Where to stay and explore five days pre-cruise departing June 15 from Southampton

You could base yourself right there in Southampton. Besides what is right there, you can easily venture to Salisbury and Winchester. From Salisbury you could do a day of tours to Stonehenge, Avebury and other sites.

Portsmouth is also worth a visit, especially if you like naval history, there is more than a days worth of museums around the dock yards, plus a nice WW2 D-Day museum.

Sounds great, Paul. Thank you.
Do you have recommended lodging? Or area in Southampton well situated for transport as well as parks or gardens or other greenery?

Southampton itself I have not stayed in, you might search this forum (at the top) I know a number of people on here have stayed in Southampton due to cruises. I do know that there are quite a few green spaces in Southampton

There is the Premier Inn West Quay in Southampton as well as the Holiday Inn which are well located for the port and popular with cruisers.
There are fairly good train and bus connections from Southampton.
I would also consider starting in Bath for a few days and then moving to Southampton.

I’m with Carol, i’d stay in Bath for the four full days you will have.

So helpful. Thank you.. Area is all new to me. Do you have recommendations on where you might stay in Bath, and highlights to explore in or near Bath?

I've never been there, but Southampton has the reputation in the UK as being not very nice. It suffered heavily from German bombing in WWII and the historic parts were flattened. Other people from the UK that have been there could tell you how terrible a town it is, or not!

If you were boarding your ship after one night Southampton would be fine. Since you have some more time it pays to go somewhere a bit nicer. Bath is a great suggestion. I know from experience that is a good place to visit and explore.

Staying in Bath is a great idea. Many things to see and do there, as well as many short day trips.

If you decide to stay there. check out Brook's Guest House on Lower Bristol Rd. We were very happy with our stay there, and one can walk anywhere from that location. There is a good seafood place just a short walk away named the The Scallop Shell (or something similar).

I would advise going to Southamton the day before the cruise departs as opposed to the day of departure. One never knows what transportation snags might arise.

I'm that rare person who didn't really care much for Bath except for a couple of museums there. I found the Georgian architecture very repetitive and would definitely not care to stay in that very touristy city (paying relatively high hotel rates) for four or five nights.

I enjoyed multiple nights in Brighton with side trips (by public transportation) to Lewes and Arundel. A glance at the map shows a bunch of other places that might be options, but which I've not yet visited, starting with Salisbury and the Isle of Wight.

I’m sailing out of Southampton in May ( also on a Norway cruise). My plan is two nights in Southampton pre-cruise. I love Portsmouth Historic Dockyard and will spend my day there.

With 5 days, I would go to Bath for three nights and tour Bath and nearby sights then transition to Southampton for 2 nights. If you like history at all, Portsmouth is well worth your time.

I’m traveling with friends who have never been to the UK so we will do a week in London after the cruise.

Portsmouth old harbour, Winchester and the New Forest spring to mind. I also discovered a place called Bishop's Waltham which was a lovely English town.

I keep trying to get people to go across to the Isle of Wight, which would fit your specifications very well.

Lots of places to stay on the Island, although you could day trip each day from Southampton as well on the Red Funnel ferry. The island has a very good bus system, as well as the Island Line railway (which uses totally rejuvenated ex London Underground Trains) and also a glorious steam railway. Osborne House, one of the former homes of Queen Victoria is also at Cowes.
There is also a round the island walk.

On a Norway Cruise you will probably only glancingly see the Island but cruises to France and Spain pass right down the east side.

No cruises pass round the west side where you have the Needles- spectacular chalk sea stacks.

But there are lots of places in the New Forest (a short train ride away) which suits your specs and few people from this Forum get there. There is also another ferry to the Island from the port of Lymington- to Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight.

More than enough to fill 4 or 5 days without the usual stand by of Bath.

It's not that far down the railway line to the lovely port of Poole- also for cruises to Brownsea Island- of Baden Powell/boy scouts fame. A great day out.

We did a cruise out of Southampton and stayed at the Holiday Inn that was walking distance from the port.

We did a few days pre-cruise and went to Salisbury, New Forest, Stonehenge and Avebury. Also, visited Windsor Castle.

You could do Winchester as well and perhaps Canterbury.

You have lots of good choices.

One route I would consider is to go from Heathrow to Bath for two nights.
We went by bus (coach). The coach leaves from the Heathrow airport terminal 5 coach station. There are signs inside the airport directing you to it and pointing arrows down the hallway. You just walk up to the ticket window, buy a ticket (cheap) and board the coach to Bath. You arrive into the coach station right by the railway station. This is walking distance to the downtown area. 4-5 blocks.

There are numerous good hotels in the center of Bath. A Premier Inn, a Hampton Inn by Hilton, and I will provide others in a moment. You may wish to stay near Bath Abbey and the Roman Baths. You can walk to see the Royal Crescent and its nearby park. Walk over Pulteney Bridge and enjoy the beautiful weir in the water below.
Lots of good restaurants in Bath.

There are open top bus tours around the city, as well as guided walking tours; ask about these at the Tourist Information Centre near Bath Abbey. Two good museums are the Museum of East Asian Art, and the Holburne Museum, with its outstanding art collection.

Next you might take the short train ride to Salisbury. The Red Lion is a good hotel there; also consider The Rose and Crown on Harnham Road. Either one would be a great choice. Definitely see the magnificent Salisbury Cathedral with its own copy of the Magna Carta. Take the Stonehenge bus out to Stonehenge. It's a round trip ticket you buy; stop off and see Old Sarum on the way back to town. Stonehenge bus leaves from the Visitor Information Centre but also from the train station.
Buy tickets from the Visitor Information Centre (they can answer questions you have) or from the Stonehenge bus driver once you get on the bus.
You might stay 2 nights in Salisbury.

When you leave there, consider going by train the short distance to see Winchester and its Cathedral, then travel onwards to Southampton to spend one night there.
The only drawback I just thought of is that you will have all your bags with you. Since you'll be on a cruise, I'm guessing you will not be traveling light with just one bag. If you do happen to be traveling light, the "day trip" stop in Winchester would be doable.

2 nights Bath
2 nights Salisbury
1 night Southampton

Two more hotels for Bath to consider: Hotel Indigo, on South Parade.
The Abbey Hotel, on North Parade.

These suggestions are all fantastic! I feel like I’ve attended a special Southampton presentation. Thank you all for the rich info. I’ll be on the research mode with these great leads. Blessings to you all.

Another alternative is to spend your extra days exploring the Isle of Wight, mentioned upthread by isn31c.
One of my destinations for my spring trip to England is the Isle of Wight.

Ferryboats leave from the docks of Southampton to go there. There's one ferry that docks into East Cowes. That would be where you'd want to go if you're interested in seeing the palace that was built by Queen Victoria, designed by her husband, Prince Albert; Osborne House.
https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/osborne/

Another ferry from Southampton docks into West Cowes, and it is better for those who do not wish to see the palace, but want to walk around an area filled with shops, restaurants, hotels, and waterfront views, such as Egypt Point. This is very scenic, as sailboats and racing are popular on the Isle of Wight.

There are summertime buses which run all around the island; The Island Coaster, The Needles Breezer, The Downs Breezer, going to the beaches and to Carisbrooke Castle.
They have town to town buses the rest of the year, making it easy to get around. The "summertime only" bus routes are in addition to these.

There are nice hotels on the beaches and several nice ones in West Cowes and in East Cowes. If you go this route, let me know, and I will throw out some suggestions.

Here's ferry information, Southampton to IOW; Red Funnel Ferries:
https://www.redfunnel.co.uk/
Here's their link to hotels: https://www.redfunnel.co.uk/isle-of-wight-holidays/hotels

For me Bath is somewhat overrated especially given the more interesting Bristol is right next door. I would choose Bristol every time above Bath for a 5 night stay with a day trip to Bath on one of your 4 days.

I too have very similar questions. So why Bristol preferred over Bath.

If someone was going to the Isle of Wight directly from London I would normally suggest that they route via Portsmouth.

The reason being that at Portsmouth Harbour Station you walk off the end of the platform straight onto the ferry to Ryde, then straight off the ferry at Ryde onto the Island Line train. If doing the steam train there is even an interchange station between the two services (which has no public access- just an interchange station).
There are through rail/sea tickets from all destinations in the south east of England.

Also the Lymington to Yarmouth sea route has a connecting train, again easy interchange, unlike Southampton where it is a walk/bus from Rail station to ferry terminal.
And you arrive right in the centre of Yarmouth.

The other option from Portsmouth is the only commercial hovercraft service in Western Europe. It runs from Southsea to Ryde with a dedicated connecting bus from both Portsmouth and Southsea and Portsmouth Harbour stations. It is worth it for the experience.

There is no reason why you can't go out by one route and back by another. But if you come back into Portsmouth there are also regular Portsmouth Harbour to Southampton trains. All sorts of combination routes you can take.

See wightlink for the other routes, but the Portsmouth to Fishbourne route you will also see listed is one I would not suggest for a first time visitor without a car. That one is a route more for those driving or repeat visitors who know their way round the island.
In Portsmouth it also leaves from a different terminal- not hard to get to (just a nuisance factor), but more intended for those in a car.

I have used all the routes many times. While I like the conventional Red Funnel ferries the best (not the Red Jets), for pure convenience I prefer the Portsmouth to Ryde pierhead route. The Hovercraft I reserve for the exciting/different, rather like the Helicopter to the Isles of Scilly- the everyday route there would always be ship or flight.

I'd like to place my backing behind the Isle of Wight and also to recommend the Portsmouth/Ryde route or the hovercraft for something unique. The IOW has a fantastic array of sights and plenty to fill 4-5 days especially in June.

Southampton has very little to offer other than Ikea and West Quay shopping centre, its rival city, Portsmouth, has so much more.

We didnt base ourselves there but we are considering Portsmouth for a day or two sometime. The Naval Museum and especially the Mary Rose Museum is outstanding. I've never seen a Museum quite like the Mary Rose.

In case you're still wanting more ideas, you could go from Heathrow to Oxford by coach (bus), spend a night in Oxford, then go to the Cotswolds or to Stratford-Upon-Avon for a few days.
This very good tour of the Cotswolds leaves from Stratford-Upon-Avon or Moreton-in-Marsh.
Go Cotswolds: https://www.gocotswolds.co.uk/tours/
Small Mercedes minibus, 4 to 12 people on most tours.

You could spend other days taking walks through the countryside and enjoying the small villages.
Then you could easily get to Southampton by train.

I responsed to a similar post and I can't post the same information in this thread.
Here's the link:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england/transportation-options-from-central-london-to-southampton

Charles, your historical info is great. Thank you. I love your understanding and appreciation of Southampton. If you have recommendations for simple local lodging, we’d be interested. Hotels are a safe option, but a local establishment with character would be inspiring! Near public transport and/or green walking areas would be a bonus.

Thank you jislove, I'm glad the information is useful.

I will certainly put together some lodging ideas for you.

In the meantime, this link may be useful:
https://visitsouthampton.co.uk/your-visit/map
It's a nice map of Southampton showing the different areas (Old Town - defined by the original walls, the cultural and maritime quarters etc.)
It shows hotels and landmarks, public transportation links and the ferry terminals.
Each square represents a 5 minute walk.

These links take you to maps showing the ferry terminals:
https://www.londontoolkit.com/travel/southampton_map.htm
https://www.abports.co.uk/media/n2qpmrlo/southampton-port-plan-2022.pdf