Favorite hotels in Portsmouth UK?
 

Leaving in a few days with my DD to look at a grad school in Southampton for next year. We are staying in Southampton for several days but want to go to Portsmouth to see martime history,etc. Should we just stay in Southampton and do daytrips to Portsmouth,Stonehenge and Winchester or place ourselves in different cities for touring?
Thanks for any imput and help-this is a last minute change so am desperate!!!

Portsmouth and Southampton are so close together there's no point really in changing hotels. It only 1/2 an hour on the train or by car along the M27 motorway. Southampton is better connected as a base for Winchester and Stonehenge/Salidsbury, so its a no-brainer really.

Thanks for the info,Gordon.We are flying into Gatwick airport and renting a car to drive to Southampton so was trying to make this as easy as possible for seeing everything.Any other tips?

Yup, definitely a good decision to stay in Southampton. Portsmouth is badly equipped for good hotels anyway. But it does make for a great day out especially if you're even remotely interested in maritime history. Here's what I suggest:-

Drive to Portsmouth and follow the signs to Gunwharf Quays (pronounced "Keys") (http://www.gunwharf-quays.com/). This is a major newish development right next to the historic dockyard. The car park here is large and well maintained (if a bit pricey). If the weather is OK, go up the Spinnaker Tower to get your bearings and look down on some of the historic ships you will visit later. Then exit Gunwharf through the tunnel, turn left and you'll very soon arrive at the entrance to the Historic Dockyard (http://www.historicdockyard.co.uk/). There are 3 ships you can visit, all from different eras - HMS Warrier (from 1860), Nelson's famous flagship HMS Victory, and the remains of the Mary Rose (which dates from Henry VIII's time). Enough to see here for at least 2 or 3 hours. In the afternoon, you might be interested in seeing the D-Day Museum (http://www.ddaymuseum.co.uk/), which is just over a mile east along the shoreline and can be reached on foot or by car.

Stonehenge and Winchester are also good day trips out of Southampton, but if the weather is nice, the New Forest (http://www.thenewforest.co.uk/) is really special too (and sadly overlooked by most overseas visitors).

On your way to or from Portsmouth, you might want to stop at Portchester Castle. http://www.castlexplorer.co.uk/engla...ortchester.php

It's a Norman castle built inside a Roman walled fort. It's right on the water looking out towards Portsmouth. It was a nice quiet break after Portsmouth. Very few people there except the local dog walkers.

Wow-you guys are wonderful for the suggestions!Daughter is a tall ship sailor with a marine science undergrad degree so this will be wonderful-she is looking forward to seeing the ships in Portsmouth and hoping they are as wonderful as the Vassa in Stockholm.
Is there a special way to drive to Southampton from Gatwick instead of trying to get over to one of the main expressways? I am trying to find a car that we can rent with GPS but am having problems so am just going to map it, I quess?
Any other suggestions for the area that we shouldn't miss? Both of us are history people so appreciate the castle and D Day museum tips.
DD is anxious to see the marine center at Southampton for grad school so we are very excited about our mother-daughter trip! Thanks so much-

By far the most logical (and by far the least stressful) way to get from LGW to Southampton would be M23/M25/M3 in under 2 hours. There are a multitude of other cross-country routes which I might take myself as a local, but you'll most likely get lost (even with a GPS) and it will take much longer :)

Gordon-do you think that the best route from Gatwick would be the route from Gatwick to Arundel to Portsmouth to Southampton?Thanks!

The ONLY way to drive from Gatwick to the Solent area is the way Gordon recommends.

SE England is one huge, congested, conurbation. Avoiding motorways offers little by way of scenery, will almost certainly double your driving time (or worse), and - until you're used to our traffic and driving habits - knock several years off your life expectancy.

The route along the S coast from Brighton to just beyond Southampton is devoid of intererest or scenery and unpleasant. Take Gordon's advice, then get yourself used to driving here, then pooter round the back lanes.

The hinterland of Hampshire, between Portsmouth and Winchester, contains lovely countryside which is fine to meander round by car, finer still to walk through and on a day like today finest of all just to be in. But that's not remotely apparent as you're driving through such excrescences as Havant and Waterlooville, whose horror English lacks enough words to describe adequately.

Flanner beat me to it, and he's spot on. Don't be tempted to take the A3 from the M25 down to the Portsmouth area either - this road is currently the subject of the largest under-land tunneling project in British history and queues can be enormous at peak times (its actually completely closed this weekend). It's got to be M23/M25/M3 to Southampton.

I am wondering if you all know where to purchase a UK/European GPS over there? We keep renting cars overseas and they always charge us so much for a European GPS that I am thinking that perhaps we should just buy one there to keep?

I bought a driving map of England but in looking at it I am confused about the directions above? The M3 is far west over at Winchester and I was thinking that I should be heading south through Crawley and Horsham to find a southern expressway route?

Any help-greatly appreciated!

We are flying into Gatwick so was hoping to find a more southern way to avoid the London perimeter and the traffic up north.

There is no such thing as a "southern expressway", only the truly horrible A27 trunk road which is full of roundabouts, traffic lights, diversions through town centres, traffic jams etc etc... And don't fall into the trap of thinking the only heavy traffic is around the M25, you're more likely to find delays on the overcrowded A27. Best to heed the advice you've been given.

I am at a loss how the ”The route along the S coast from Brighton to just beyond Southampton is devoid of interest or scenery and unpleasant. “ Has this person ever driven on this road. Whilst admitting it can get quite congested to my knowledge there are at the most 10 sets of lights and and about 12 roundabouts and I travel regularly on this route. The scenery is very beautiful passing through the south downs. After exiting the southwick tunnel about two miles on you will get glorious views of lancing college/chapel, the river adur and shoreham airport. The UK oldest commercial airport, with a wonderful airport terminal that has been used in many films and tv dramas. 12 miles on you will drop down into arundel with fantastic views of the castle and cathedral. Then on to Chichester with its cathedral. Once on the m27 its an easy drive to Portsmouth and Southampton