Southampton is the largest city in Hampshire, on the south coast of England. A busy cruise ship and container port, Southampton is the European end of the last Transatlantic ocean liner route, the Queen Mary II to New York, and in 1912 was the point of departure for the Titanic.
Southampton has been a settlement since Roman and Saxon times. In Saxon times the town was known as Hamwic. The Roman ruins are situated in a suburb called Bitterne Manor - which was known as Clausentum in Roman times. Its privileged position on England's south coast made it Britain's premier trading post. The town became walled in the medieval era, and some remnants of these defences remain throughout the city, most notably the Bargate in the middle of the city centre. Southampton was devastated by bombing during the Second World War, meaning that much of the city and its heritage was destroyed.
My Journey is a website funded by the Department of Transport as a hub for travel information in and around Southampton. Southampton City Centre is fairly spread out along a north-south axis, however it is easily possible to walk from the popular Bedford Place student area on the Northern fringe of the central area to the waterfront, much of the route being pedestrianised. Southampton has a few dedicated cycle routes; they are not particularly well linked but cyclists should not have a problem navigating the city centre.
1 Bargate. A medieval gatehouse, built about 1180 and extended in 1320, now sits slap bang in the middle of the shopping centre. The top floor is now a Heritage Visitor Centre. The Bargate is also the beginning of the original Old Town Walk (pdf); see Do below. (updated Jul 2018) 2 Central Parks, established in the 19th century, form a line through mid-city. South to north these are Hoglands Park, Houndwell Park, Pamerston Park, East Park and Watts Park.
For up to the minute information on what to do in Southampton, visit the city's Events & What's On calendar. 1 Mayflower Theatre. The largest theatre in southern England, offering blockbusting West End musicals, and ballet and operatic productions. (updated May 2016) 2 Turner Sims Concert Hall, University of Southampton, SO17 1BJ, ☏ +44 23 8059-5151. A medium-sized venue owned by the University of Southampton, which hosts frequent performances by internationally-renowned classical, jazz and world music artists. (updated May 2016) 3 Southampton Guildhall. A multipurpose venue, mostly featuring touring comedy and rock acts, but also classical concerts and civic functions.
There are two main areas for eating out in Southampton; the first is Oxford Street (towards Ocean Village) and the second is around Bedford Place (just north of the city). The choice in Bedford Place is rather more varied; ranging from Moroccan and Mexican at the southern end of the road through student style curry houses and a Chinese to some late night kebab and chip shops.
As is to be expected of a large port with two universities, there are a lot of places to drink in Southampton. The city centre features two pubs dating from Tudor times, the Red Lion in High Street in particular is steeped in history. Portswood is the drinking area of choice for students at the university, so keep away from places like The Hobbit, 1 Clowns and Jesters ("Jesters"), 2 The Gordon Arms and 3 The Mitre if you want to avoid students. While The 4 Hobbit. can be studenty, it is definitely worth a look as it is a quirky pub with a massive beer garden and live music every night of the week.
Levels of crime in Southampton are fairly similar to other UK cities; serious crimes are uncommon, but alcohol-related crimes and muggings can happen. There is a strong police presence in the city centre at night time, especially around the clubs and pubs. A night bus service is available to allow people to get home safely. Pollution levels can get rather high particularly when one of the larger cruise ships is in harbor.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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