What to do in Portsmouth when it rains
Caught by a shower in Portsmouth? There's history to explore indoors, art to admire, markets to browse and cafés to settle into until it clears.
Museums
Spend a few hours in the city's museums — many are free, and a rainy day is the perfect excuse to take your time.
- Portsmouth Historic Dockyard Victory Gate, HM Naval Base, Portsea, Portsmouth PO1 3LJ, UK
- Spinnaker Tower Portsmouth PO1 3TT, UK
- Royal Navy Museums: HMS Victory Victory Gate, HM Naval Base, Portsmouth PO1 3LJ, UK
- Mary Rose Museum Main Rd, HM Naval Base, Portsmouth PO1 3PY, UK
- Royal Navy Museums: Submarines Haslar, Jetty Road, Gosport PO12 2AS, UK
- The D-Day Story Clarence Esplanade, Southsea, Portsmouth PO5 3NT, UK
Art galleries
Duck into the art galleries; they're quiet, warm and rarely busier than on a wet day.
- Portsmouth Museum and Art Gallery Museum Rd, Portsmouth PO1 2LJ, UK
- Aspex Portsmouth The Vulcan Building, Portsmouth PO1 3BF, UK
- Gosport Museum and Art Gallery Walpole Rd, Gosport PO12 1NS, UK
- Fatclay Pottery - Portsmouth 67 Castle Rd, Southsea, Portsmouth PO5 3AY, UK
- Southsea Gallery 17 Marmion Rd, Southsea, Portsmouth, Southsea PO5 2AT, UK
- The Corner Collective 150-152 Albert Rd, Southsea, Portsmouth, Southsea PO4 0JS, UK
Historic sites
Explore the indoor historic sites and their covered galleries.
- Spinnaker Tower Portsmouth PO1 3TT, UK
- Royal Navy Museums: Explosion Priddys Hard, Gosport PO12 4LE, UK
- Southsea Castle Unnamed Road, Southsea, Portsmouth, Southsea PO5 3PA, UK
- Round Tower Broad St, Old Portsmouth, Portsmouth PO1 2JE, UK
- Keppel's Head Hotel in, the Keppel's Head Hotel, 24-26 The Hard, Portsmouth PO1 3DT, UK
- Charles Dickens' Birthplace Museum 393 Old Commercial Rd, Portsmouth PO1 4QL, UK
Covered markets
Browse the covered market — street-food stalls, local makers and somewhere dry to graze for an hour.
- Tesco Extra Fratton Way, Southsea, Portsmouth, Southsea PO4 8FD, UK
- Tesco Superstore Crasswell St, Portsmouth PO1 1RS, UK
- Tesco Express Tesco Express, 1, The Round House, Portsmouth PO1 3SF, UK
- Tesco Express Tesco Express, 59-61, 57A Elm Grove, Southsea, Portsmouth, Southsea PO5 1JF, UK
- Tesco Petrol Station Fratton Way, Southsea, Portsmouth, Southsea PO4 8FD, UK
- Tesco Express 19 St George's Rd, Portsmouth PO1 2EW, UK
Cafés
Claim a window seat in a cosy café and watch the rain instead of walking in it.
- Southsea Beach Cafe (Eastney Original Site) Eastney Esplanade, Southsea, Portsmouth, Southsea PO4 0SP, UK
- Coffee Cup Eastney Eastney Esplanade, Southsea, Portsmouth, Southsea PO4 9GE, UK
- Portsmouth Museum and Art Gallery Museum Rd, Portsmouth PO1 2LJ, UK
- Farm Kitchen 67 Palmerston Rd, Southsea, Portsmouth, Southsea PO5 3PP, UK
- Pitt St. Skatepark 315 Commercial Rd, Portsmouth PO1 4AY, UK
- The Canteen Point Battery & Barracks, Broad St, Old Portsmouth, Portsmouth PO1 2FS, UK
Indoor shopping
Hit the covered shopping streets and centres — everything under one roof.
- Gunwharf Quays Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth PO1 3TZ, UK
- Cascades Shopping Centre Commercial Rd, Portsmouth PO1 4RL, UK
- Ocean Retail Park Burrfields Rd, Portsmouth PO3 5NP, UK
- The Pompey Centre Fratton Way, Southsea, Portsmouth, Southsea PO4 8SL, UK
- The Bridge Shopping Centre 11 Somers Rd N, Portsmouth PO1 1SL, UK
- Burrfields retail park Retail Park, Portsmouth PO3 5LZ, UK
Venue suggestions powered by Google — tap a name for the map, and always check opening times before you go. 36 places listed; the list refreshes regularly.