We are doing a day trip from London to Portsmouth. Can you recommend the fastest way to get from London to Portsmouth by rail? We are staying in a hotel in Soho.
My husband wants to see the ships but do you have any other recommendations/ideas for other things to do?
Thank you
Victory and Mary Rose for definite
Train to Waterloo about 1h40m. Then Bakerloo line to Piccadilly Circus. Although exact destination might prompt a different answer as Soho covers a large area.
Don't take a train via Victoria as it's slower
Train from Waterloo to historic Portsmouth harbor. About 1.5 hours each way.
We were met at Heathrow by aquacars.co.uk based in Portsmouth and taken to our hotel on the harbor for less money and way less of a hassle than a train trip. You might take a look but a round trip might be too expensive via a car service. You might go to www.tripadvisor.com and ask about shopping on the Portsmouth forum. Good luck.
There is actually quite a bit to do at the historic shipyard. There is a 45 minute harbor cruise, lots of exhibits, and some shops. Then there are the ships. A short walk away is a shopping mall and a tower you can pay to go up if you desire. I don’t think you will have any trouble filling your day.
Am in Portsmouth now, for the second time actually. The historic dockyards are spendy to get into (29 GBP for one attraction, up to 39 GBP for an all access pass) but there are so many things to see, you probably could not do it all in a day, I am figuring probably 2 days, There are 3 Ships (Victory, Warrior, and M.33) The Mary Rose museum, the Submarine museum, and 3 or 4 other museums. There is also a WW2 museum about D-Day (Most of the invasion launched from the area), plus shops, the Gunwharf Quay area, some good pubs. If the weather is nice, there is a beach and pier at Southsea, or a trip over to the Isle of Wight.
unless you want naval souvenirs or antiques or collectables there is no shopping in Portsmouth that couldn't be found in London and not eat up precious day trip time.
The audio tour guide on Victory was among the best I have encountered. -- technically informative and full of details for life aboard.
We just left a couple days ago. Carefully consider the ticket options for the Dockyard. If you’ve only got a day, you’ll never be able to cover it and therefore the most expensive all-access ticket would be a waste. We opened and closed the place and felt like we rushed through the ships and the bit of the dockyard we did see. Not all of the options are open everyday, including the submarine museum. It’s also not in the compound and requires a bus ride or water taxi ride. Paul’s suggestions are, IMO, spot on. The D-Day museum is bigger and flashier than Portland’s. We spent nearly a full day there. The aisle of Wight’s Osbourne House is worth it even if you’re not a monarchist. We also enjoyed the steam train railroad ride, but for me, the highlight there was its excellent museum and many conversations with both employees and volunteers.
