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- Shore Excursion
Maritime Portsmouth & Spice Island from Southampton
Explore England's naval history through its iconic ships.
Portsmouth Historical Dockyard is home to The Mary Rose, HMS Victory, HMS Warrior and HMS M33.
The Mary Rose (1511) was Henry VIII's flagship that sunk in the Battle of the Solent against the French in 1545.
HMS Victory was Admiral Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar in c.1805.
HMS Warrior is the world's first iron-clad warship, built in c.1860.
HMS M33 is one of only 3 remaining WWI ships left in the world.
Meeting Point
Central Hotel or Cruise Ship Terminal in Southampton
Hotel / Cruise ship terminal
Meet at your hotel or cruise ship terminal in Southampton, and travel to Portsmouth.
Portsmouth Historic Dockyard
Arrive at the Historic Dockyard by 11:00.
Do a tour of the Mary Rose, HMS Victory, and a choice of one other venue e.g. HMS Warrior or a mini-cruise around the harbour.
Gunwharf Quays
We make our way from the Historic Dockyard to Gunwharf Quays.
It is an excellent place for lunch, or visit Spinnaker Tower to get amazing panoramic views of Portsmouth.
Old Portsmouth & Spice Island
From Gunwharf Quays we walk to Spice Island and do a walking tour of the area.
Portsmouth grew from 'Old Portsmouth', and there is a lot of history to be found here.
The First Fleet carrying prisoners from England to Australia left from here in c.1787.
Cruise ship terminal
From Old Portsmouth we make our way back to Southampton. This journey will take approximately one hour.
End of the tour
Ending Point
Central Hotel or Cruise Ship Terminal in Southampton
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Inclusions & Exclusions
Blue Badge Tourist Guide
Chauffeur-driven vehicle
Entrance fees to any venues
Lunch
Souvenirs
Tour Important Information
This is a full-day tour, and there will be a lot of walking, so you need to wear comfortable shoes.
The itinerary can change on the day, depending on your requirements, i.e. you decide to have lunch earlier or later, or maybe you would like to drive around Old Portsmouth instead of walking.
The timings of the tour are approximate, because it is not possible to predict the traffic situation on the day. I have written down the timings based on experience of this tour.
Important message from the guide
At the present time I only have a limited availability, but this will change in the next few months.
I hope to guide full-time next year, when the situation returns to normal....
Cancellation Policy
- Free cancellation - 8 days prior to meeting time
- 50% Refund - 3 to 7 days prior to meeting time
- No Refund - Within 2 day(s) prior to meeting time
Portsmouth Tour Reviews
Fred W.
Maritime Portsmouth & Spice Island from Southampton
“Nice but not up to expectations ”
Pleasant but not the level of l knowledge or expertise we hoped for. We had expected a guide with a deeper passion for and knowledge of English nautical history. We learned more for overhearing other guides then from Andy.
Andrew W.
(1 reviews)Dear Fred, Thank you very much for booking a tour with me, and for your very generous gratuity. It is regrettable when expectation does not align with reality. The level of expertise that you expected could only realistically be obtained from a museum curator / expert; something that I never claim to be. The full-time staff located on the specific ships have an encyclopaedic knowledge, and therefore they would know the more obscure facts like how Nelson liked to dry his feet on the rugs in his cabin. I hope that your head has recovered from the low decks on HMS Victory. Have a lovely rest of your stay in England. Best wishes, Andrew
