Charles Dickens' Birthplace Portsmouth Day Tour from London

What's included

What you'll see and do

1. Charles Dickens' Birthplace

   Portsmouth is where one of the most famous figures of Victorian literature, Charles Dickens, was born. In the 19th century, this house in Regency was decorated with an idea of the Victorian Portsmouth. If you are a Charles Dickens lover, then, this house definitely must be seen. Look at the first home of Charles Dickens with numerous possessions and photographs, the ceramics, furniture, house artefacts, glass and decorations which have faithfully been recreated in the Regency style that Charles' parents favoured, although their properties have been dispersed for a long time. There are three furnished rooms: The lounge, the dining room and Charles' bedroom. The exhibition room features a snuff box, a tiny cup and a paper-knife and a small collection of memorabilia: The couch that he passed away on at his home in Kent, poignant memory of an author who was celebrated for his prodigious talent and his creative work.

   90 minutes here · Admission included

2. Spinnaker Tower

   There is no better way of viewing Britain’s lovely naval city than from 105 metres over the Portsmouth Harbour. The Spinnaker Tower reflects the maritime history of Portsmouth by its design and its name, a type of sail that balloons to the exterior. On the 18th of October, 2005, the Tower opened its doors to its visitors. The tower is 2 1⁄2 times higher than Nelson's Column at a height of 560 feet (170 m), which makes it one of the tallest structures accessible in Britain outside London. Around Portsmouth, the tower is visible and dominates the skyline of Portsmouth. The Tower can be also seen from Isle of Wight, the Manhood Peninsula and even Highdown Gardens in Worthing. At the top is a triple observation deck with a 360 ° view of the city of Portsmouth and the Harbours of Langstone and Portsmouth, as well as 23 mi (37 mi) of viewing range. The tower originally named the Millennium Tower in Portsmouth, was built in 2000 to welcome the Millennium. Construction did not begin until 2001 and was completed in mid-2005 because of the political, financial, contractual and construction problems and additional funding requests of Mowlem builders. The tower was renamed Spinnaker Tower due to the six-year delay in its completion and not as expected for the Millennium. As the landmark in South England, Spinnaker Tower is used in the titles series of the news programme BBC South Today. It is also available on ITV News. Today we will take you to this iconic tower of Portsmouth. For the thrill-seekers, virtual altitude experience is also another attraction as well as a real fearful experience of abseiling with an extra charge in Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth.

   60 minutes here · Admission included

3. Royal Navy Museums: HMS Victory

   Admiral Nelson's HMS Victory in Trafalgar.is the most well-known warship in the Royal Navy. The Victory is best known as the flagship of the First Sea Lord and the living museum of the Georgian Navy, for its role in the Battle of Trafalgar. A hand-held audio guide is used to carry the visitor's experience onboard the HMS Victory in the Historic Dockyard. Hear the sad story of Admiral Nelson with full pride, honour and success here in this spot.

   60 minutes here · Admission included

4. Portsmouth Historic Dockyard

   Historic Dockyard is Portsmouth's number one historic and cultural heritage site full of hidden gems such as HMS Victory, HMS Warrior 1860, National Museum of the Royal Navy Portsmouth, Action Stations, HMS M.33, Boathouse 4, Royal Navy Submarine, Explosion Museum of Naval Firepower and many family sun & fun attractions such as Jolly Roger, Laser quest and the exhibition of the Horrible Histories Pirates await their visitors. We will explore all those marvels together. The history of Portsmouth's British Navy goes back 1,200 years to its beginning during the 860s under King Alfred the Great. The wide, nature-sized reservoir on the coastline is a river valley that is flooded and shielded from a deep, narrow entrance at the two sides of the dockyard. The Roman and Saxon bastions were designed to defend against the Vikings on the north side and to protect the trade. After the Norman Conquest in 1066, however, the port's first permanent fort was designed, Portchester Castle. Portsea Island was used as an army collector at Portsmouth Harbour, during the wars with France, and a small town on the south-western corner of the island was built in the late 12th century, to house workers and to support the soldiers. King Richard I granted in 1194 the Royal Charter for building a dockyard to this town called Portsmouth and in 1212 the King John guards with a wide wall. Our harbour tour includes some of the fortresses constructed over the centuries to protect Portsmouth, particularly the Round Tower at the harbour entrance and the Solent Forts, which during the Napoleonic Wars formed the core of a series of fortifications on the coast.

   120 minutes here · Admission not included

Where it starts and ends

Options you can book

• Private Estate Car For 3 Pax

  Private Estate Car For 3 Pax: You, your guide and the car. What a perfect combination of exploring our wonderful heritage! Pickup included

• Private London Black Cab for 5

  Private London Black Cab for 5: Riding in an iconic London black cab can be considered an interesting attraction in itself. Just spice up your experience! Pickup included

• Private Van for 8 People

  Private Van for 8 People: If you are 8 people or less, this would be a suitable option for your group. Pickup included

• Private Minibus for 15 People

  Private Minibus for 15 People: If you are a large group of traveller, you can have this option up to 15 people at a time. Please inquire for more than 15 px Pickup included

• Private MPV for 6 People

  Private MPV for 6 People: MPVs are just comfortable and we can take you to the jewels of our English heritage! Pickup included

• Private Minibus for 10 People

  Private Minibus for 10 People: If you are 10 people in a party, this is the best option for exploring the jewels of our English Heritage. Pickup included

Before you book

Cancellation

All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.

Languages

ar, de, ru, ja, en, zh-CN, it, fr, tr, nl, es

Ticket

Mobile Only

Runs on

Every day

Group size

Up to 15 travelers per booking

Operated by

Tourope UK

Know before you go

• Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
• Specialized infant seats are available
• Service animals allowed
• Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
• All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
• Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
• Wheelchair accessible
• Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness

Photos