10 Best Things to Do in Southampton

The grand historical Bargate was once the main entrance into the old walled city of Southampton. A smart place to start your exploration, book your hotel near the Southampton Central train station, a short 15-minute walk away.

As you head into town from the gate along High Street, you’ll find plenty of cafés where you can get your morning refresher. After that, check out the old city walls and medieval vaults, as well as historical highlights like the medieval St. Michael’s Church.

During your exploration of Southampton Old Town, you should definitely take the time to stop at the Tudor House & Garden. The beautiful, carefully restored property near St. Michael’s Church shows the history of home life in Southampton from the 14th century, though some parts of the house and grounds date from even earlier.

The Tudor House contains an extensive collection of interesting household artifacts, including decorated glass panes. The ornamental gardens are fantastic, and you can enjoy the view with a cream tea from the onsite café.

The SeaCity Museum has two permanent exhibitions: One’s dedicated to the city’s role as the gateway between the UK and the rest of the world, while the other tells the story of the Titanic and the ill-fated liner’s close association with Southampton. As one of the UK’s major ports for hundreds of years, Southampton naturally has a long history with the sea and seafaring, all of which you can explore in this exciting museum.

It’s virtually impossible to miss the museum thanks to the massive clock tower on the neighbouring civic centre, which is roughly the same height as the Titanic’s funnels used to be.

The Titanic Trail invites you to explore Southampton’s strong connection with the RMS Titanic. Built in Belfast and based in Liverpool, she departed on her maiden passenger cruise from Southampton, with a lot of locals among the crew. Many memorials were built following the sinking, for everyone from the postal workers to the musicians.

You can explore much of Southampton by connecting these, as well as period buildings like the local office of the White Star Line and the preferred pub of the doomed crew. The route takes about 1 hour 15 minutes to walk and starts from the Civic Centre, where you can pick up maps and guides.

For those who like a bit of action and adventure in their visit, Southampton Water Activities Center has a good choice of water sports to choose from. Under the guidance of experienced coaches, you can try your hand at windsurfing, sailing, rowing and stand-up paddle boarding. They offer courses for all skill levels, so whether you're a complete beginner or a seasoned sailor, they have something for you.

While all the equipment you need is provided, it’s worth remembering that the water around the UK can be extremely cold in winter. The center is located on the beautiful banks of the River Itchen and Southampton Water.

The Westquay shopping centre spans an incredible 800,000 sq ft, containing well over 100 shops. It’s actually split into two connected centres, both just north of Old Town. Westquay North contains large John Lewis and Marks & Spencer department stores while Westquay South is home to a greater choice of restaurants and a movie theater.

If you've come on a shopping trip, then browse the hotels situated close to the mall. If you can’t find what you want here, there are plenty of other shopping opportunities nearby, including Marlands Shopping Centre and the West Quay Retail Park.

Ocean Village is a modern neighbourhood built around a pleasure boat marina. As you’d expect, it has quite a luxurious air, with many high-class restaurants and boutiques to choose from. The area also has two movie theaters: One for modern blockbusters while the other shows arthouse and foreign films.

You can hop on a boat to visit the Isle of Wight, the Hamble, Portsmouth and New Forest, with spectacular waterways to explore and coastlines to discover. On land you can explore the historic city walls or the SeaCity Museum, St Mary's Stadium (home of Southampton Football Club), Solent Sky aviation museum and Mayflower Theatre. Boat trips around the area departing from the marina are worth checking out.

Southampton’s Oxford Street is an excellent place to start exploring the city’s eclectic dining scene. Having been one of the main gateways into the country for centuries, Southampton offers a huge variety of cuisines, ranging from modern British bites to flavors from far and wide, including authentic Nepalese, Indian and Korean flavours.

Only about 850 ft in length, Oxford Street is all but lined with restaurants and bars, many of them spilling out onto the street. Standouts include The White Star Tavern, The Oxford Brasserie, and Carnicero Steakhouse Restaurant & Bar. Visit on the first Saturday of every month for the Oxford Street Farmers’ Market, and the chance to try tasty local ingredients.

Despite being built in 1928, The Mayflower is still among the biggest theatres in the south of England. The auditorium seats well over 1,500 people for popular West End musicals, plays, dance performances, operas, ballets and comedy shows.

The Mayflower Theatre is a historic building with a grand and beautiful interior. It has undergone several renovations and the refurbished auditorium offers good sightlines and decent acoustics from most seats. As well as the onsite restaurant, there are plenty of places to eat and have a drink nearby, and the theatre is helpfully just a 10-minute walk north of Southampton Central train station.

You can start exploring Southampton’s lively nightlife along and around Bedford Place. It’s said to house the best bars and clubs in the city. The area around Bedford Place is packed with hot venues, so just explore and see what takes your fancy.

On top of being the cruise capital of Europe, Southampton is a university city, so it naturally has a very vibrant and versatile nightlife. Those who want a bit of class aim for Orange Rooms for their swanky cocktail lounge. Nearby Popworld plays retro pop hits while those looking for craft beers and punk rock head for Beards & Boards Craft Beer Bar.