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Portsmouth: An unlikely tourist gem

With London only an hour or so away, it’s no surprise that Portsmouth doesn’t receive the attention it deserves when it comes to tourism

However, with various attractions being developed over the last few years, that could be set to change. Furthermore, we don’t need to remind you that the hotels in Portsmouth are of course going to be significantly cheaper than their London alternatives. It means that some people are even considering doing a tourism commute – to get the best out of both cities.

To highlight more of what Portsmouth has to offer in general, let’s take a look at some of the top attractions this city really has to offer.

Spinnaker Tower

Remember we said that some attractions had been developed over the last few years? Spinnaker Tower falls into this category. It was built in 2001 to be precise and standing at 170m, it offers unrivalled views over the entire city.

The tower itself has been built with Portsmouth’s history in mind; its design is based on a sail which is important when you consider the deep maritime history that the city has.

It might also be worth mentioning that this is one of the tallest towers outside of London.

The birthplace of Charles Dickens

A reasonable number of famous faces have come from Portsmouth, with one of the most notable being Charles Dickens. The city has taken advantage of this and anyone who holds any sort of interest in the famous writer can visit his birthplace. The house has been transformed into a museum and offers excellent insight into Dickens, and what inspired some of his early work. This is of course different to the alternative that is available in London, which happens to look more at his life as a whole rather than those early years.

No Man’s Fort

This is one of the more interesting elements of today’s guide, but one that might appeal to a select few.

This is one of three forts that were built across the 19th-Century, with the authorities anticipating a French invasion and subsequently attempting to thwart it.

The downside is that this is only accessible via ferry (head over to Gunwharf Quays), but in return you can have lunch, laser quest or even head for an escape room game under the fort. It’s quite an exciting attraction and for those who want to make a day or two of it and it’s also possible to stay on there.

The Mary Rose

As we have already alluded to, Portsmouth has deep maritime history and the Mary Rose plays a big part of this. This was Henry VIII’s favourite ship that happened to be downed centuries ago. As you may have gathered, it has since been restored (although only pulled from the ocean floor several years ago) and now offers great insight into what life on there might have been like for the men that worked on there. There are also various workshops available if you plan your trip sufficiently in advance.