Portsmouth Shopping Guide Spinnaker Tower Gunwharf Quays

Gunwharf Quays Shopping & Entertainment Centre

Gunwharf Quays is the mecca for shopaholics in Portsmouth. It's a modern waterfront shopping centre that forms the hub of the regeneration of Portsmouth Harbour along with Spinnaker Tower. It contains around 95 designer outlets covering a huge array of the big high street names and designers. If it's a pit stop you want or a night out try some of the 20 cafes, bars and restaurants - great for making a night of it.

There is a host of events hosted at Gunwharf Quays throughout the year including music, street theatre, carnival or spectacular fireworks!

Check the link for up-to-date listings of events, maps of the Quays, opening times and more information about what you can find there.

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Boat Trips from Gunwharf Quays

Gunwharf Quays is handily placed for the cross-channel and Isle of Wight Ferries which berth just to the south of the shops.

You can also pick up boat trips from Gunwharf Quays. Solent and Wight Line Cruises offer tours of Portsmouth Harbour and Spitbank Fort, the Royal Naval Base as well as services across to Cowes on the Isle of Wight.

Solent RIB Rides offer trips around Portsmouth Harbour where you can get some fabulous views of the nineteenth century fortifications and the ships moored at the Historic Dockyard. You can also hire boats for private hire and excursions. Check the links right for more information.

The Gosport Ferry not only runs handy trips across Portsmouth Harbour to Gunwharf Quays but they also offer a wide range of boat trips around Portsmouth, the Isle of Wight, Southampton and the New Forest. The ferry service runs every day of the from 5.30am-midnight, weather permitting. The crossing time is just under eight each way, and is the only link between Portsmouth and Gosport. As you travel across the harbour you get excellent views of HMS Victory, Royal Naval ships and aircraft carriers and the other larger ferries using water way.

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Spinnaker Tower

Next to Gunwharf Quays is the iconic sight of the Spinnaker Tower. The 170 metre tall tower dominates the skyline of Portsmouth Harbour and is taller than the London Eye, Blackpool Tower and Big Ben.

Its primary purpose is as a viewing tower from which you can get a 350 degree view of Portsmouth Harbour and the surrounding south coast stretching for 23 miles on a clear day. If your nerves can stand it View Deck 1 has a glass floor that you can walk across while looking at the view below! View Deck 2 tells you more about the history of the harbour via the multimedia "Time Telescope" and View Deck 3 is the highest point, the Crows Nest, which is open to the elements bringing the views into full focus.

Spinnaker Tower is open daily all year round except for Christmas Day. There is an admission fee which you can buy online or direct from the tower. An audio guide is available at an additional fee.

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Portsmouth City Centre Shopping

There is more shopping in the city centre itself just east of Gunwharf Quays. Commercial Road is the main shopping area of the city where you'll find an array of shops with an older shopping area at North End, an older shopping area full of useful shops.

Cascades Shopping Centre is the main covered shopping mall in this area. Here you can find a wide choice of high street named stores Cascades Shopping Centre, Commercial Road, Portsmouth PO1 4RL. Tel: 023 9285 1255. Email: info@cascades-shopping.co.uk.

The Bridge Shopping Centre is just a little further along from Cascades with twenty three more independent and high street shops. Bridge Shopping Centre, 11 Somers Road North, Portsmouth PO1 1SL. Tel: 02392 756824.

North of the city centre, just off the M27 motorway, is Port Solent where there's a leisure and shopping complex set around Port Solent marina. The Boardwalk is where you'll find a range of shops as well as a six screen multiplex cinema and David Lloyd Leisure Club. Parking is free too. There is also a choice of wine bars, pubs and restaurants so you can relax by the water watching the world go by.

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Southsea Shopping & Entertainment

The centre of Southsea is full of shopping, cafes, restaurants, bars and pubs. Southsea prides itself in offering a good range of independent boutiques and smaller high street stores rather than the usual generic town centres. There are also regular markets and festivals - check out the link right for up-to-date events.

Southsea also has a good range of venues for live music and comedy. Albert Road and Palmerston Road are the main centres for evening and lunchtime entertainment. The King's Theatre is a fantastic example of Italian Renaissance style of decor, one of the best examples of the elegant Edwardian playhouses in the British Isles with most original features intact. It hosts a full programme of live theatre acts from ballet to comedy. For evening performances parking is available at the Waitrose car park nearby. Check out the link right for current listings. Box Office: 023 92 828282. Email: enquiries@kings-southsea.com.

Other venues include the Wedgewood Rooms and the Cellars at Eastney for regular live music, comedy clubs and club nights. Check the link right for up-to-date listings. Also check out Eastney Tavern, Little Johnny Russells and the King Street Tavern for other live acts.

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