A PERFECT DAY IN SOUTHAMPTON

Southampton is a staple of British Isles and Western Europe cruises and one of the main departure ports for cruises in England. It is one of my favorite cruise ports because it offers a great mix of nearby sights and attractions that can easily be reached by public transport on your own while on a cruise.

But what if you just want to stay in town? Is there anything worthwhile to see and do in Southampton? On a recent trip I did spent an entire day in the city and had an unexpectedly wonderful time!

Spending all day in southampton

On my prior visits I used the chance to explore more famous nearby destinations, like the Isle of Wight, Stonehenge, Portsmouth, the New Forrest, or Bournemouth. But before my recent transatlantic cruise on Sky Princess to Fort Lauderdale I decided to spend the day exploring the town of Southampton itself.

As I did not want to run the risk of missing the boat (I know it is a ship but couldn’t resist) I flew out two days early. After some back and forth, I decided to spend the two nights in Southampton so had a full day in town. At first I was going to explore one of the nearby sights but it was November, so I worried the weather might be bad (it was gorgeous by the way). So instead, I decided to just stay in Southhampton itself.

I was concerned that I might regret the decision but actually I had a wonderful day! Read on to find out what I did and what I recommend for your day in Southampton.

Morning: A great Treasure Trail/City Walk

If you have read any of my other England posts you will know that I just love Treasure Trails. These inexpensive scavenger hunt instructions are fairly inexpensive, great fun, and a way to discover hidden treasures you would otherwise miss!

I had actually bought the Southampton Treasure Trail on a previous trip to the city but didn’t get around to do it. So finally I used it – no money wasted here.

Looking at the website, the current Trails for Southampton seem to be different from the one I used but I am sure they are fun as well!

I don’t want to spoil the fun for anyone wanting to do the same or a similar trail so won’t give too much away. However, I will give a quick overview of some of the main sights visited. Even without doing the trail, you would/should see those.

Shopping Mall

The Treasure Trail started at the Westquay Shopping Mall. Even if you are not doing the trail, you will probably want to stop by here, especially if you are going on a cruise. The mall is not a sight per se but a great place to pick up anything you may have forgotten prior to your trip. There is also a very nice bookstore here.

City Walls

Southampton is an ancient city. However, it took a lot of damage during WWII so that it doesn’t have a consistent look. You will find plenty of modern buildings (not all of which are delightful). But interspersed with the newer stuff there are plenty of treasures. In many ways it is quite similar to Le Havre, another hidden gem I loved more than expected.

One of the main sights are the city walls which still run around part of the town. In some places you can walk along the top which is always fun.

Juniper Berry

The Tudor Style building is a former pub and wedding venue that now serves as a hotel. It is actually not as old as it looks but dates from the late 19th century. But there is still historical significance as Jane Austen’s house was located in this spot!

Tudor House and Garden

In contrast, Tudor House is the city’s most important old building with over 800 years of history! You can tour the inside but I skipped this. So many clues to solve for the treasure trail! I rather regret skipping it though so would recommend checking it out.

Church

St. Michael’s Church was the next stop on my walk. This is the oldest building in town. It was founded 1070 but has been rebuilt/remodelled quite a bit over the years. Unfortunately, there was a church service going on as I walked by so I did not get a chance to visit the inside.

Mayflower Memorial

Yes, the Pilgrims set sail from Southampton on their way to the New World and this memorial is a reminder of that journey. Especially if you are American this would make a good photo op!

Queen’s Park

Part of the reason I enjoyed my walk so much was that the weather was gorgeous, especially for November. It was a bit windy/chilly but the golden autumn sunshine was unexpected and very much appreciated.

Winkle Street

Another surprise was that Southampton had a definite Harry Potter vibe. Southampton’s Winkle Street doesn’t just look like something out of the books but even has a name to match. And there were several other locations/sights that really reminded me of the books.

Dark Arts Potion Bar

I actually didn’t stumble across this cool, wizard inspired bar until the next morning. It was closed at that time and truth be told I probably would not have gone in even if I had known of it the day before. Not only am I not really the bar-going type but it does seem to cater less to solo travellers.

However, if I ever visit Southampton with a friend/group I would be sure to visit. They are offering potion making (aka cocktail) classes and they offer escape rooms as well as puzzle boxes! That is basically the trifecta for a fun evening for me (and the reviews sound great). Makes me almost book a trip just to visit this place!

Anyway, I can’t actually recommend the place as I didn’t get a chance to experience it but did want to point it out because it just looked like sooo much fun!

Holirood Church

This church is actually a ruin as the church was destroyed during the Blitz. Dedicated to lifes lost at sea, it has a lovely vibe and is very close to the city center.

Short Break in my hotel

I loved the treasure trail/walk but by this time I was starting to droop a bit. Even though the weather was gorgeous, I was starting to feel the chill (it was November after all). Normally, this would have been a great time for a cozy lunch in a pub, but I had big plans for the afternoon so didn’t want to spoil my appetite.

Instead I returned to my hotel for a quick snack, a bit of a rest, and to warm up a bit.

My hotel in Southampton: Ibis Budget

I mostly stay at Premier Inns when in England but during my stay the Ibis Budget was quite a bit cheaper. So Ibis it was.

And I was quite happy with my choice. Obviously, it was nothing fancy, but it was clean, convenient, and had everything I needed for my stay. It did have a decent table/desk which is more than can be said for many hotel rooms.

The location was convenient for the train station and shops. As for getting to your cruise ship it will depend. Southampton has several different docks. One is right down the street from the Ibis Budget (and the regular Ibis across the parking lot). Unfortunately, my ship left from the more central dock so it was a bit further. However, with just a carry-on suitcase it was an easy walk the next day (or if you have more luggage it would be an inexpensive taxi ride).

Afternoon: High Tea at HarBAR on 6th

For lunch I just had some left-over snacks from the night before as I had big plans: afternoon tea at HarBAR on 6th at Harour Hotel Southampton. I have wanted to try a real English afternoon tea for the longest time but never got around to it. Not only does it take a fair bit of time in the middle of the day, but it is also quite expensive. I am NOT a big eater so dropping GBP70+ on one meal is hard to stomach.

But I was looking for a treat to begin my vacation and had saved money on the hotel so I decided this was finally the time to go for it. After a bit of research about afternoon tea in Southampton I decided on HarBAR on 6th and made a reservation. As it turned out, a reservation was not necessary for a Thursday in November. But I have a bad habit of chickening out on expensive splurges like this (“too tired”, “too much bother”, “too expensive” etc.) so for me booking ahead is a good way to stick with it.

This was especially true here as I was pretty exhausted after my long morning walk and it had been raining during my break. Without a reservation I would likely just have stayed in the room but with a reservation made, I dragged myself out the door.

It was a bit of a walk to get there and at first I was concerned that it would continue raining and I would get there soaked. But it cleared up and I even saw a special spectacle:

A double rainbow!

The Location: Harbour Hotel Southampton

Harbour Hotel Southampton is located next to a marina full of yachts and did look very fancy. Realistically speaking, I will probably again stay at a budget hotel on my next trip to Southampton but if I get rich (or have a bit of extra budget), I would love to try this hotel. I think it would be the perfect start for a cruise as it has views out to sea and looks a bit like a ship itself.

The afternoon tea is served in their bar on the sixth floor (thus HarBAR on 6th). It wasn’t too hard to find – you have to take the elevator up. As mentioned before, it was not busy that day. Apparently, I was the only solo diner that afternoon because they greeted me by name when I showed up!

That being said, I didn’t feel at all uncomfortable dining here alone, something that is always a bit of a concern for solo travelers.

I loved the location: The room is large and airy with wonderful views of the marina and surroundings. It also looked very upscale/elegant. Definitely a great place to start a trip!

It being November, the sun sat early. It was still daytime when I arrived for my 3:45 pm reservation but was getting dusk when I had finished.

Afternoon Tea Experience

Service

The service was very friendly and made me feel welcome. No complaints here at all.

The food

Let me first say that the food was absolutely gorgeous. It was probably the prettiest food I have ever eaten. Not only was it served on a pretty octopus-themed etagere, but each of the pastries was like a little piece of art!

The beautiful etagere had savory options on the bottom, sweet treats in the middle, and scones on top.

There was plenty of food: savory treats, sweet pastries, and scones. You also got a choice of drink (I went with a non-traditional capucchino). Actually, the food was a bit too rich and filling (even though I had basically skipped lunch). I wish I had known that they give you a little box to take your leftovers home. If I had I would have eaten only some and taken the rest home. As it was I ate part of all so even though I took some home none of them looked great anymore.

The actual taste of the food was probably the weakest part of the experience. Don’t get me wrong – it was tasty, just not quite as perfect as it looked. The main thing I would change is that the sweet options relied pretty heavily on white chocolate. It looked beautiful but was fairly sweet. I think it might have been better if one or two of the treats were based on a more bitter flavour, like coffee or very dark chocolate. And a lighter, maybe tart fruit option would also have been great.

But the food was still good to very good. Just maybe not quite as good as the presentation and location.

Value for money of my afternoon tea

At GBP 30 (I think the price has increased slightly since), afternoon tea was not cheap but significantly more affordable than a similar experience in London would have been. It can easily replace a meal and if you do a better job leaving some untouched to take home there should be enough for either breakfast or snack on the next day.

All in all, it was a wonderful experience and well worth the money!

I absolutely loved the location. HarBAR on 6th would be great to have a cocktail to celebrate the beginning of a trip so that would be a good option if you are not up for a whole meal.

Evening: Short shopping trip

By the time I had finished it was getting pretty dark. I definitely did not need dinner but decided to walk through the town center on the way back to my hotel.

I love my Kindle but you never know when it might break. With about two weeks on the open sea during my transatlantic, it seemed a good idea to get some hard copy entertainment just in case. Luckily, the bookstore in the mall had a wonderful selection and I bought two books, a coloring book, and an exit game.

As it is usually the case when you are prepared, my kindle was fine and there was plenty of entertainment on the ship so I still haven’t played the exit game. However, I very much enjoyed “The Appeal” by Janice Hallett. It’s a murder mystery that let’s you read through testimonies and clues to come up with the solution yourself. What could be more fun than playing detective?

I know the picture is pretty bad but it was so pretty in real life!

Conclusion

All in all this was pretty much my perfect day (partly due to the unexpectedly good weather). An invigorating treasure trail walk with plenty of interesting sights, a delicious (and beautiful) afternoon tea, and some fun shopping. I also loved the Harry Potter vibe that I had not at all expected.

Southampton has a lot more to offer than I expected and is definitely worth a visit. I am even thinking of making it my base on a future trip to discover nearby destinations like the New Forrest, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth, Salisbury, and Stonehenge. And if I do I will be sure to check out that cool cocktail bar!