England · United Kingdom
Where to stay in Southampton
Southampton is a city in England, United Kingdom, home to about 271,000 people. This guide covers 4 hotels in Southampton, with about 601 rooms between them. Every one carries a published guest score, and the list below is ordered by it.
- Places to stay in this guide
- 4
- Best months
- June to September
- Nearest airport
- SOU6 km · Southampton Airport
- Currency
- GBPpound sterling
- Time zone
- Europe/London
- Language
- Cornish, English, Irish
About
About Southampton
Southampton is a port city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately 80 miles (130 km) southwest of London, 20 miles (32 km) west of Portsmouth, and 20 miles (32 km) southeast of Salisbury.
Southampton has been a settlement since Roman and Saxon times. In Saxon times the town was known as Hamwic. The Roman ruins are situated in a suburb called Bitterne Manor - which was known as Clausentum in Roman times. Its privileged position on England's south coast made it Britain's premier trading post. The town became walled in the medieval era, and some remnants of these defences remain throughout the city, most notably the Bargate in the middle of the city centre.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Southampton
See
- Bargate
- Central Parks
- Southampton City Art Gallery
- The Bargate Monument Gallery
- John Hansard Gallery
- God's House Tower
- SeaCity Museum
- Medieval Merchant's House
- Tudor House and Garden
- Solent Sky (Hall of Aviation)
Do
- Mayflower Theatre
- Turner Sims Concert Hall
- Southampton Guildhall
- Showcase Cinema de Lux
- Southampton Common
- Southampton FC
- Hampshire Bowl
- Manor Farm
- Southampton Boat Show
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
The best-rated places to stay in Southampton
Ordered by guest score as each operator publishes it, weighted by the number of reviews so a handful of perfect scores does not outrank thousands of very good ones. Scores are shown on their own scale.
| # | Place to stay | Rooms | Guest score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leonardo Royal Hotel Southampton Grand Harbour hotel | 173 | 87/100 12,130 reviews |
| 2 | Leonardo Hotel Southampton hotel | 270 | 85/100 8,717 reviews |
| 3 | Travelodge Southampton Central hotel | 102 | 3.9/5 1,770 reviews |
| 4 | Travelodge Southampton hotel | 56 | 3.3/5 201 reviews |
Schematic: the city centre in orange, each place to stay as a dot, distance rings in kilometres.
Where to stay
Which part of Southampton to stay in
The Hilton Southampton provides 4-star luxury in a pleasant environment, you can expect comfortable and stylish guestrooms. 3-star hotels are much easier to come by, the Leonardo Hotel sits in the middle of a city centre roundabout, the Novotel, Travelodge, Holiday Inn and Hotel Ibis are all perfectly adequate for providing a night's sleep. If you feel the need for a less generic hotel experience, The Dolphin Mercure hotel and The Star are both on the High Street in traditional coaching inn buildings and will make you feel less like you're just a commodity.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
More hotels in Southampton
26 hotels within 25 km of the centre, as recorded in Wikidata. Each name links to its encyclopedia article where there is one.
| Hotel | Opened | From centre |
|---|---|---|
| Dolphin Hotel | 0.7 km | |
| Anchor Hotel | 5.2 km | |
| Bitterne Park Hotel | 2.8 km | |
| Falcon Hotel | 9.7 km | |
| Marsh Hotel | 1.3 km | |
| Master Builder's House Hotel | 12.1 km | |
| Novotel Southampton | 0.7 km | |
| Star Hotel | 0.7 km | |
| The Bedford Hotel | 0.6 km | |
| The Bugle Inn | 8.4 km | |
| The Cowherds Inn | 1.9 km | |
| The Montagu Arms | 10.4 km | |
| The Old Ship Inn | 8.1 km | |
| The Station Hotel | 5.6 km | |
| The Victory Inn | 8.3 km | |
| Canute Castle Hotel | 1.3 km | |
| Ennios Boutique Hotel | 1.1 km | |
| Hunters Lodge Guest House | 1.1 km | |
| room2 Southampton Hometel | 1.0 km | |
| Royal Albert Hotel | 1.3 km | |
| Ship Inn | 5.0 km | |
| Solent Hotel and Spa | 11.3 km | |
| The New Inn | 12.1 km | |
| The Pilgrim Inn | 4.1 km | |
| The Regent Guest House | 2.8 km | |
| Walcot House | 9.6 km |
All 30 hotels in Southampton, with their history and operators
When to go
The best time to visit Southampton
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Southampton are June to September. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 22 °C; November is the wettest, with about 99 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Southampton: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Southampton Airport (SOU), about 5.9 km from the city centre in a straight line; Bournemouth Airport (BOH, 34 km) and London Gatwick Airport (LGW, 89 km) are also within reach.
Getting in
Southampton Airport (SOU), a short distance to the north in Eastleigh, receives regular services from many airports across the British Isles, including Belfast City, Dublin, Edinburgh, Manchester, and the three main Channel Islands. KLM operate a year-round feeder service from their hub at Amsterdam Schiphol, but other services from continental Europe are seasonal. A railway station adjacent to the airport is served by regular trains into Southampton Central; the journey takes about 8 min.
Getting around
My Journey is a website funded by the Department of Transport as a hub for travel information in and around Southampton. Southampton City Centre is fairly spread out along a north-south axis, however it is easily possible to walk from the popular Bedford Place student area on the Northern fringe of the central area to the waterfront, much of the route being pedestrianised. Southampton has a few dedicated cycle routes; they are not particularly well linked but cyclists should not have a problem navigating the city centre. The city centre is mostly flat; Hampshire tends to undulate.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
SOU · Southampton Airport
BOH · Bournemouth Airport
LGW · London Gatwick Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Southampton
Eat
There are two main areas for eating out in Southampton; the first is Oxford Street (towards Ocean Village) and the second is around Bedford Place (just north of the city). The choice in Bedford Place is rather more varied; ranging from Moroccan and Mexican at the southern end of the road through student style curry houses and a Chinese to some late night kebab and chip shops. In terms of value for money the Pride of India is one of the best Indians in the city, but most of the restaurants are good value, if not exactly awe-inspiring taste-wise.
Drink
As is to be expected of a large port with two universities, there are a lot of places to drink in Southampton. The city centre features two pubs dating from Tudor times, the Red Lion in High Street in particular is steeped in history. Portswood is the drinking area of choice for students at the university, so keep away from places like The Hobbit, Clowns and Jesters ("Jesters"), The Gordon Arms and The Mitre if you want to avoid students. While The Hobbit can be studenty, it is definitely worth a look as it is a quirky pub with a massive beer garden and live music every night of the week.
Stay safe
Levels of crime in Southampton are fairly similar to other UK cities; serious crimes are uncommon, but alcohol-related crimes and muggings can happen. There is a strong police presence in the city centre at night time, especially around the clubs and pubs. A night bus service is available to allow people to get home safely. Pollution levels can get rather high particularly when one of the larger cruise ships is in harbor.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Good to know
Accessibility, parking and families in Southampton
How many places to stay in this guide offer each, in their operators' own words.
of 4 places
of 4 places
of 4 places
of 4 places
of 4 places
of 4 places
of 4 places
of 4 places
of 4 places
Questions
Southampton: questions travellers ask
What are the best-rated hotels in Southampton?
By published guest score: Leonardo Royal Hotel Southampton Grand Harbour (87 / 100 · 12,130 reviews · www.leonardo-hotels.com (operator's own guest score)); Leonardo Hotel Southampton (85 / 100 · 8,717 reviews · www.leonardo-hotels.com (operator's own guest score)); Travelodge Southampton Central (3.9 / 5 · 1,770 reviews · www.travelodge.co.uk (operator's own guest score)).
When is the best time to visit Southampton?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Southampton are June to September. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 22 °C; November is the wettest, with about 99 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Southampton?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Southampton Airport (SOU), about 5.9 km from the city centre in a straight line; Bournemouth Airport (BOH, 34 km) and London Gatwick Airport (LGW, 89 km) are also within reach.
Are there accessible hotels in Southampton?
1 place in this guide list accessible rooms.
What currency is used in Southampton?
pound sterling (GBP).
Nearby
Destinations near Southampton
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.