One or two nights in Southampton?

[andros471975]

Hello,

 

I am sailing on the June 23 voyage on the QM2. I am wondering if I should stay one or two nights in Southampton prior to the cruise. I am a ships buff and I know there is great stuff too see in town...but I am wondering if two nights would be too much. I'll be in London the week before. Suggestions?

[3rdGenCunarder]

Hello,

 

I am sailing on the June 23 voyage on the QM2. I am wondering if I should stay one or two nights in Southampton prior to the cruise. I am a ships buff and I know there is great stuff too see in town...but I am wondering if two nights would be too much. I'll be in London the week before. Suggestions?

 

There is a maritme museum. It is now part of a larger Southampton history museum. I haven't been there since it moved, but in its smaller digs it was good. You can walk the medieval walls and there are some very old houses you can see. There is Cunard memorabilia around the city, including the "QE2 mile."

 

You can also use Southampton as a base for checking out other places. If you like touring cathedrals, Winchester is a short train ride away. Last time, we went to Salisbury for the day. I think that train ride was more like an hour, but still easy enough to do. You can take the train to Portsmouth and see the Mary Rose and HMS Victory.

 

And you should look at the Southampton train station. Great tiles in maritime designs.

[zider]

As you are a ship buff then Portsmouth is the place to go to see & learn about British R.N Ships.http://www.visitportsmouth.co.uk/things-to-do/portsmouth-historic-dockyard-p54183

[carolina-cruiser]

We are sailing QM2 in and out of SH this summer and have opted to stay two nights because we wanted to go to the Isle of Wight- There seems to be a lot to see there as well as places already mentioned.

[lannp]

The train ride to Winchester is only about 15 min. with a delightful day touring the Cathedral and walking around. Osborne House on the Isle of Wight requires generous time and you can also take the ferry over to Hythe, have lunch in the pub and also get some great views across the water to Southampton.

[cruisetourist]

Hi Southampton is my home town or should I say city. There is always Tudor House in the old part of our city. Great for an hour or two. A building that's been here for a few hundred years turned into a museum. Don't miss the free tour. And the new Sea City museum with the Titanic exhibition.

 

And don't forget to pick up your in cabin alcohol from either Asda or loads of mini markets. And last minute shopping in West Quay.

 

Enjoy

[laktex]

Hello,

 

I am sailing on the June 23 voyage on the QM2. I am wondering if I should stay one or two nights in Southampton prior to the cruise. I am a ships buff and I know there is great stuff too see in town...but I am wondering if two nights would be too much. I'll be in London the week before. Suggestions?

 

All three Queens in port that day so it should be a good sailaway - lots of horns and waving.

[Scrapnana]

Flying from the US I like to have two nights before the cruise just in case my flight is cancelled or luggage takes a detour.

 

Last year in Southampton I visited the Seacity Museum. They had a great exhibit about the Titanic and one about the history of Southampton's ties to the sea.

[castlewood]

We have come to associate Southampton with pre-cruise excitement! Since we're always jet-lagged when we arrive, we usually spend the first day just strolling around the pedestrian zone and walking through that funky shopping mall (Quay Center?). The Sea City Museum was interesting, and there's a nice Victorian-style park off the main avenue where we've sat and eaten lunch. Then we go back to the hotel and take a nap and then go someplace for dinner. When we've been there an extra day, we rent a car. We've gone to Stonehenge, which was an easy ride. Last time, we drove to Wells (much longer drive because we took a wrong turn), and saw the spectacular cathedral there. In Southampton, we ate last time at what was claimed to be the oldest pub in England (not sure if that's really true . . .). We've taken 7 or 8 cruises out of Southampton, and there's something very comfortably low-key about the city; it's a good place to transition from the pre-vacation crazy-at-work/7-hour flight/extreme jet lag to the supreme relaxation and total escape of a cruise

[Classiccruiser777]

Southampton is also the home of the WW2 era Spitfire. There is a nice museum dedicated to the plane.

[orvil]

We spent two days before our sail in January. The city walls were neat, especially at night. We loved Ennio's Restaurant on the waterfront. They also have an inn upstairs. While we didn't stay there, it looked charming. There is tapas restaurant also on the waterfront that was outstanding, too. It's a very walkable city. Good shopping at The Quay. We weren't big Titanic fans, but the weather drove us inside. It was a surprisingly good display. We also found a large wine store and picked up a few special bottles for the cruise. We wanted to go to Portsmouth on the train, but ran out of time.

[Transatlantic Tom]

YES, Southampton for two nights is definitely worth the effort !

 

I can basically echo and amplify what others have already said...

 

The maritime museum is worthwhile, although I have not yet been to the new location. Wonderful liner models.

 

My wife and I really enjoy "Oxford's" and "White Star" restaurants, both on Oxford Street.

 

A visit to the Isle of Wight is definitely a great thing to do; the Red Funnel Ferry journey (approx. 50-55 minutes) is fun in-and-of-itself. Cowes - the town at which you arrive (East Cowes to be specific) - is a nice walking town, and has a rare "chain ferry" (a small passengers-only ferry which crosses the narrowish River Medina and pulls itself back & forth with the use of a submerged chain !!)...something to experience !

 

Osborne House - seaside home of Queen Victoria & Prince Albert on the IOW - is beautiful and a very enjoyable place to visit.

 

A quick visit to Hythe, just across the River Test (i.e. across the harbor), is fun - the little Hythe Ferry makes for a nice "crossing". The view of Southampton Docks is marvelous, and when you arrive over at Hythe you get to take a "pier train" - a vintage small gauge train - in from from the far arrival-end of the pier to the town of Hythe !

 

A ride on the "pier train" in Hythe, AND a journey on the "chain ferry" linking East and West Cowes on the IOW....THEN sailing on a Cunard ship all would make for a memorable experience for any traveler !!

 

Surrounding cities such as Bournemouth, Winchester, and Portsmouth are all wonderful to visit and are easily accessible from Southampton via the terrific National Express bus service. Just ask your hotel for directions to the National Express station, which is very near the West Quay shopping mall. You can get an affordable "round trip" (for Americanese) or "return" ticket to/from your intended destination. The train could equally be handy. Southampton Central station is also convenient.

 

Finally, the people of Southampton and Hampshire are friendly and welcoming.

 

The vast majority of passengers blast down from London on Sailing Day, and go straight on board their ship, never seeing the area. Be different. Give the Southampton area a chance - I doubt you'll regret it !

[rafinmd]

FWIW I arrive in Southampton on QM2 11/19 and leave on QE 11/22. I plan to spend all 3 nights in Southampton, 1 day in Southampton, a day on Isle of Wight, and a day trip to London.

 

Roy