Southampton

Medieval town walls, 21st century shopping and a whole lot more

Southampton - the Bargate

Southampton, a compact, vibrant city, retains close links with its maritime heritage and other aspects of its historic past, whilst offering extensive modern amenities and pleasant parks and gardens.

Southampton - distance from Lyndhurst 8½ miles (14 kilometres)

Southampton - did you know?
The Titanic sailed from Southampton on her maiden voyage on 10th April 1912. Memorials within the city include the Engineers' Memorial (1914), East Park; and a crew memorial (1915), now in Holyrood Church.

Shopping therapy - most definitely yes, with a wide range of shops from which to choose, including many well-known high street names. The West Quay shopping centre is particularly worth a visit for those who prefer everything to be under one roof.

Southampton Bargate Markets - every Friday and Saturday

Pubs - yes, of course

Bars and bistros - oh yes

Restaurants - another resounding yes

Southampton - Solent Sky Museum

Cinemas, nightclubs, casinos - try Leisure World on West Quay Road, and the Harbour Lights Picturehouse

Theatres - the Mayflower Theatre and Nuffield Theatre.

Concerts - the Mayflower Theatre, the Turner Sims Concert Hall and Southampton Guildhall.

Southampton museums
Tudor House Museum and Gallery
Solent Sky Museum (Hall of Aviation)
Merchant's Medieval House

Southampton art galleries
Southampton City Art Gallery
Bargate Monument Gallery
John Hansard Gallery

Children's play parks - yes

Parks and Gardens - yes, there are seven city centre parks

Open spaces - for football, cricket, rounders and relaxing - yes

Southampton - Town Quay

Town Quay
Ocean going cruise ships can be viewed from Town Quay and the nearby Mayflower Park, whilst the Isle of Wight ferries and the Hythe ferry terminals are located here. For those who like the ocean, the quay area is also a pleasant place for pottering about, for relaxing whilst taking in the sea air.

Tours around the harbour - these are available from Ocean Village

Southampton walks
The QE2 Mile links the city’s parks, cultural quarter, shopping high street, historic old town and Town Quay, and passes historical features such as the Cenotaph, Titanic memorial, Holy Rood church and the 800 years old medieval Bargate, the gateway to old Southampton.

Southampton Tourist Guides Association provides themed guided walks, including Heritage Walks of Old Southampton. Friends of Southampton Old Cemetery organise guided walks in the cemetery.

Self-guided walks are detailed in booklets available for purchase from the Visitor Information Service in the Central Library.

(Check out this really useful map of the city).

Images:
Bargate, Southampton (Peter Trimming) / CC BY-SA 2.0
Solent Sky aircraft museum (Peter Langsdale) / CC BY-SA 2.0
Southampton, Town Quay: the Red Funnel ferry to the Isle of Wight© Copyright Helena Hilton and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence ).