Portsmouth: Things to do this winter

It might not have the mass appeal that London has, but don’t let that discount Portsmouth as a premier tourist destination nowadays. While it might not have a London Eye amongst its list of attractions, it does have immense history, and this was sufficient to bring over 9 million visitors to the city in 2014. Suffice to say, the figure is most likely much higher now, with such visitors being housed in the excellent hotel scene that Portsmouth has to offer.

Of course, general tourism is completely fine, but question marks about a city’s true tourism appeal start to get asked as soon as the “less accessible” months enter the picture. As the title might have already given away, today’s topic is about winter and what specifically you can do in Portsmouth as soon as this period of the year arises.

Let’s now take a look at some of the best winter-friendly attractions that this destination has to offer.

Spinnaker Tower

It could be said that this is Portsmouth’s premier attraction regardless of the weather; after all, the Spinnaker Tower is obviously undercover.

Regarded as one of the tallest towers in the country, this was constructed in 2005 and is designed to represent the vast maritime history that Portsmouth has. In other words, it looks like a boat’s sail.

Of course, as this post is about winter, opting to go up the 170m tower on a cloudy day isn’t going to do much for the purposes of views. However, it should be noted that on some dates in December, Santa makes an appearance which can make a great day for families.

The Mary Rose Museum

This next suggestion is even safer from a weather perspective; after all, the bulk of the Mary Rose Museum is located indoors.

As the name might suggest, this is all about showing the history of the famous Mary Rose warship. The ship itself is housed indoors, alongside countless artefacts that were rescued from it. The fact that over a million visitors have been there since it opened speaks volumes about just how important it is to Portsmouth’s tourism industry.

The birthplace of Charles Dickens

As a previous couple of attractions might have shown, Portsmouth is largely known for its maritime history. However, there is more, and we’ll now introduce Charles Dickens.

In truth, few introductions are required at this point – the story of Dickens (and the stories he has penned for that matter) are there for all to see.

Something that a lot of people don’t realize is that Dickens was born in Portsmouth – and this is where the museum steps into the equation. It’s here where you can take a look inside the home that Dickens grew up in, and perhaps found inspiration for many of his novels. For those interested in history or literature, it’s a must-see attraction, and again, it’s guarded against the winter elements.

Blue Reef Aquarium

If you’re heading to Portsmouth with the family in winter, a trip to the Blue Reef Aquarium could be on the agenda. As the name might give away, this is an aquarium and offers you and the family the chance to see everything ranging from blacktip reef sharks right the way to southern stingrays.

One of the key features of this aquarium is its tropic tunnel as well; which will allow you to walk through with all sorts of sea life circulating above and around you.