Start from 35 curated places around Southampton, GB, then choose the recommendations that fit your guests.
Restaurants & cafés
The White Star Tavern
A stylish gastropub-with-rooms on Oxford Street serving all-day modern-British food from hearty breakfasts to proper dinners, named for the Titanic's shipping line. It's the Old Town quarter's reliable, characterful choice. Best for a relaxed gastropub meal any time of day on Oxford Street.
Smugglers
A modern gastropub in Bedford Place, the city's lesser-known foodie quarter, mixing sleek and classic-pub touches with a beer garden, good cocktails, and a popular bottomless brunch. It captures the young, independent spirit of the area. Best for a sociable brunch or a cocktail-fuelled dinner in Bedford Place.
Trails & outdoors
Southampton Common
A vast green space of over 300 acres just north of the centre, with ponds, woodland, a wildlife centre, and open meadows criss-crossed by easy paths. It's the city's great green lung. Best for an easy walk or run among woods and ponds minutes from the centre.
Lyndhurst
The 'capital' of the New Forest, a short drive west, with open heath and woodland walks straight from the village where wild ponies and deer roam free. It's the easiest gateway to the national park's gentle wilds. Best for an easy-to-moderate heath-and-woodland walk among the famous New Forest ponies.
Things to do
SeaCity Museum
Southampton's flagship museum, telling the story of the Titanic and its devastating impact on the city that crewed her, alongside the wider tale of the port and its migrants. The interactive Titanic galleries are genuinely moving. Best for a half-day on the Titanic story and the city's maritime past.
Solent Sky Museum
An aviation museum celebrating the region's flying heritage, centred on the Spitfire and the flying boats built on Southampton Water, with aircraft you can get close to. It's a hit with families and aviation buffs. Best for a hands-on hour or two among historic aircraft.
Landmarks & sights
The Bargate
The grand medieval gatehouse that was once the main entrance through the town walls, a striking Norman-to-medieval landmark marooned in the modern high street. It's the symbol of old Southampton. Best for a quick look at the gate and the start of an Old Town walls walk.
Southampton Old Town Walls
Among the best-preserved medieval town walls in England, a circuit of ramparts, towers, and gates running from the Bargate down toward the water. Walking them tells the story of the once-fortified port. Best for a self-guided walls walk linking the Bargate, God's House Tower, and the quay.