Portsmouth Historic Dockyard Entry Ticket

Portsmouth Historic Dockyard

Portsmouth has been the principal base of the Royal Navy for more than five centuries, and the Historic Dockyard sits inside the working naval base, beside modern aircraft carriers and warships. In 1495 the world's first known dry dock was built here, and for generations the yard built, repaired and fitted out the ships that defended Britain and explored the oceans.

Today the dockyard's brick storehouses, slipways and docks hold an extraordinary collection of historic ships and museums. A Portsmouth Historic Dockyard ticket lets you roam freely between them, and with so much to see, most visitors spend a full day. Is Portsmouth Historic Dockyard worth visiting? For anyone interested in ships, history or engineering, it is one of the most rewarding days out in southern England.

The Mary Rose Museum

The Mary Rose was a royal warship launched in 1511 that sank in the Solent in 1545 during a battle with a French invasion fleet. For over four centuries she lay in the silt, which preserved half of her hull and thousands of objects belonging to the crew. In 1982 she was raised in one of the most famous operations in maritime archaeology, watched live by millions on television.

The purpose-built museum displays the surviving hull behind glass, alongside a mirror-image gallery filled with the crew's belongings: longbows, cannons, navigation instruments, musical instruments, combs and even the skeleton of the ship's dog. The Dive the Mary Rose 4D experience takes you down to the wreck. Allow about one and a half hours, and do not miss the cafe's views over the harbour.

HMS Victory and HMS Warrior

HMS Victory, launched in 1765, is the world's oldest naval warship still in commission and the flagship of the British fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. On board you explore the gun decks with their rows of cannons, the crew's cramped living quarters, the officers' cabins and the spot where the battle reached its climax. An audio guide brings the stories to life. The hull is currently under conservation cover, but visitors can still step aboard and watch the specialists at work.

Afloat nearby, HMS Warrior was launched in 1860 as Britain's first iron-hulled, armoured warship, powered by both steam and sail, and at the time the most powerful warship in the world. Her polished engine room and spacious decks show how quickly naval technology changed in the nineteenth century, and volunteers love to share their stories.

The National Museum of the Royal Navy and HMS M.33

In the dockyard's historic storehouses, the National Museum of the Royal Navy tells the story of Britain's sailors from the eighteenth century to the present day. Galleries cover life at sea, great battles, the age of sail, the world wars and modern operations, with ship models, figureheads, uniforms, medals and personal letters that make the history human and moving.

Nearby, in a dry dock, sits HMS M.33, a small monitor ship that served during the Gallipoli campaign of 1915 and is one of the very few surviving warships from the First World War. You can walk through her decks and see how her crew lived and fought. Allow about an hour for the museum and half an hour for the ship.

Gosport: the submarine and naval firepower museums

Across the harbour in Gosport, the Royal Navy Submarine Museum is usually quieter than the main dockyard and full of surprises. Its star is HMS Alliance, a submarine built at the end of the Second World War; tours led by former submariners take you through her narrow passages, control room and bunks. You can also see the Royal Navy's very first submarine, launched in 1901.

Nearby, Explosion Museum of Naval Firepower occupies a former armaments depot and traces the history of naval weapons, from gunpowder and cannon balls to modern missiles. On weekends and during school holidays, the waterbus included in your ticket crosses the harbour, giving fine views of the warships. At other times you can reach Gosport by the public ferry from Portsmouth Harbour.

Planning your visit and how to get to Portsmouth

The dockyard opens at 10:00 and closing times vary with the season, so arrive early to make the most of your day. How to get to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard: the entrance at Victory Gate is a five-minute walk from Portsmouth Harbour railway station, which has direct trains from London in about one hour and forty minutes, making it an easy Portsmouth day trip from London.

The best time to visit is a weekday outside school holidays, or a weekend in spring or summer if you want the waterbus to Gosport. With the ticket valid for a year, you can split the visit over two days. Nearby, the Spinnaker Tower and the waterfront shopping area offer views and places to eat after your visit.