I Spent a Weekend in Portsmouth - Here’s Everything Worth Doing

Here's how to spend the perfect weekend in Portsmouth, the UK's only island city!

Located on Portsea Island, close to the Isle of Wight and overlooking the Solent, Portsmouth has historically been most associated with maritime history. We'll begin our time in the city by visiting Spice Island, the city's historic district that was once the haunt of sailors and home to plenty of pubs.

We'll then head to the iconic Mary Rose, Henry VIII's favourite warship, which was spectacularly raised from the sea bed several decades ago and now sits inside a dedicated museum. There we'll get a behind the scenes look at the archives with Dr Alex Hildred before learning more about how she sunk and how she was recovered.

Afterwards it's time to head back outside, where we'll walk along the historic city walls and discover several hidden gems before ending our day at Southsea Castle, a wonderful place to enjoy the sunset.

The following day we'll head outside of Portsmouth City to the other side of the estuary to visit the world's only Hovercraft Museum. Finally we'll look even deeper into the past by visiting the magnificent ruins of Titchfield Abbey.