Portsmouth

Hi Dinah:

On my trip to the UK in 2014 I spent one full day touring the main area of Portsmouth which includes the historic dockyard. This is described as part of my blog for that day:

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/georgelondon/2/1409931996/tpod.html

In addition to the two ships that your son wants to see there is the ship used by Henry 8th. My ticket included a boat tour of the harbor where you will see some of the most modern ships in the British navy as shown in the blog. It's too bad that you have only half day there. There is a navy museum in the shipyard and there is a museum for the Royal Marines not too far away. If you had a second day you could take the free ferry across the harbor and visit the explosion museum (whatever it is called) and the sub museum. I had a round trip train ticket from London for a second day to Portsmouth but could not use it. It's worth your time. I don't think that many tourists from the USA/Canada take the time to visit this city which was the military base of the British empire for centuries.

We were there last in 2010, so I tried to double-check some of the information. We loved the Docklands as there is so much to see and do. I think this will exceed your son's expectations.

Are you planning to get the All Attraction ticket online? I would recommend this as when we were there, the entry lines were really long and you want to maximize your time. We visited before online ticketing was common and got ours at the TI about a block before the gate. That may still be an option. Also, they loaded the boats for the harbor cruise on a first come/first serve basis and those lines were long. However, we noticed they loaded the boats at Gunwharf Quay as well, so you might want to look for more information on that option.

They have a cafeteria option - the food was reasonably priced and quite good. They also have picnic tables in the back of the cafeteria and you are able to bring in your own food.

The Mary Rose has been closed since Nov and is due to open sometime this summer, but I don't see any announced dates yet. There is a very thorough and recent review on Trip Advisor. If you click on the Portsmouth page, "Things to Do", Historic Docklands, 855PAD has an excellent summary.

There's also the D Day Museum on Southsea seafront:
http://www.ddaymuseum.co.uk/

Thank you to you all! Georg(e), I was afraid you would say that! I knew about the Harbour tour and the Mary Rose (although not about the closure - I will need to look into that), but not about the "explosion museum". And, the D-Day museum is on our list as well, although we are off to Bayeux next. My oldest son and husband are into WWII, but not sure how much my youngest will be able to take (not to mention me :)) I knew in my heart a half day wouldn't do it, but I guess this gives us something to return for.

Oh, and yes, we are getting the All Attraction pass.

I'll take restaurant recommendations for the evening if anyone has any.....We are pub kind of people.

Thanks again!
Dinah

I think your docklands tickets are good for a year - so maybe another trip?! They just punch off the sites you visit. I do think your younger son would enjoy the D-Day Museum as it's not super large and hands on. Because Portsmouth was the embarkation point for D-Day, it ties nicely with the rest of your trip. They have some nice "then-and-now" photos that show the bombing destruction in Portsmouth. Also, they have a tapestry depicting the D-Day events as they unfolded that would also fit nicely with the rest of your trip.

Have a great trip!

As you're going to the D Day Museum, you'll be in close proximity to Henry VIII's Southsea Castle (from where he watched the Mary Rose sink) and the bonus is....It's free:

http://www.southseacastle.co.uk

Hi Dinah:

Here is the link to the "Explosion" museum (museum of naval firepower). I could not fit it in even on a full day in Portsmouth mainly because of the large line for the ferry across the harbor:

http://www.explosion.org.uk/

Here is the link to the submarine museum which is also on the same side as the explosion museum and which requires a different ferry ride:

http://www.submarine-museum.co.uk/

Enjoy your visit. Portsmouth takes at least two days to see.

Geor(ge)

"I have used the ferry from Portsmouth to Gosport on many occasions and have never experienced a long line."

I think Geor is talking about the boat inside the Dockyard gates, not the Gosport Ferry on The Hard.

Not sure if you were looking online, but you can save a few pounds if you buy online in advance. We've been to Portsmouth multiple times since my sister lives there. Last year, we finally did the historic dockyards. I lucked into an online weekend special buy one get one either half price or free...I can't rem now. We spent a good four hours there and dint see everything we would have liked. Too bad you will miss the Mary rose as that was what I found most interesting.

We enjoyed a visit to the Garrison church...mostly because the custodians there were super chatty and knowledgeable. Children may find it boring tho. You could do spinnaker tower...we never have because it's pricey.

If you have time while in Portsmouth, Gunwharf Quays is worth a visit.

It's an outlet centre (sells end of season stuff cheap) and usually offers some real bargains direct from the manufacturer, so no fakes.

Some nice places to eat there too, and a trip to the top of Spinnaker Tower and standing on the glass floor is something to do.

http://gunwharf-quays.com/

You can take a harbour tour boat from there too, but I didn't think it was very good when I went... way too many people.

We spent a day in Portsmouth two weeks ago. We knew ahead of time about the Mary Rose closure, but the HMS Warrior was also closed for repair. We toured the HMS Victory and visited the National Museum of the Royal Navy, had some lunch in between and our day was over. I can't imagine trying to see everything in a half day unless you are just getting a quick overview and not spending time reading the exhibits and talking to the wonderful historical interpreters on the ship. If you buy the all attractions ticket it is good for a year and you can revisit any and/or all of the exhibits as many times as you want. You will just need to show ID to prove the ticket you hold is really yours as it must be signed when purchased or validated.

Wow! Thank you everyone for the thoughtful replies. We may indeed have to extend our trip to take it all in. At a minimum, we will definitely be back!

Hi Dinah,

I've spent a couple of very pleasant half days at the Dockyard and I think for a first visit, you'll do just fine. HMS Warrior and HMS Victory both offer free guided tours and are both well worth doing.

Since you have some time before your trip, I'd recommend signing up for the newsletter - the emails are not excessive and there are regular 2-for-1 deals:
http://www.historicdockyard.co.uk/tickets-and-offers

My dining suggestion would be the highly rated Old Customs House, a great pub located in the Gunwharf Quays that Mike J. recommended. The pub is family friendly and offers excellent food (and beer) all day, including breakfast from 9am until noon if you want to start your day there.

Their website is nicely detailed: http://www.theoldcustomshouse.com/
If you sign up for their newsletter, you'll get a code for a free drink and other specials, but do it close to the time you want to go. The offers are usually good for about 2 weeks.

-Charles