Discovering Southampton: Must-See Attractions and Activities Before Your Cruise

How do I get from London to Southampton cruise port?

The Southampton cruise port is 80 miles southwest of London. Traveling by car, taxi or direct coach will take about 2 hours, depending on traffic. Heavy traffic at rush hour around London can increase your travel time.

Most cruise lines offer direct transfers which you can book through your cruise line. These can be by van, mini bus or coach busses. Check with your cruise line to see what they offer. The available options will be included in the excursion section of your cruise planner. We recently used a transfer with Celebrity Cruises which took us to Stonehenge and then dropped us off at Heathrow. Easy and enjoyable end to our cruise.

If you wish to hire a private car or taxi, GetTransfer is reliable and has good prices. Another option is Welcome Pickups. You can arrange for airport or port pickups and sightseeing tours.

South Western Railway trains regularly run to Southampton direct from Waterloo and Victoria stations. You can also depart from Paddington Station with a change of trains in Reading. Most trains take about 1.5-2.5 hours depending on stops to reach Southampton Central. Once you arrive, you will need a taxi to transfer you the last 2 miles from the railway station to the cruise port. There will be taxis waiting outside the station.

You can purchase one-way or roundtrip train tickets or Britrail passes from Rail Europe

The cheapest way to get to Southampton is with National Express bus services. They run scheduled coach services to Southampton from London (Waterloo Station), Heathrow, Gatwick and most major cities. Again, you will need to make your own way to the cruise port from the bus station (about 1.6 miles) where the coach journey terminates.

I NEED A HOTEL….WHERE SHOULD I STAY?

Enjoy an stress-free start to your cruise holiday by staying in one of the excellent hotels near the port. If you are traveling with your own car to Southampton, try to select a hotel that offers cruise parking…some will also offer a shuttle service to the port. Look for options to book a Cruise & Park package when looking for hotels. There are many excellent hotels available. The closest to the port are Holiday Inn and Leonardo Royal Hotel. Another excellent choice is you are looking for a luxury hotel is Harbour Hotel Southampton. We have stayed at the Doubletree by Hilton in Chilworth in the past and taken a taxi to the ship, but in the future, we are going to stay closer to the terminal and the city itself.

WHAT IS THERE TO DO?

Southampton is a bustling coastal city with history going back all the way to the Stone Age. There are over 90 listed buildings and 30 ancient monuments in the Old Town, which includes medieval watch towers and dungeons, an array of churches, fine timber-framed Tudor houses, inns and hole-in-the-wall pubs. The city sustained extensive damage in the Second World War but it has managed to retain some of its medieval architecture. Exploring this charming corner of the city is one of the best things to do in Southampton.

A great place to start this journey is the Bargate….formerly the main gate of the city. This is possibly Southampton’s most iconic structure and was built around 1180. Walking some of England’s best-preserved medieval Town Wall, nearly half of which still stands since the 15th century, is a must for any guest of Southampton. The Old Town Walls are recognized as some of the country’s most intact and impressive. These walls first enclosed the town following a raid by the French in 1380. Today, about half of the original walls still remain. The city has developed a self-guided walk for those who want to work their way through the history of the listed buildings and ancient monuments.

How it works: Download the app “GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities” from iTunes App Store or Google Play Store to your mobile phone or tablet. The app turns your mobile device into a personal tour guide and its built-in GPS navigation functions guide you from one tour stop to next. The app works offline, so no data plan is needed if you are traveling abroad. Just be sure to download the app while you have wifi.

Visit the Tudor House and Gardens.

This is Southampton’s most important historic building, reveling over 800 years of history in one fascinating location at the heart of the Old Town. The timber-framed building facing St Michael’s Square was built in the late 15th Century, with King John’s Palace, an adjacent Norman house accessible from Tudor House Garden, dating back a further 300 years. Tudor House gives a unique insight into the lives and times of both its residents through the years, and of Southampton itself. This is perfect for all ages and interests and is a family-friendly activity. https://tudorhouseandgarden.com

Visit the Medieval Merchant’s House

Around the corner at 58 French Street, is the Medieval Merchant’s House, another of Southampton’s cultural treasures tucked beneath the old walls. Complete with replica period furnishings, this is another fascinating view into Southampton’s medieval world. This building is part of the English Heritage group, so if you are a member, admission is free. https://www.english-heritage.org.uk

Explore Southampton’s aviation history.

Southampton also has many ties to aviation, particularly during the era of the seaplane. If you enjoy airplanes and aviation, a visit to the Solent Air Museum this is an excellent choice.

Here you will the opportunity to get up close to over 20 beautifully preserved planes, including a de Havilland Vampire fighter jet and the famous Spitfire. The latter was produced by the Southampton-based aviation manufacturer, Supermarine, which was also renowned for its success in the high-risk 20th-century seaplane race, the Schneider Trophy. Much of the museum is dedicated to this extraordinary race that helped generate engineering advancements that bore fruit for fighter jet design during the Second World War. Many of the Spitfire planes were made underground nearby in the Wallops during WWII and then flown out to fight the war. (Interesting piece of information….our daughter held her wedding reception at Spitfire Farm, where there are still remnants of the construction of these planes). https://www.solentsky.org

Portsmouth Historic Dockyard

If you have a car, I highly recommend making the drive to Portsmouth and visiting the Historic Dockyard. Here you will find the HMS Victory, HMS Warrior, The National Museum of the Royal Navy, HMS M.33, The Mary Rose Museum, Explosion Museum of Naval Firepower, and The Royal Navy Submarine Museum.

We visited recently and thoroughly enjoyed visiting the HMS Victory and The Mary Rose Museum. https://historicdockyard.co.uk

The HMS Victory is a living icon of naval heritage. She is famous for serving as Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson’s flagship during the Battle of Trafalgar and has been painstakingly preserved across generations. The ship stands as a proud testament to the Georgian navy and is the symbolic home of the Royal Navy today.  It was very interesting to walk the same decks as Lord Nelson and listen to an account of the Battle of Trafalgar.

My favorite museum was The Mary Rose. The Mary Rose was a successful warship for Henry VIII for 34 years, almost the entire duration of his reign. She was also his favorite ship. On 19th July 1545, during the Battle of the Solent, the Mary Rose sank with the loss of around 500 soldiers and sailors. There is still debate as to why she sank. Recovery efforts were made shortly after but abandoned when the mast broke. The exact location of the ship was lost over the years. Finally, on the 1st May 1971, a diver found three of the port frames of the Mary Rose. On October 11, 1982, the Mary Rose was raised from the depths of the Solent. Her remains are now available to view in a climate controlled room, along with many artifacts and a few actual skeletal remains, including the ship’s dog.

Although the largest surviving part of the ship was raised in 1982, there are significant remains of the Mary Rose still buried in the seabed. Scientific instruments were placed back on the site in June of 2014 to replace some that were illegally dragged off the site in a previous year. These are collecting data that is helping to protect the remains for the future. When sailing out of Southampton, keep an eye open for the yellow buoy marking the remains of The Mary Rose.

There are plenty of other things to do in the area if you have transportation. Visit Stonehenge, Windsor Castle, Eton, see the ponies in the New Forest and go wine tasting. Wine tasting in England? Yes!

In this region of England, you will find the greatest concentration of the 133 and counting commercial vineyards in Britain. The South Downs region enjoys the same chalky subsoil as found in the Côte Des Blancs in Champagne. This is why wine tasting at one of the sparkling wine producers in the region is a highly enjoyable way to spend a day near Southampton.

English wine producers beat the likes of Pol Roger, Veuve Clicquot, and Taittinger in a blind tasting in France in 2015 and then repeated that task at another blind tasting in early 2016. From that time on, the French have been buying up plots of land across southeast England. Some of the country’s finest vineyards producing sparkling wine, such as Hambledon, are within an easy drive of Southampton. Only a half-hour’s drive east, Hambledon is one of England’s oldest commercial vineyards and supplied one of the wines that knocked the French off their sparkling perch in 2015. Five English wineries to visit.

Looking for a good place to eat? There are many local pubs and restaurants that are well worth the visit. Two of our favorites are The Titanic and the Romano Caffe Pizzeria. The Titanic is family run and welcomes you with open arms. It is located in the old town at on Simnel Street. Definitely worth a visit. Did you know that the Titanic stopped here before it’s fateful journey?

The Romano Caffe Pizzeria is true authentic Italian food with an outstanding staff and incredible chef. Best pizza we have had in years! Well worth the walk down Canute Road….not far from the hotels that are close to the port. Be sure to mention us when you visit!

As I mentioned before, the Titanic called here prior to its fateful sailing. The offices of the White Star Shipping Company is just across the street. It was in front of this building that hundreds of people waited to learn the fate of their loved ones….over 500 Southampton residents were onboard this ship.

If you want to prebook tours in Southampton or London, GetYourGuide and Viator are great resources. Want to do an open bus tour in London? Big Bus Tours provides the perfect introduction to the city and the best photo opportunities of iconic landmarks from the top deck.

Need help with what to pack for your cruise? Be sure to check out Ultimate Guide to Packing for a British Isles Cruise

Final Thoughts

I hope you found some new and fun things to do before your cruise from Southampton. Get out and explore the city and the surrounding area. Discovering all of the incredible things to do in Southampton can be the icing on the cake of a luxury cruise to Europe.  You never know what you might find around the next corner!

Don’t forget to get your UK ETA prior to leaving for England. The UK government has introduced electronic travel authorization (ETA) for visitors who pass through the UK border This includes passengers from the USA, Canada, and Australia. All eligible non-European visitors must apply for an ETA and will need one to travel to the UK from 8 January 2025.

If traveling to most countries in Europe, you may also need an ETIAS. This will most likely become active in late 2026.

Let’s connect:

Join me and other cruisers on Facebook at Zest4Cruising,  A Celebrity Cruises Forum,

 A Celebrity Solstice Cruise Forum, A Celebrity Reflection Cruise Forum, 

A Celebrity RETREAT class forum and Alaska Cruise Lover Forum

You can also follow me at:

 YouTube at Travels With Mickey

 Pinterest at Travels with Mickey

 Instagram at Travels with Mickey

Please visit and follow my Amazon store for more helpful items to make your cruise even more enjoyable!

P.S. If you found this helpful, please don’t keep it to yourself. Please share on Facebook or PIN to your favorite Pinterest board (share buttons are below). Thanks so much!

*Zest4Travel is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associate Program.  As an Amazon Associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases. 

.