Portsmouth Historic Dockyard — Attraction in Portsmouth

(UPDATE FOLLOWS) - Sadly I have to rate one star. Not because we had a bad day, we certainly did not, but the value for money (in our specific case) is absolutely appalling. At first our remarks about the price seemed to baffle, even irritate, the lady on the ticket desk, but once she took the time to listen she readily agreed that it "simply didn't add up" and actually apologised. She tried to find "workarounds" to get us better value (we appreciated that) but there was no way to do it. Are we so unusual? Let's see...

We are a family of four, two parents, two kids, visiting from Spain. We had to drive into the area and park, so we arrived at about 11am. The whole place (British style! haha) shuts at 5pm, so that gave us six hours.

Before we start, let's mention that the submarine part of the facility was inaccessible - why? Because there are "no water taxis on a Wednesday". Was there any discount because the some of the main attractions were now out of bounds? No. One of the largest boats (Warrior) was closed. Discount? No. Victory - always interesting - was almost completely covered in scaffolding - discount - no.

The family ticket was £125 (you read that right). Any way around that price simply didn't add up if you wanted to see three things. Now the sweetner here, is that the ticket lasts for a year and you can come and go as you please - in fact I think that makes it EXCELLENT VALUE - but of course we were here FOR THE DAY. We are tourists. We are very likely never going back. So any value that return ticket has is redundant. I even cheekily asked if I could sell it (you can't).

So in our little afternoon, we saw Victory (under the scaffolding), saw the Mary Rose museum, and took a harbour tour. Then it closed. £125 (plus parking)

I cannot possibly recommend it at that price if you are not planning, or cannot, return. The pricing structure needs an overhaul so that tourist families like mine can visit for the DAY at a reasonable price.

UPDATE: Following the response below, I feel I am not being listened to. I completely agree that a family paying £125 for a ticket that lasts a year, that lets them come and go during that time as they please is absolutely exceptional value for money - in fact it's unbelievably good. You could visit monthly for less than a tenner a visit for the whole family! --- UNLESS you live in Spain! If you are a visiting tourist, you are absolutely ripped off to subsidise those incredible value tickets for the locals! It seems obvious to me that as well as those amazing YEAR tickets, they should sell DAILY tickets. I can only think of one reason they don't, and that's to rip tourists off, in exactly the same way they got me, so my kids didn't cry! Tell me how, getting 1/365th of the value is good...

This review is for the dockyard itself — not the individual ships or museums (though I’ve got plenty to say about the Mary Rose elsewhere). This is about what it’s like to roll through one of Britain’s most historic naval sites when you’re on wheels.

Let’s start with the obvious: it’s huge. The site is sprawling, packed with attractions, and absolutely dripping in history. You could spend days here and still not see it all — which is why we went for the Ultimate Explorer ticket, giving us unlimited access for a year. Smart move. You’ll need multiple visits just to take it all in.

Now, let’s talk terrain. Because while the dockyard is rich in heritage, it’s also rich in cobblestones. And not the quaint, decorative kind — I mean the “my front caster just got swallowed and I nearly became part of the exhibit” kind. I push myself most of the time, but I’m incredibly lucky to have a strong, loving partner who was willing to indulge me — pushing me across what felt like millions of uneven stones just to see me smile (or cry) because he knows how much I adore history. I’m so very grateful to him. Without his strength and patience, I might’ve ended up face-first in a puddle of 18th-century charm.

There were moments that genuinely scared me — wheels catching, momentum shifting, and that awful feeling of “I’m going over.” It’s never happened before, and I don’t want it to happen again. So if you’re a wheelchair user, especially manual, be prepared. Bring someone strong, wear gloves if you self-propel, and take it slow.

That said, the staff are wonderful. Friendly, respectful, and clearly trained to support disabled visitors with dignity. They’ll point out accessible routes, help with tricky spots, and never make you feel like a burden. There are accessible toilets, including a Changing Places facility near the Mary Rose, and plenty of places to sit and rest.

Top tips for fellow wheelies: Wrap up warm — the site is mostly outdoors, and the sea breeze doesn’t care about your comfort. Bring an umbrella — especially in colder months. Rain and cobblestones are not a romantic combo. Pace yourself — this isn’t a one-day sprint. It’s a slow roll through centuries of history.

Final verdict: The dockyard is not gentle, but it’s worth it. It’s part of my mission to review the world from the seated perspective — for the wheelchair users, the rollators, the walking stick warriors, and anyone who’s ever had to ask, “Is it accessible?” before “Is it interesting?” Portsmouth Historic Dockyard is both. It challenged me. It moved me. And I’ll be back — wheels, tissues, and partner-powered...

The dockyard is rife with history, there is so much to see and do from the HMS victory to HMS warrior, loads of shops, cafes, merchandise and of course let's not forget the amazing majestic Mary Rose. Here is my review of the trip to see the Mary Rose..

We started having a great buggy ride from the booking entrance to the Mary rose, where we met Barry, had a bit of banter, really nice that everyone was so friendly and welcoming, it turned out our guide was Barry and he was fantastic, he gave us a wonderful 4hrs in-depth history of the Mary Rose and the Battle of the Solent which surprising isn't told at schools that much, but loved hearing all about this amazing painting, and history. Once we got into seeing the majestic ship and the history of the 3 red Squares on the ship, (if you want to know about them please book for a guided tour. You won't regret it ) they have really out done themselves in preserving this ship so she doesn't need to be sprayed with water all the time, like when I 1st saw her years ago. Then seeing the Mary Rose's artifacts and there is a shed load, it's incredible. The way the people at the museum have done it is that the artefacts would be where they were found on the ship when he went down and was rescued and recovered. So what you're seeing is where it would be. Plus the curvature of the walkway would be the curvature of the Mary Rose as if you're walking through it. They have done it like it was a mirror image.

We also saw some artefacts which aren't opened a general public We did pay the extra for this and believe me it's worth the little bit extra that you have to pay, especially as all the money goes into preserving this historic vessel.

The extra also gets you access to a balcony overlooking the harbour and we actually saw an aircraft carrier that was birthed there for the time being, which was absolutely fantastic to see.

Then went back inside. We saw a few more artefacts. Some of them had been removed because they're doing some renovation work and extensions in the museum but then we went up stairs to the upper deck, we went through an airlock and we are on the top deck or above the Mary Rose and we could actually smell her and breathing the same air as this ship. Another reason to get the tour guide is there is a very ornight canon on the upper deck and a very good, nice bit of history about it that you're probably won't get just by looking at it.

It's definitely worth booking a guided tour and if you are lucky enough to get Barry, then you in...