Southampton Pre-Cruise

Hello - after many Caribbean cruises we are jumping over the pond next May/June and taking a British Isles Cruise. We are working on our air right now and wonder if four nights pre-cruise in Southampton is too long? We aren't huge sight-seeing people but we do like to walk around and take in the local people and check out the restaurants and pubs. We are staying in London post-cruise for four nights so we don't want to stay there before. Thinking of booking the West Quay - the price is very reasonable. Thanks for any tips you can offer!!

We are staying in London post-cruise for four nights so we don't want to stay there before.

in 2013 we spent 5 nights in london & 5 in southampton pre cruise

stayed at premier inn west quay - great breakfasts & dinners in the restaurant

one day in winchester, one day in salisbury, one day in portsmouth,

fourth day at the sea city museum & tudor house in southampton

delightful stay in both cities !! :D

in 2013 we spent 5 nights in london & 5 in southampton pre cruise

 

stayed at premier inn west quay - great breakfasts & dinners in the restaurant

 

one day in winchester, one day in salisbury, one day in portsmouth,

fourth day at the sea city museum & tudor house in southampton

 

delightful stay in both cities !! :D

This is a good option. You wouldn't want to stay the whole time in Southampton as you'd soon run out of things to do, but it's good as a base to get out and about to other cities and towns

This is a good option. You wouldn't want to stay the whole time in Southampton as you'd soon run out of things to do, but it's good as a base to get out and about to other cities and towns

Staying at the Novatel in Southampton in 4 days & friends from Kent are coming to visit us. Can you recommend a good pub for drinks & dinner (one is a previous pub owner) & will a light jacket be adequate clothing?

Globaliser is of course right that London has more than enough to offer for your entire pre and post-cruise time.

But there's a lot more to England than just London, and splitting your time between the big bad city and elsewhere in England makes a great deal of sense.

Southampton isn't a tourist city, it's a working port.

But, as others have posted, its location and excellent rail links make it an excellent base from which to visit a wide range of southern England's historic cities, towns, villages, countryside, and touristic sights by rail or road.

It's a rail hub, and there are frequent, fast, reliable & economical options by rail, including direct trains to

Salisbury (half-hourly, £10 day-return, journey time 35 minutes). And from there the Stonehenge ho-ho. http://www.thestonehengetour.info/

Bath (hourly, £17, 90 minutes)

Winchester (4 per hour, £7, 15 mins)

Oxford (hourly, £32, 80 mins)

Portsmouth (2 per hour, £11, 60 mins)

Weymouth (half-hourly, £27, 90 mins)

Chichester (half-hourly, £13, 1 hour)

Plenty of other options involving one simple train change.

http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/

All are very walkable from their train stations & require no local transport.

Buy tickets at the station (GBP or plastic) and ask for "cheap day-return tickets". No need to specify a return time, you can take any same-day train back to Southampton.

For local countryside, take a local Blue Star bus to Lyndhurst, the "capital of the New Forest", where two New Forest ho-ho routes converge. http://www.thenewforesttour.info/

Or consider a hydrofoil or traditional ferry to the Isle of Wight

http://www.redfunnel.co.uk/?gclid=CJDhoM760ccCFZUYGwodKjABvA

Or a day at http://www.beaulieu.co.uk/

It's the national motor museum, but also includes the Bishop's Palace and the Abbey ruins for non-petrolheads.

Get there from Southampton via the little Hythe ferry across Southampton Water, then the "beach bus" when in season or a six-mile taxi ride out-of-season

http://www.hytheferry.co.uk/

http://www.thebeachbus.info/

If you rent a car you have much broader options, basically touring the countryside & the more-isolated towns & villages.

The New Forest (about 6 miles from Southampton) is seen better by car, or spread your wings to places like Corfe Castle and the Bovington Tank Museum (largest in Europe), Lulworth Cove & Durdle Door & the Jurassic coast, or the towns & villages of the Dorset Downs, or Glastonbury / Wells / Cheddar.

So you could spend all your pre & post-cruise time based in Southampton, and ignore London altogether ;)

Southampton itself has some little gems, but you'll be able to see them on your part-days when you travel from London or on the morning of your cruise. They include the few old-town sights such as the Tudor House, Medieval Merchant's House, Westgate Hall, God's Tower, the Bargate & the city walls, and the Sea City Museum and Southampton Aviation Museum.

Google these places, see what you think.

Here's a list of Southampton city centre hotels, together with a thumbnail location map which includes the rail station and cruise terminals.

https://www.londontoolkit.com/travel/southampton_accommodation.htm

(if you plan to rent a car, check parking availability & cost)

Boca7 - evenings are just starting to get a little chilly, but British weather is very fickle. A light jacket (and something waterproof?) should be OK unless you plan to spend a lot of time outside in the evening.

In town, consider

the Red Lion in the High Street (historic & atmospheric, but food a little variable)

or The Standing Order in the High Street ( low prices, rather basic - tell your friends it's a Wetherspoon's pub & they'll know the chain)

or the Wool House (aka the Dancing Man) - a historic little stone building recently converted to a real-ale micro-brewery & pub/restaurant - good food but it's deliberately limited to pub-grub (pie & mash, etc).

Best combination of character, atmosphere, real ale & food is probably the Duke of Wellington pub in Bugle Street - just a hundred yards from the Wool House. You might consider a drink in the one & a meal in the other.

http://southampton-pubs.co.uk/dukeofwellington/

It scores 4.5 / 5 on TripAdvisor

There are also a number of restaurants in the same area.

If your friends have a car or you're happy to make a short train ride I can suggest places outside the city.

JB :)

Best combination of character, atmosphere, real ale & food is probably the Duke of Wellington pub in Bugle Street - just a hundred yards from the Wool House. You might consider a drink in the one & a meal in the other.

http://southampton-pubs.co.uk/dukeofwellington/

It scores 4.5 / 5 on TripAdvisor

Very happy to hear you say this, as a bunch of us on our Roll Call for the Anthem TA will be having our pre-cruise dinner there next month! :)

Thank you all for your responses! Its a great start. Just read/heard about John Bull today - YOU are AMAZING!!! I will be busy planning our time in Southampton now and can't wait to check out the places your recommend.

Thanks again!

Just read/heard about John Bull today - YOU are AMAZING!!!

He already has enough trouble getting his head through the door..... Grumble grumble

Just spent two days pre-cruise in Salisbury--lovely Town with beautiful cathedral and lots of very nice B&B's. I wasn't impressed with Southampton and can't imagine staying there 4 days especially with all the other beautiful places nearby to spend your time including Salisbury and Winchester; however. If you do as JB suggests and use it as a home base to travel out from, you should be OK. I did the British Isles cruise in July and had a fabulous time. Enjoy!!