A Great Day Exploring Portsmouth’s Best Historic Sites

Showcasing warships, castles and fortifications; this guide will lead you through over 800 years of Portsmouth history

Portsmouth (our hometown) is famous for its naval history, vibrant student life and impressive literary credentials. If you are visiting Portsmouth for the first time and want a guide to the main historical highlights, we’ve created this guide. One of the great things about our hometown is that it is flat and very walkable with plenty of open, green spaces and designated pedestrian routes around the coast. This makes it a perfect city for exploring with family and four-legged friends all year round.

In this article, we’ll share some of our favourite places in Portsmouth for a dog-friendly walk. We’ve also added some great suggestions for refreshment pit stops en route (check out Jon’s guide to his favourite dog-friendly coffee shops).

Portsmouth Historic Dockyard

The first place new visitors to Portsmouth usually head is Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, at one time the largest industrial complex in the world. Today it is well known for housing some of the most significant ships from Britain’s Naval History (HMS Warrior, The Mary Rose, HMS Victory). It is also a fantastic place for a family day out as it has repurposed its boatyards into cafes, museums, a cinema and even a laser quest zone. Depending on the time of year you visit, the Dockyard hosts incredible events from the Victorian Christmas Market to Warriorfest (a craft beer and music festival inside HMS Warrior).

Gunwharf Quays

A short walk from the Dockyard is one of the more modern developments in the city: Gunwharf Quays and the Spinnaker Tower. A 2018 survey found that Gunwharf attracted over 9 million visitors each year. Many come to enjoy the designer outlets, restaurants and waterside bars. The central focal point is the iconic Spinnaker Tower. Although controversial when first built, the 560ft tall observation tower is now a beloved part of the Portsmouth skyline; especially when illuminated for special events. Gunwharf is a great stopping point for refreshments (although dogs are, sadly, not allowed inside Gunwharf Quays, you can skirt the walls and continue on the walk). If you’d prefer to visit an independent restaurant or bar, the nearby A Bar Bistro can be found just along the footpath from Gunwharf and is dog-friendly. It sources its fish from the neighbouring fish market.

Old Portsmouth

Moving on from Gunwharf, you’ll soon find yourself in the appropriately named Old Portsmouth. This area packs many beloved features into a small footprint: Hotwalls, Square Tower, Round Tower and Spice Island. Old Portsmouth is one of our favourite areas to walk around as the cobbled streets, independent cafes and artists’ studios (our favourite being the colourful and inventive 26th May Jewellery) mean there is always a welcoming atmosphere and something new to discover. One of the best places to enjoy a sunset is from the hidden outside terrace at the Hotwalls Canteen. A bottle of wine, a pint of prawns and the sea lapping at the deck really evokes the seaside charm of Portsmouth. Plus, dogs are very welcome and we’ve spent hours here watching the boats cross the harbour. We even spotted a seal swim past once!

Leaving the authentic streets of Old Portsmouth, we often continue walking on to Governor’s Green. The area provides plenty of space for families to play, and you will often see schools using the green as a sports field.

On a summer’s day, the ramparts above Governor’s Green are an ideal spot to watch vessels navigating the Solent. The grass banks often fill with spectators keen to wave off the aircraft carriers or cheer on the racing yachts during the America’s Cup. This is a very popular dog walking area, with Belka being a particular fan of the cannons on the top of the fort!

Southsea Common

Clarence Esplanade is the lengthy promenade that leads visitors further along Southsea Seafront. With views of the different forts, landmarks and mysterious buildings visible from shore as well as unique Portsmouth institutions such as the Hovercraft Terminal (the only commercially operating hovercraft in the world!) this is a popular walking route for very good reasons. The wide, open common space opposite the beach is a great space to let your dog stretch its legs. Occasionally the common is used for spectacular events such as the Kite Festival, when the sky is filled with colourful displays. The biggest event in the city’s calendar without a doubt is Victorious Festival. Held over the August Bank Holiday, the common becomes home to 3 days of international music acts and local food vendors.

Further along the esplanade, you will find the D Day Landing Craft (sure to be a feature of the D Day commemorative events this year). The vessel is housed under an architecturally important structure and open to visitors all year round. My favourite detail in the attached museum, the D Day Story, is the story of a brave carrier pigeon called Gustav who carried vital messages across the English Channel. They also have a great cafe run as a social enterprise (for those who need them, public toilets can be found behind the museum here).

Southsea Castle

The final location I’ll describe here is Belka’s favourite: Southsea Castle. We love Southsea Castle, it is usually a stop during our local dog walks as the views from its ramparts are spectacular. It always feels like a special privilege to cross the moat and enter the ancient walls of the keep. During the summer, the castle is buzzing, with its own brewery and champagne bar a highlight in Southsea’s social scene. Belka always drags us into the Courtyard Cafe to greet the friendly team of possibly the most dog-friendly establishment in Portsmouth.

If you are new to Portsmouth or a local who would love to know more about the history of this city, we’ve created an audio guide. Our Portsmouth Essentials Tour is hosted by an app called Around. Around is an online platform that lets you take interactive walking tours without downloading any app. Each tour is created by a local expert who prepared an itinerary and audio content. These are great as a way of integrating a tour into your unique travel plans rather than having to book in to a specific date/time slot with an in person tour. The guides allow you to pause, skip and replay locations as well as providing you with a detailed map of the area (perfect if you want to follow the most scenic path).

Our walking tour covers the (over 800 years) history of Portsmouth by bringing to life some notable characters, quirky anecdotes, ghost stories, and highlighting the most significant events that have shaped the waterfront city.

Around have tours for cities around the world. However, Jon and I have been given the opportunity to create new tours for some of the cities we know and love best in the UK. Starting with our hometown; Portsmouth.

We’d love to know if you have taken the tour and have any feedback for us.