Portsmouth can be reached by train from London, by motorway from anywhere in England and by ferry from France and Spain.
By ship
There are ferry services from four ports in France as well as Bilbao in Spain.
Saint-MaloBrittany Ferries/up to 2 a day/9 h
CherbourgCondor Ferries/1 Sunday service/5 h Brittany Ferries/up to 2 a day/3 h March to November only
Caen Brittany Ferries/3 a day/5 h 45 min Year-round serviceBrittany Ferries/1 a day/3h 30 min Summer-only fast service on Fri/Sat/Sun
Le Havre LD Lines/ 1 a day/8 h overnight
BilbaoP&O Ferries/2 a week/35 h
There are also services to the Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey.
GuernseyCondor Ferries/1 a day/6h 30min
JerseyCondor Ferries/1 a day/10h 30min
The Isle of Wight is a under 60 min by ferry or a few minutes by hovercraft.
FishbourneWightlink/half-hourly during day/35 min
RydeWightlink/half-hourly during day/15 min The hovercraft is every 15 min from Southsea seafront, operated by Hovertravel .
The ferry to Gosport for Submarine and Explosion museums runs every 7 minutes at peak times and every 15 min at other times until midnight for £2.20 return.
By train
Portsmouth is on the National Rail network. Direct trains from London take about 90 minutes from London Waterloo, a cheap day single is about £21. Other major services include Brighton 1 h 40 min, Cardiff 3 h 10 min via Bath and Bristol; and Southampton 1 hour. There are also direct trains from Gatwick Airport 1 h 20 min.
Alight at Portsmouth Harbour for the Historic Dockyard, Gunwharf Quays, the Spinnaker Tower and Ferries to the Isle of Wight. Alight at Portsmouth & Southsea for Portsmouth City Centre shopping, Portsmouth Guildhall and a short walk to the seafront. Alight at Fratton for Fratton Park football stadium. Portsmouth is flat and very easy to get around, so taking public transport is recommended.
For those wishing to depart via train those unfamiliar with Portsmouth's train stations will find it is easy to miss them even when only a few feet away. Portsmouth Harbour is behind the bus station at The Hard. Portsmouth & Southsea is easily found at the bottom of Commercial Road if you look out for the railway bridge just south of the building. Fratton can be found to the east of the road bridge at the bottom of Fratton Road and north of the roundabout between Victoria Road North and Goldsmith Avenue. The lesser frequented Hilsea Station is underneath the road bridge at Norway Road and Cosham station is on the Cosham High Street.
By car
Portsmouth is easily accessible by car via the M275 via the M27 and A27. From London, take the A3 or M3 south. As Portsmouth is an island city, routes in and out are limited, and so congestion can be a problem, especially during rush hour.
Parking is plentiful both on street about £1/hr and in pay-and-display car parks. The city centre and Gunwharf Quays both have multi-storey car parks, and Southsea has on-street parking.
If you stroll a little away from the city centre and tourist hot spots sometimes just around the corner in Southsea, parking can be found for free or in time-limited bays.
Motorcycles can park without a residents permit and within the marked bays. Gunwharf Quays also has a dedicated motorcycle bay in the underground car park.
If you're visiting the University, you can obtain day car passes from University House. However, the car parks are very busy during term-time.
By bus
Local bus routes stretch as far afield as Havant and Southampton. Day passes can be bought for £3.70 which allow you unlimited travel in the Portsmouth City area or £4.80 for the whole of Hampshire.
National Express travels into the Hard few hundred yards from harbour and historic dockyard with links to many of the country's major cities.