Southampton

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Southampton
Country: United Kingdom
Links:
CS Group Wikipedia Wikitravel
Ambassadors:
Cari-Su

[[Category:]]

Contents


Southampton is the largest city on the South Coast of England. It lies 60 miles South West from London and home to just over 100 CouchSurfers. So here's our rough guide for CouchSurfers visiting the city!

Southampton is a thriving city that has existed since medieval times. It was, and still is, one of the country’s most prolific shipping ports, which hosted a roaring trade with the rest of the world. The city is noted for being the home of the RMS Titanic the Spitfire and more recently a number of the largest cruise liners in the world. The Titanic made its fateful Maiden voyage from Dock Gate 4 on 10 April 1912. In 1940, the city was catastrophically bombed in The Blitz. In just two nights over 30,000 bombs were dropped on the city by Nazi Bombers. The city itself is now a collection of newly built blocks coupled with what is left of the impressive city walls.

Here are a few pointers as to what one can do when you visit us!


How To Get To Southampton

Southampton Airport is a regional airport located in the town of Eastleigh, just north of Southampton. It hosts flights to UK and near European destinations, and is connected to the city by a frequent rail service from Southampton Airport (Parkway) railway station, and the Uni-Link bus service. The train and bus will take you directly to Southampton city centre. For more information on which companies fly to Southampton and where from check the website. Southampton is the main hub for Flybe airlines.

Again, a variety of operators run trains to or via Southampton. Tickets are on average more expensive than bus/coach unless a booking is made in advance. For schedules and fare prices check National Rail Enquiries or The Train Line. Megabus also runs the Megatrain service so that's always worth having a look as the tickets are generally cheaper.

  • Automobile

The M3 links Southampton with the M25 and London. The M27 leads west towards Bournemouth and the West Country, and east along the coast towards Brighton and the rest of the south of England. Car parking is relatively easy with many pay and display places in the city centre. The average cost for two hours is £1.70. There are a number of free 2hr car parks too, and if you stray a little further away you can find free parking on the streets.

During the period of the Boat Show there is a Park and Ride scheme operating from Junction 1 of the M 271 motorway with frequent buses to the show entrance. There is also a Park and Ride for ticket holders to Southampton Football Club matches. This is easily found and well signposted from Junction 8 of the M 27.

Various bus and coach services will take you here from all parts of the UK mainland. The sooner you book a ticket the cheaper it is and some operators offer deals throughout the year for travel. The cheapest option is the Megabus with tickets starting from £1 plus booking fee. The National Express coach service covers the entire country is more likely to have a bus departing your from your location. For more info and bookings on both these services, check the website addresses above.

There are some bike racks throughout town to chain you bike against, but no covered/weather protected/ lockable booths and make sure you make your bike looks unworthy of stealing. Do not even consider leaving it unlocked anywhere in the city!! Also bear in mind that you are not allowed to take your bike on the bus but you are however allowed to take it on the train. If you're riding at night time, make sure you have front and rear lights on and wear a helmet as you may well be stopped by police patrol. There are designated cycling paths throughout most parts of town, see the link above.


Getting Around & Public Transport

To get around Southampton by foot is easily possible. The city is fairly spread out along a North-South axis ranging from the popular Bedford Place area on the Northern fringe of the centre to the Ocean Village area at the waterfront. Most of this route is pedestrianised.

Southampton city centre is serviced by a good public transport system that includes the bus network (with night buses services operating at weekends) and the train network. A selection of route maps is provided as follows:

The Uni-Link connects all the university campuses and the cost is relatively low. From June 2008 the price for a single ticket is £1.50 and a one-day unlimited travel is £2.50. The stops are represented on the map by small white dots.

  • City Link – Free Shuttle Website

This free bus does a loop of the city and is free to hop on and off. It starts at Central Station and goes to West Quay and Town Quay (for the Ferry to the Isle of Wight).

The BlueStar buses link the city centre with other towns nearby, such as Winchester, Chandler’s Ford, Eastleigh, Romsey, Totton, Hythe, Hedge End and Bishop’s Waltham.

This bus service provides additional coverage to the Southampton area.

If you want to visit Portsmouth and Southsea, you can take the Solent Shuttle as opposed to the train. The cost is £5.80 per day return.


Tourist Information

  • Tourist Information Centre Website

The Tourist Information centre is located near the Civic Centre nestled in between some of the shops. You can get maps and other information here as well as the usual tourist souvenirs.

Address: 9 Civic Centre Road, SO14 7FJ Tel: 023 8083 3333


Sightseeing & Places of Interest

Southampton may not be the biggest centre of civilization but it has quite a bit to offer if around for a short break. You can find good art galleries, live music, beautiful city centre parks, sport and shopping. Our multi-cultured city is cognisant at promoting diversity through the wide range of events hosted here.

The Art House is a regular social venue for Southampton glitterati, bohemian arty-farty socialites, alternatives and creatives. It houses regular exhibitions, exposing controversial and usually fairly avante garde material. At times it includes a good number of contemporary paintings, sculpture, photography, media and other installations. You can also get internet access here.

The café is very well priced and offers a wide range of non-alcohlic drinks and vegan lunches and sweets. Top tip: Try Nina’s Nutty Balls. CouchSurfing members meet here once a month.

Cost: Free. Address: Bedford Place, Southampton, SO15 2DF

  • The Southampton Art Gallery Website

Exhibitions and displays range from ancient culture to the cutting-edge and the Gallery is internationally renowned for its impressive art collection, spanning six centuries of European art history.

Cost: Free. Address: Commercial Road, Southampton. Telephone: 023 8083 2277. Open: Tues - Sat 10am - 5pm, Sundays 1 - 4pm

The Northern Gate to the ancient walled city, the top floor is open as a Heritage Centre. Guided city walks are operated from here and you can see the ancient medieval city and walk the walls. See the website above for more information.

Cost: Free. Address: Bargate Street, Southampton

  • Southampton Maritime Museum Website

Based in The Wool House, the building was built in medieval times as a warehouse for the wool trade. Now it is a museum telling the story of the port of Southampton. Find out about the great liners that sailed from Southampton. Discover the real story of the Titanic through original artefacts and the voices of local people whose lives were affected by the tragedy.

Cost: £2, £1. Address: The Wool House, Town Quay Road, Southampton. Telephone: 023 8063 5904. Open: Tues - Sat 10am - 4pm, Sunday 1 - 4pm.

Home of the Spitfire; this aviation museum is the gateway to aircraft history in the south of England.

Cost: £6, £5, £4. Address: Albert Road South, Southampton. Telephone: 023 8063 5830 Open: Tues - Sat 10am - 5pm, Sunday 12 - 5pm. Last entry 4pm.

  • Southampton Central Library Website

Based in the same building as the Art Gallery, the library is also a WiFi hotspot. See the website about visiting hours and joining.

Cost: Free. Address:Civic Centre, Southampton. Telephone: 023 8083 2664. Open: Mon - Fri 9:30am - 7pm, Sat 9:30am - 4pm.


Parks & Outdoor Activities

Southampton 'The Green City' can boast the largest area of city centre parkland in the UK. That's a pretty impressive 1,100 hectares! Numerous free events, concerts, walks, talks and tasks take place across the city for residents and visitors to get involved in throughout the year. So, when you're visiting Southampton, make sure you take some time to visit the park and relax.

Five parks are joined together along the North-South axis of the city and these run parallel to the east of the centre shops. Check the website above for a map of the parks. There is a skate ramp in Hoglands park at the south.

The Common is a much loved and well used green space which is excellently maintained. The Common is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and is home to The Hawthorns Wildlife Centre. See website link above for information and maps.

Mayflower Park, located south of the city near dock gate 7 (Red Funnel Terminal), plays host to many music and theatrical events during the summer. This is also a good place to come and watch the cruise liners while they are in dock. Check the website above for more details.


Sports

  • Southampton Sports Centre Website

With over 100 acres of land, this is the ideal space for training, participating in competitive sports and increasing general fitness. The football, tennis and netball courts are perfect for match day use and provide excellent facilities for training. There is also a dry-ski slope and a running track.

Home of Southampton Football Club, the stadium hosts home games fortnightly and this is also a live concert venue.

Great for relaxing, visit the Rose Bowl for cricket, live concerts and days out.


Shopping

  • West Quay Shopping Centre Website

Built in 2000, The West Quay is the largest city centre shopping mall in the UK. You will find all the high-street brands here. Entrance is via Above Bar Street or Portland Terrace

  • The Bargate Shopping Centre Website

Located next to the Bargate itself, this small shoppping centre is home to alternative style shops from emo, goth and punk to surf and skate styles. There is also an amusement arcade further inside.

  • East Street

South of The Bargate Centre, this small street has a range of quirky shops, including music, fabric, jewellery and tattoos.

  • London Road & Bedford Place

If you want the bank or to get your hair cut or visit the second-hand book shops, then go just north of the cities parks.

  • Portswood High Street

If you want to raid the charity / thrift stores, then Portwood is the place to go. Located north of the city and east of The university Highfield campus it's easily accessible by the Uni-Link bus.

  • Beatnik Emporium

We love this shop. It sells second hand vintage clothes, shoes and jewellery. Mod out in style. It's located at the north end of Above Bar Street, near the junction to London Road.


Cinema & Theatre

Southampton’s commercial cinema where you’ll find all the blockbusters and new releases. Discounts for students and orange mobile phone customers.

Cheaper than Leisure World, this cinema is situated in Ocean Village. See the website for listings and times.

If your movie tastes tend towards the art and world cinema styles, then the Harbour Lights is an excellent place to visit. A small yet quintessentially serene cinema, the location is in Ocean Village.

The local theatre puts on shows ranging from the touring west-end musicals, ballet, comedy, and local amateur companies.


Live Music

There are plenty of live music venues around Southampton. Each one varies instyle and genre. If you want big venues for large acts then concerts are regularly on at The Guildhall (at the Civic Centre), St Mary's Stadium and The Rose Bowl. Check out their websites for more info on listings.

Kolebka on Bevois Valley Road has live bands every Friday and Saturday night playing jazz and blues.

For some Soul and Jazz, try The Soul Cellar on West Marlands Road. Monday night is a cool chilled blues night.

If you want to rock, try The Joiners in St Mary's.

The Talking Heads have a live act on every night. Monday night is open mic night with The Candle Club.


Where to Eat

For nice restaurants there are two main areas; Bedford Place and Oxford Street. But if you want to grab a snack, there's plenty of smaller places which serve good food.

  • BEDFORD PLACE

Bedford Place is the name of the area that bounded by Bedford Place in the west, Carlton Place in the north, London Road to the east and Cumberland Place in the south. You can get any variety of food here. Best is just to browse and see what you fancy.

The Art House is excellent for vegan lunches, ranging from soup to salad, falafels to ploughmans. Top cake there too. £

If you like fusion food, then Coco Rio on Banister Street and Cafe Mumbai on Winchester Street are both good. £££

Tasty Tapas can be found at The Wine Bar on the corner of Bedford Place and Carlton Place. ££

  • OXFORD STREET

This is the rich end. Located near Ocean Village marina and is the local hang out for the wealthy types and those who like to think they are. Oxford Street is a line of posh restaurants, classy bars and the occasional pizza express.

Dock Gate 4 is named after the dock gate it is situated near. It is based in the old ballroom of the glorious South Western House Hotel which was the final stop before passengers left to board their cruise liners. Even passengers for the Titanic stayed here. ££££


Bars & Clubs

There are four main areas of Southampton where the nightlife happens. Rather than listing each pub, below is each of the areas and a couple of the pubs that are worth a visit.

  • BEVOIS VALLEY

A half-mile stretch of road just south of Portswood this area is popular with students.

Home of The Hobbit. If you meet someone who has been to So'ton they will say 'Oh, have you been to The Hobbit?' A hippy-ish venue with some live music at weekends and home of some scary cocktails called Gandalf, Frodo, Bilbo and Gollum.

Next along is Clowns and Jesters, which are a bar and underground nightclub respectively. A popular student hang out, it smells of dirt and the floor is always wet. Yuk.

Kolebka is further up the street. They have a very impressive vodka selection and play live jazz & blues music at the weekends.

Lastly, The Dungeon is a nightclub for rockers. They do some good deals on drinks and the cover charge is quite low.

  • BEDFORD PLACE

For the area, see Where to Eat, above. Frequented mostly by young professionals, it's quite a small area, but there's lots going on. Most of the establishments are restaurants which offer drinks and live music after the kitchen closes.

If you want a drink and to watch football, The Pensioners on Carlton Place is for you. They have no less than 12 televisions for you to watch comfortably from anywhere in the bar.

If you want a local pub feel, then try The Alexandra. East of London Road on Bellevue Road, this pub is popular with the locals and you can usually get a seat.

If you're feeling cosmopolitan and want a cocktail then try Mono or The Orange Rooms. They're next door to each other on Vernon's Walk.

Or try Cari's favourite - Pulcinella. This Italian restaurant has a live band on after 10pm and the garden is a really nice place to relax. Offers great beers and wines at reasonable prices.

  • ABOVE BAR STREET

This area is the cheep, cheerful and cheesy part of town. This is the northern section of Above Bar Street between Brunswick Place and Civic Centre Road.

At the top of the road there is Goblets and Hamptons. Both of which are fairly small and busy. Goblets is the nicer of the two and Hamptons has live music most nights.

The Old Fat Cat, Flares and The Square will guarantee 70's and 80's music, alcopos and someones mum getting down on the dance floor.

However, behind all the cheese, there is The Soul Cellar; one of the best bars in town. Based on West Marlands Road, behind The Square, They have live music every night and the downstairs bar is a great place to chill.

  • OXFORD STREET

If you want to hobnob with the socialites, then this is where to come. Located near Ocean Village at the south end of town, these bars are expensive.

The Grapes is a nice place to socialise. There are old pictures on the wall of what Southampton looked like nearly a century ago. Door staff are friendly and the drinks are the most reasonably priced for this area.


Emergency Information

  • POLICE STATIONS

If you need urgent police attention call 999 and ask for the Police. If you see a petty crime being commited, call 101.

Southampton has many police stations all serving the local communities. The central station is located at the Civic Centre, near the central train station. If you want to talk to your local police station call 0845 045 45 45 and the operator will help you.

Address Civic Centre, Havelock Road, Southampton, SO14 7LG. Opening Hours: 24 hours.


  • HOSPITALS

If you need urgent medical attention call 999 and ask for the Ambulance. The major hospital in Southampton is the General Hospital. This is also where the accident and emergency (A&E) is located.

Address Tremona Road, Southampton, SO16. Tel: 023 8077 7222


You can contact an NHS nurse over the phone at the NHS Direct helpline for medical advice if you are having minor medical emergency or you can not reach a hospital. They usually take your telephone number and a nurse calls you back within 5 minutes to offer you free advice.

Tel: 0845 4647 (yes, this number is shorter than normal)


If you need to see a nurse but don't need to go to the hospital emergency, then the walk in centres are open all year round and you don't need an appointment. There are three walk-in centres in Southampton, in Central, Shirley and Bitterne. These are listed on the web page (above).


  • FIRE

If you need see a fire, call 999 and ask for the Fire Brigade.


  • LAST MINUTE ACCOMODATION

Should you for whatever reason need to get out of your host's house, you need to make sure that you can. There is a good public transport operating in the city.

There are plenty of Bed And Breakfasts; most cluster around the bottom end of Hill Lane which is close to the train station. Simply wander out from the station on the platform 1 side (If you see Toys 'r' Us opposite you're on the wrong side) and head down the alley next to The Victory. Hill Lane leads up the, erm, hill. Keep going up the hill until you find one worth staying at; don't forget to check the side streets too, like Howard Road and Archers Road. Unfortuantely, there are no hostels in Southampton.

Tourist Information will almost certainly be able to find you somewhere to stay if you're stuck. Tel: 023 8083 3333.


The Citizen's Advice Bureau is the main official place where one can get information and advice on any personal (not medical) problem. They help people resolve their debt, benefits, housing, legal, discrimination, employment, immigration, consumer and other problems and is available to everyone regardless of race, gender, sexuality, age, nationality, disability or religion. If you can't find an answer to your problem anywhere else, they will be able to help and if not help you, then at least will point you to the right direction. They will offer advice in person if you walk in or over the phone, and their locations as well as further information can be found on the website (above)


  • SOUTHAMPTON RAPE CRISIS UNIT Website

In case of rape, do get in touch with the nearest hospital. Visit them, get examined and of course report the incident to the nearest police station. Should you need to discuss the incident further and require support do not hesitate to contact the Southampton Rape Crisis Unit.

Tel: 023 8063 6313 (leave a message if unanswered) or Email: info@sotonrc.org.uk


  • WALK-IN REFUGE

The women's aid refuge is for victims of domestic violence. They operate a free-phone 24 hour helpline Tel: 0808 2000 247 There is a drop-in centre, call 023 8033 8881, Open Mon-Fri 9.30am-5pm.


  • THE IMMIGRATION ADVISORY SERVICE Website

If you have trouble with immigrations, they will be able to offer you initial free consultation and depending on your circumstances, take it from there.


If you have any questions that are not answered through this list, nor this Wiki page for Southampton, you may want to ask the nearest CS ambassador. Southampton's resident CS ambassador is Cari (link above).

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