View from Spinnaker Tower over Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.

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Portsmouth Historic Dockyard

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Portsmouth's blockbuster draw sees you gazing at the evocative hulk of Henry VIII's flagship, the Mary Rose, and jumping aboard Nelson's Battle of Trafalgar warship HMS Victory. Then there's the Victorian HMS Warrior, the WWII-era submarine HMS Alliance and a wealth of imaginative museums and harbour tours. Visiting more than one exhibit makes the All Attractions ticket, not single issue tickets, the best value (although it now excludes entry to the Mary Rose Museum). There's a 20% discount for buying online.

Last admission to the dockyard is one hour before closing.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Action Stations!

0.06 MILES

At this warehouse full of child-friendly interactive gadgets you'll command a warship, gaze at an astronaut's view of Earth, and peek up a periscope. The…

2. HMS Warrior

0.1 MILES

The magnificent warship HMS Warrior was at the cutting edge of technology when she was built in 1860, riding the transition from wood to iron and sail to…

3. National Museum of the Royal Navy

0.16 MILES

Cannon-fire, recoiling guns and blood-spattered, injured sailors appear in this museum's multimedia re-creation of the Battle of Trafalgar – Nelson and…

4. HMS Victory

0.2 MILES

As resplendent as she is venerable, HMS Victory was Lord Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar (1805) and the site of his famous dying words 'Kiss…

5. Mary Rose Museum

0.23 MILES

The raising of the 16th-century warship the Mary Rose in 1982 was an extraordinary feat of marine archaeology. The £35-million, boat-shaped museum that's…

6. Spinnaker Tower

0.24 MILES

The Spinnaker Tower soars 170m above Gunwharf Quays, its two sweeping white arcs resembling a billowing sail from some angles, and a skeletal ribcage from…

7. The Point

0.53 MILES

The Point's characterful cobbled streets are dotted with higgledy-piggledy houses and salty sea-dog pubs, their terraces prime places to watch streams of…

8. HMS Alliance at the Submarine Museum

0.92 MILES

Taking a trip deep into the bowels of the WWII-era sub HMS Alliance is compelling, thanks to the lights, sounds and even smells used to create a sense…