What to do in Southampton on a Sunday in June?
 

HI. I am going to be in Southampton (England) on June 24 (Sunday) for just the one day (cruise stop). I don't like ship excursions, so I'm trying to figure out what to do on this day. I looked at renting a car, but the rental agencies that I checked are closed on Sundays. I have a few options:
--Stay in Southampton. What's to see/do? Anything of interest? Shops open on Sunday?
--Take a train or bus to another town. Any suggestions?
--Find a rental car agency that would be open on Sunday. Know of any?
Thanks for your help. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Don't know about any Sunday rentals - you might be able to find one, maybe at the airport.

But I probably wouldn't bother - you can take a ferry to the Isle of Wight, a train to Lymington or Brockenhurst in the New Forest, visit the historic docks in Portsmouth w/ the Victory and Mary Rose, a train to Salisbury and a local bus to Stonehenge, or a train to Winchester.

Lots of choices. If I had a car I'd probably go to the New Forest/Beaulieu/Bucklers Hard. If using the train - I'd either go to Salisbury, visit the Cathedral, explore the city and take a local bus to Stonehenge and back - OR - go to Portsmouth. All depends on what sorts of things you like.

I don’t know what sorts of things you like to do and what ports/cities you’ll be visiting as part of the cruise.

Much of what is left of the Southampton’s old city is near the docks. There’s the Bargate and other parts of the medieval wall as well as the Medieval Merchant’s House and Tudor House Museum. All are open on Sunday and it won’t take more than half a day to see them. Keep in mind that these are small “museums” so don’t expect a whole lot.

If you want just a relaxing day and the weather is nice, you can take a taxi (or bus) to the Common, a huge park in the middle of Southampton and walk around. There’s an OK pub there for lunch.
Shops will be open in the afternoon. There’s the old shopping centre in the Above Bar and the newer fancy one on West Quay. I think shopping is easier in smaller cities and they’ll have the typical department and specialty stores.

Southampton has changed a lot since the time I lived there but is still a small manageable city. If none of the above appeals to you, I’d suggest taking the ferry to the Isle of Wight. I personally like Winchester but I’ve always driven there so I can’t comment on taking the train.

Out of curiosity, I checked on-line and sure enough, the city now has a website for visitors:

http://www.visit-southampton.co.uk/

Even on a Sunday, there are at least two trains an hour to Winchester, Brockenhurst, and many other nearby towns. Another route into the New Forest is the Southampton-Hythe ferry (www.hytheferry.co.uk) which connects with buses from Hythe to Beaulieu.

"I looked at renting a car, but the rental agencies that I checked are closed on Sundays"

Check any major company, giving your pickup point as SOU, the airport about ten minutes out of town. As far as I can see, all are open on Sundays.

Trains to Salisbury every half-hour, taking half an hour. Trains to Winchester every 20 minutes or so taking about 15 minutes. Always double-check train times on Sundays before starting a journey.

With the greatest of respect to Southampton, don't spend time there you could be spending in Salisbury or Winchester.