Southampton

Southampton has reinvented itself in the last decade as one of the most popular shopping destinations on the South Coast. If you're heading south for your holidays, and you fancy a shopping trip, the city has lots to offer if you like high-street chain stores. But what of its other attractions?

The location

Southampton is a medium-sized city in Hampshire, more or less in the center of southern England. Although parts of Hampshire are still idyllically rural, there's little of that immediately around Southampton. Most of what you find here is intensely and anonymously urban: central Southampton is little different from central Manchester, Exeter, or Birmingham. Fortunately, as in London, the tedium of roads and traffic is lightened by several wonderful parks that provide lunchtime oases of sanity for the city's office workers. If you have more than a lunch hour to spare, don't forget that Southampton is less than a quarter of an hour by road or rail from the rustic delights of the New Forest. To the south east, Southampton becomes more obviously "yachty". Burseldon and Hamble (made famous by the 1980s television programme Howard's Way) have a peaceful, estuary feel. Still on the yachting theme, you'll find marinas at Ocean Village and Hythe.

The economy

Southampton's biggest industry is its huge port. If you travel through the city by rail from London to Bournemouth, you can see just how extensive and economically important the docks are—both to the city itself and to the UK as a whole. The container ships that dock here are absolutely immense: many of them are bigger than floating office blocks! Southampton still has plenty of manufacturing industry. Ford still has a plant at Swaythling, for example, where Transit vans are made, and there are many small companies servicing and supplying the shipping industry. A well-thought-of university, and a college in the centre of town, give Southampton a youthful feel. Some large city companies (accountants and law firms) have their central southern England offices here, so there are plenty of professionals about. IBM and Siemens have large technical research and development labs nearby employing several thousand people.

Things to do

Shopping

If it's chain stores you're after, look no further than the giant modern West Quay shopping complex in the very centre of town. Built around two huge branches of John Lewis and Marks & Spencer, it has a decent Waitrose on the ground floor and lots of smaller shops and eating places dotted on several floors. You'll find most of the familiar high-street names here or nearby. Unfortunately, West Quay has had a dramatic effect on some of the smaller shops in nearby streets, many of which now lie derelict and empty. There are still plenty more shops along Above Bar Street and, next to the Bargate (surprise, surprise), there's a smaller shopping complex called the Bargate Shopping Centre. For more individual shopping, you could try Oxford Street, perhaps.

Countryside

The New Forest is the closest, most authentic rural experience Southampton has to offer. The Itchen watermeadows north-east of the city also make an excellent walk. It's possible to walk most of the way to or from Winchester, mostly along delightful watermeadows (if you don't mind the occasional motorway here and there).

Attractions

Southampton was badly bombed in World War II, but there are vestiges of earlier and no less prosperous times. There's the Bargate, for example, not far from West Quay at the point where Above Bar Street becomes pedestrianized. The Medieval Merchants House is worth a visit and has a splendid garden at the rear. You can also walk around the old town walls. If you like gardens, Exbury in the New Forest is certainly worth a visit. Children might enjoy a trip to nearby Paulton's Park. Further afield, the largely unspoiled market town of Romsey, a few minutes' drive or a short train trip away, is well worth a visit. Salisbury, a little further on, is another good place to explore. And it's a short hop across the English Channel, by ferry, to the Isle of Wight. If you're staying in Southampton and you feel like a trip to the beach, head down to Bournemouth, which is about half an hour away by car or train.

Popular events in Southampton include the boat show, which happens in September. The famous balloon and flower festival was axed in 2006.

Culture

The Mayflower Theatre, a short walk from the railway station, is a large venue that attracts huge popular performances from the West End of London. There are plenty of music events at Southampton Guildhall, part of the unmistakeable civic centre complex in the town centre that also houses the police station, law courts, a very good library, and an excellent art gallery. A long-time arts venue known as The Gantry closed down a few years ago. You can also find interesting culture at the university, notably the John Hansard Art Gallery and the Nuffield Theatre.

Places to stay

There are numerous hotels dotted inside the town centre. There's an Ibis very near the train station, for example, but some of the old established hotels, including the famous Polygon, have now been turned into flats.

Places to eat

You'll find all the usual places here. The Fountains Café, in the library and art gallery building, serves a wide range of snacks and meals, including interesting Greek dishes. For a quick sandwich, try the friendly newsagents on Commercial Road just down the hill from the Mayflower; the happy aproned ladies will often make you something simple to order. There are lots of fast-food places inside West Quay; Oxford Street has a more interesting and upmarket selection of restaurants and bars.

Getting here

Southampton is well-served by motorways. The M3 and M27 connect you to London and nearby cities, while the A36 and A46 take you to Bath and Bristol.

The main railway station (Southampton Central), operated by South West Trains, is a busy interchange for trains from London to Bournemouth, Poole, and Weymouth. Intercity trains from Bournemouth to Reading, Oxford, Birmingham, the North, and Scotland also stop here. You can also get direct trains to Romsey, Salisbury, Westbury, Bath and Bristol; Portsmouth, Brighton, Chichester, and Gatwick Airport, and many other nearby places. Most suburbs of Southampton (including St Denys, Sholing, Bitterne, Bursledon, and Hamble) also have their own railway stations.

Southampton Airport is just to the north-east of the city between Southampton and Eastleigh. It has its own railway station, where all trains from Southampton to London stop, and is about five minutes ride from Southampton Central stations.

Buses operate mostly from the town centre. It's worth noting that you can get a free bus (coloured light green and called City Link) from the railway station, which operates a constant shuttle to the West Quay shopping centre and the ferry terminal. Many of the buses are operated by Solent Blue Line. You can get to the University in Highfield on a Uni-Link bus from the train station.

The ferry terminal is the place to head for ferries to the Isle of Wight and to Hythe, a small village on the other side of Southampton Water.

Map

Here's a map of Southampton from Google Images. You can use the "Find businesses" tab and search box to find local businesses, places to stay, and so on.

More information

• Visit Southampton: The official tourist information guide to Bournemouth accommodation, eating places, events, and more.
• Southampton City Council: Mainly a resource for local people, but there's lots of information for visitors and tourists here too.
• Southampton in photos: Take a look at some of the images people are posting on Flickr.

A handy tip

If you're looking for accommodation, it really helps to spell it correctly. Lots of people come to this page looking for things like acomodation and accomodation. At least no-one searches for accomadashun!