Tread medieval town walls, uncover true stories of Titanic passengers and, new for 2025, discover why the city was so important to Jane Austen.
The buzzing port city of Southampton is one of the most vibrant and creative cities on the coast.
Get a flavour of this city’s impressive history with a walk around the wonderfully preserved medieval Old Town Walls, a series of panels bring key events and former residents to life.
En route you’ll come across the 800 year-old Tudor House and Garden, tread its creaking wooden floors and explore its displays before visiting the pretty Tudor knot garden and café, a peaceful oasis in the centre of this bustling city.
If you’re here at the weekend, continue around the walls and pop into God’s House Tower for changing art exhibitions and fabulous seascape views.
This is the port of the Pilgrim Fathers and feted Titanic passenger liner - uncover true stories of Titanic passengers at the state-of-the-art SeaCity Musuem, a must for any visitor to the city. It sets the stage for the sailing of the ‘unsinkable’ Titanic in 1912 and the impact this ship had on almost every home in the town at the time.
The Southampton City Art Gallery is considered one of the best outside London, check out its programme of themed talks and workshops for a deeper dive. Modern art-lovers should head to the John Hansard Gallery, while the city showcases a series of artworks punctuating the city’s parks and gardens, read more here.
New for 2025! Southampton is celebrating its strong connections with former resident Jane Austen. A programme of events to mark the 250th anniversary of her birth includes an exhibition at God’s House Tower running to February 2025, a Walking Trail tracing her connections in the city, an exhibition at the SeaCity Museum and much more! To find out more go here.
With colourful festivals, live music and cuisine from almost every corner of the globe, this modern and historic city is worth a visit year-round.
Enjoy a superb line-up of shows at The Mayflower Theatre, appearing here often before they hit the stages of the West End or on their first UK tour.
Home to more than 150 languages, Southampton is one of the most culturally diverse places in the UK!
Reflecting its rich cultural mix, the city’s cafes, restaurants and bars offer a truly global menu to suit almost every palate. Check out Bedford Place or Oxford Street for excellent cosmopolitan cuisine.
Make a date for Southampton Mela Festival, a highlight of the city’s calendar, this free event in July attracts around 30k visitors for a fusion of dance, music and family fun, an international event from world-class artists. You can also celebrate Chinese New Year at the end of January with live music and traditional dragon and lion dances. Or discover OktoberFest, Music in the City, Suthampton Pride and many more top-class festival and events all year round. See our round up here.
Thanks to its large student population, this city is young-at-heart with a music and entertainment scene to match. For night owls there’s jazz, blues or rock at one of the many independent venues, classical concerts at the O2 Guildhall or Turner Sims Concert Hall.
Looking to shop? Hundreds of retail outlets and upscale brands await at Westquay and The Marlands.
Visit theatres, music venues, festivals, boutiques and an emerging waterfront boasting two rivers and the ocean, in this forward-thinking, diverse city – prepare to be surprised, pack your bags and explore!
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