City guide

Southampton

Southampton is a working port city best known as the departure point for the Titanic and one of Europe's busiest cruise terminals, with genuine medieval city walls tucked among modern shopping centres and university life. It isn't a conventional tourist destination in its own right, but it's a practical, well-connected base for cruise passengers and a gateway to the New Forest and Isle of Wight. The maritime heritage is real and well-documented rather than a marketing gloss.