Spend some time watching cruise liners and freight ships come and go from the Southampton Cruise Terminal. Afterwards, make the short walk into Southampton City Center to see historic landmarks and discover a lively bar and restaurant scene. Southampton Cruise Terminal is among the most important marinas in the United Kingdom and welcomes some 2 million passengers every year.

If you like admiring and taking photographs of huge cruise ships then this is a great place to do it. Some of the boats occupy almost the entire length of the quay. You may also catch a glimpse of the enormous container ships that arrive at a 1,640-feet (500-meter) long deep water quay. A short walk from the terminal is the passenger ferry pier. From here boats travel across Southampton Water estuary to the town of Hythe and across the Solent to the Isle of Wight.

Stroll from the terminal into the streets of the Ocean Village neighborhood. With cafés, traditional English pubs and restaurants, this is a busy area every day of the week. Visit Solent Sky, an aviation museum home to over 20 vintage aircraft such as the Spitfire. Talks and annual open days take place at the National Oceanography Centre, a research institute for oceanographic sciences.

Another pleasant place to visit is Queen’s Park. In the center of the park’s tree-shaded lawns is a memorial to the notable British military general Charles George Gordon. Close to the park is a collection of ruins that date back around 800 years. Among them is the Corner Tower and The Watergate Ruin, which were part of the medieval-era Old City Walls, and Quilter’s Vault, the cellar of a former pub.

Southampton Cruise Terminal is located about 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) from Southampton Central train station. A public bus service travels regularly between the two. Drivers can use one of several metered car parking lots located nearby.