southampton

You might consider a one-hour train trip to Portsmouth. We will be in Southampton before a cruise at the end of this month and plan to spend a day there. Trains are easy and cheap from Southampton to Portsmouth. Sights to see; D-Day Museum, HMS Victory, Mary Rose (16th century warship), submarine museum, Spinnaker Tower.

If you take the train to Portsmouth - get off at the HARBOUR station.http://www.visitportsmouth.co.uk

Alternatively, you could take the train to Salisbury (great Cathedral) & then the shuttle bus to Stonehenge. http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/stonehenge/

Winchester is also another possibility.http://www.visitwinchester.co.uk

If you would like a large seaside resort, take the train to Bournemouth.http://www.bournemouth.co.uk

Train times here:> www.nationalrail.co.uk

Slightly further west than Bournemouth is Poole, which has Sandbanks, regarded as one of the most attractive beaches in Britain. Only if the weather's good, though.

We spent half a day in Southampton once , waiting for our car to be repaired. We discovered the small but interesting art gallery and had lunch at a nice pub. If you google Southampton tourism you will see there are things to see and do if you would rather not go to Portsmouth or elsewhere.

As well as the City Art gallery in Southampton which is has a high class collection and interesting programme of temporary exhibitions there is the new(ish) Seacity museum which has a focus on the Titanic which sailed from Southampton. There are poignant exhibits about the crew and passengers. Many of the crew came from the city.

If you are in the city at the weekend you might be lucky enough to catch the football at St Mary's Stadium. This would be your only chance of seeing top class football in the area..

Half an hour north of Southampton is Winchester the ancient capital of England with a fine cathedral and a number of medieval buildings and a very prosperous vibe.

Portsmouth has its attractions around its historic dockyard but is a rough city if you venture far beyond the harbour.

If you do opt for a trip to Winchester, there is a lovely pub for lunch called the Willow Tree, just at the end of Durngate Terrace. Food is very good and if the weather is fine, you can eat outdoors beside the river.

In his page-and-a-half about the Southampton cruise port, Rick does recommend the SeaCity Museum.

Trains toward Salisbury or Bournemouth take about half an hour and are direct, about as easy as it can get. Trains to Portsmouth Harbour take about an hour, some direct or more with one connection. How to Look Up Train Schedules Online gives you the DB train schedule link and tips for using it.