ boutiques.”

Go Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

   

Portsmouth, Rhode Island

^{Mount Hope Bridge, Portsmouth, Rhode Island}

Portsmouth, RI was settled in 1638 by a group of people from Boston wishing to set up a new independent colony. They signed the Portsmouth Compact, the first document in American history that removed political and religious ties with England.  

Originally known as Pocasset by the Indians, it was officially named Portsmouth on May 12, 1639. Portsmouth, RI also encompasses four islands: Prudence Island, Patience Island, Hope Island and Hog Island. This means its total area is made up of over 60% water!

Some of Portsmouth attractions include the Green Animal Topiary Gardens, its vineyards, car museum and church.

Discover Newport, Rhode Island - Portsmouth.

   

Portsmouth, Virginia

^{Waterfront, Portsmouth Virginia}

Our sister city link with Portsmouth, Virginia was originally set up in 1982. Then in 2013 the modern version of the Portsmouth Compact was established with Portsmouth, New Hampshire and Portsmouth, Rhode Island to enhance economic, educational and cultural opportunities between each of the four cities.

Portsmouth, Virginia was named in 1620 by Jon Wood, who was originally from Portsmouth, Hampshire and a mariner and shipbuilder. He was the first to recognise the area's potential for shipbuilding.

Portsmouth, Virginia is located in the heart of an area called the Hampton Roads, and is one of America's most historic naval seaports. It has the oldest operating Naval Hospital and the first operational dry dock facility in the US, known originally as the Gosport Shipyard!

Portsmouth, Virginia.

   

Sydney

^{Sydney Harbour Bridge}

Sydney became officially linked with Portsmouth in 1984, in time for the bicentennial anniversary of the sailing of the First Fleet - encompassing the first colonial ships to arrive in Botany Bay in 1788 (which had sailed from Portsmouth).

The First Fleet comprised 11 sailing ships that took the first European and African settlers to Australia. It was made up of two Royal Navy vessels, three store ships and six ships relocating convicted criminals. A total of nearly 1500 men, women and children were aboard.

The association of the two cities can be seen in each by the identical sculptures of two anchor links. They can be found in Old Portsmouth and Circular Quay in Sydney, cementing the bonds of friendship between Britain and Australia, which is represented by our two cities. The surfaces of the sculptures are also rich in symbolism; the Portsmouth one has a dull painted surface to denote the ‘old country’, whilst the links of the chain in Sydney are highly polished brass to represent the ‘new country’.

In addition, the people of Australia gifted a sculpture of HMS Sirius, the flagship of the First Fleet, to the city of Portsmouth in 1991 in recognition of the Fleet's departure and the part played by Portsmouth in the founding of Australia. It can be found at Gunwharf Quays.

Sydney.com.

   

Sylhet

^{Ratargul Swamp Forest, Sylhet}

Sylhet is located on the banks of the Surma River in northeastern Bangladesh and is said to be one of the country's most important spiritual and cultural centres. It is also one of the most economically important cities after Dhaka and Chittagong.

The sister city link was established with an economic development focus at its heart. The Leader of Portsmouth City Council visited Sylhet in 2019 and focussed on establishing economic development and educational links.

The University of Portsmouth has established the International College Portsmouth (ICP) in Bangladesh and the college enables students to achieve a University of Portsmouth degree.

Sylhet is surrounded by beautiful landscapes with tea gardens, a fresh water swamp forest, waterfalls, and mountains.

Visit Sylhet.

   

Zhanjiang

^{Jinsha Bay, Zhanjiang ©Chunguang Li}

Zhanjiang became a sister city in 2018. It has an international port which is one of the biggest globally and is home to the Chinese Navy. Work to date has focussed on joint projects between the city's ports, whilst the University of Portsmouth has established links with a University in Zhanjiang.

The city is located on the southwestern end of Guangdong province, and was a small fishing port when it was under French occupation in the early 20th century. Known as Fort Bayard, some of the old colonial buildings still survive.

At the end of WWII, it was returned to the Chinese and since then has been developed into a major modern port.

One of the world's largest crater lakes is located in Zhanjiang, whilst other attractions include the beautiful islands and gardens.

Guangdong, China - Zhanjiang.

   

Zhuhai

^{Lover's Road, Zhuhai}

The Friendship City agreement with Zhuhai was set up in March 2014 with support of the Portsmouth Chinese Association. Since then links have mainly focussed on economic growth between the two cities.

Zhuhai, located on the Pearl River, is one of China's premier tourist destinations and is known as 'the Chinese Riviera'. The longest sea crossing in the world has recently connected Zhuhai to Macau and Hong Kong. The construction incorporates a 55km bridge-tunnel system that consists of three bridges, an undersea tunnel and four artificial islands.

City of Zhuhai.