Southsea Beach

Southsea Beach

Southsea Beach
4.1
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Duration: 2-3 hours
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  • Mercedes X
    37 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Spent the day at Southsea. Went along the seafront right down to the pier. Passed the D Day museum and the landing craft on the way. Bit of a walk if you’re not very mobile. Blue badge holders park free all day in any disabled bay or on street pay & display. We went mid week so plenty of parking in the many car parks we passed. Arcades ice creams food all available at good prices.
    Visited June 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written June 19, 2024
  • Gemma M
    Belfast, United Kingdom5 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Nice pebble beach. Not too busy, plenty to see & nice walk to pier for ice cream. Car parking is a nightmare as ringing a number and trying to register a car took 15mins! Please consider a qr code service to make the parking more customer friendly, especially for visitors who are not used to this method of parking.
    Visited July 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written July 30, 2024
  • Jan
    Eton Wick, United Kingdom439 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    We visited Southsea beach yesterday, a mix of stones and sand. The promenade is wonderful, we walked along it from the canoe lake to Clarence pier stopping for coffee and ice creams along the way.
    Visited September 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written September 23, 2024
  • Sunshine134577
    Leeds, United Kingdom9 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Long pebble beach with great promenade. Some of it is closed due to work being done on new flood defences. Can't wait till that stretch is open as it looks lovely. They were planting up the flowers beds along the front when we were there. There's a lovely park on the other side of the road and a beautiful rock garden to explore. Lots of lovely spots to have a picnic or fish n chips on the pier.
    Visited May 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written May 16, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.1
4.1 of 5 bubbles333 reviews
Excellent
134
Very good
130
Average
53
Poor
7
Terrible
9

iamkimwild
Portsmouth, UK163 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2023 • Friends
Southsea Beach is a very popular beach with a wide variety of people from families, couples, young and old friends, locals, and tourists. Whether you are just taking a stroll on the promenade or going to chill on the beach or swim in the water it is a cool place to go. Just before sunset, you see people lighting up their little barbecues, and enjoying the fresh air next to the water. I would say the only challenging thing is parking, one to find it and two because it's expensive if you are going to the beach for a couple of hours. But all in all, it's worth it, to just go and walk or sit and enjoy a picnic. Bring your own, or buy from the many little shops and restaurants, whatever works for your price range.
Written July 9, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

bsandrs
Portsmouth, UK22,545 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2020
Because of its geographical position and the tidal routes, Southsea Beach is more shingle than sand and therefore does not attract the crowds of nearby sandy beaches. Nevertheless, it is still a popular venue with easy access to the A3 for London and good parking. In usual times there are a number of cafes, restaurants and visitor attractions and these will gradually reopen. Early morning last week visitor number were just beginning to increase and the social distancing requirements were being well observed. With U.K. holidays no doubt being very popular in 2020, it should be a very good late season attraction.
Written June 2, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ankit2385
Bengaluru, India644 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2022
Its a lovely beach with a big coastline, so find a place that suits you. We had a peaceful time spent at the beach, but mostly gets crowded close to the pier. There are few restaurants nearby and some rides for kids in the pier. Pay and display car parking, but there are few streets nearby which allows free parking for 3 hours.
Written April 21, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Donk1
Birmingham, UK447 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2020
As seafronts go this is probably one of the most unspoilt as it is not full of arcades. If this is what you want, these can be found on Southsea Pier where you can also purchase your fish and chips should you need them.

The beach itself is spotlessly clean and is manned by Lifeguards from the RNLI. Although we went on a chilly July day, there were still people in the sea (rather them than me). There was no rubbish anywhere and you are able to park along the seafront if you can find a space. There are hotels which overlook the beach should you wish to have an overnight stay with a view. The beach is all pebbles but nearer to the water this reduces to small shingle although I think the pebbles would still batter your feet if you went in the sea bare foot.

The promenade itself is flat so would provide easy access for those with mobility issues but you would find the beach itself difficult. The promenade stretches for some distance and if you head East from the pier you will eventually come to Southsea Castle and further along there is a boating lake.

Not a huge amount to do for the kids if going on a family holiday, but sufficient for a day trip. The Local Council were trying to provide water to the many flower beds along the seafront. The grass didn't look as if it had seen rain for some time.

Well worth a visit if you are in the area.
Written July 24, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Kristie D
San Diego, CA175 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2020 • Solo
Beautiful day for a walk. Beach is all rocks and pebbles but was clean and not crowded (being a Monday morning). Loads of parking and lots to see along the way. Hovercraft leave from one end and Southsea Castle along the path (although only cafe is open at castle right now). There is also the Southsea rock garden along the path. Beautiful plants and trees in bloom. Toilets at D-day museum (gift shop and cafe there also). I really enjoyed it...2 hours of roaming. I’m sure there are better beaches but I thoroughly enjoyed my morning!
Written September 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Shaun L
Clanfield, UK2,920 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020 • Couples
New Years Day stroll from Eastney along to the D Day museum taking in the sea air along Southsea beach. Lots of people doing the same with children with new bikes, scooters or just running around on the beach. Almost all the cafes and attractions were open. Southsea has lots going for it but perhaps need a little spruce up in some areas. Look forward to some spring walks soon!
Written January 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

MYDOGISFINN
Emsworth, UK833 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2020
This is a long, deep, shingle beach which extends the length of the seafront. On a sunny day it is very popular. The Council appears to have closed the western end of Clarence Espalande to cars to prevent the beach area getting too crowded. There are plenty of cafes and toilets. It is a pleasant enough place to walk along. No golden sands.
Written September 16, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Claire
London, UK165 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022 • Family
The sea defences work meant part of the front is closed, so you have to walk a long diversion between Portsmouth and Southsea to get around them. But other than that, great! There's a guy in a booth selling beer and other cold drinks on the pier. Go there. His beer is 5*. The area is very attractive. Will return.
Written August 11, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

STEPHEN K
Ashby de la Zouch, UK1,500 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2021 • Couples
A most pleasant walk along the esplanade and generally the area was well kept and the gardens a real treat. The sea front has a mixture of textures and generally safe. A pleasant area for bathing and picnics with seating and grass tk hand. We stayed nearby at the few retained guest houses as they disappear for apartments and parking is good but at a price. Recommended for long and short stays as all things are catered for.
Written July 29, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ann H
York, UK2,618 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2022
The part of the beach we visited was very near to the hovercraft station and we were lucky enough to be there at the time of an arrival and departure. Very impressive to watch these crafts at close hand. The beach looked very clean and there were kiosks along the front selling all sorts of different things to suit everyone's taste.
Written September 9, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Southsea Beach (2025) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Reviews)

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