Hampshire

Hampshire pairs busy maritime cities with the quiet villages of the New Forest. Portsmouth offers naval history and a bustling harbourside, while Southampton is a major hub with ferries, shopping and easy onward travel. For coastal calm, Hayling Island has beaches and watersports, and Lymington is a handsome sailing town with a working quay and links across to the Isle of Wight.

Inland, the New Forest villages suit slower breaks: Brockenhurst, Lyndhurst and Burley are good bases for walking and pony-spotting, while Fritham and Sherfield English remain small and peaceful. Ringwood is a useful market town with a good range of shops and pubs. Petersfield and Alresford, both handsome market towns on the county's edges, offer independent shops, riverside walks and a gentler pace of life.

Hampshire's spread of hotels and B&Bs reflects a county that mixes naval history, market towns and the edge of the New Forest. Portsmouth and Gosport suit a harbourside stay with easy access to the dockyards and ferries, while Farnborough works well for business trips or Farnborough International visitors wanting something close to the M3.

Further south, Lymington offers a gentler pace, with guest houses geared towards sailing types and New Forest walkers, while Tadley sits handily for those exploring the Hampshire and Berkshire border. Names like Durlston House and Ye Spotted Dogge point to the traditional, family-run character common across many of these smaller establishments.

Choosing between them often comes down to whether you want a coastal base, a countryside retreat, or somewhere practical near the main roads and rail links.

Hampshire's spread of attractions runs from the naval history of Portsmouth, with its dockyards and waterfront museums, to the quieter pleasures of the New Forest fringes around Ringwood and Romsey. Southampton adds city-scale options, including guided walks that dig into its maritime past, while Gosport and Hayling Island lean towards the coast, with boat trips and watersports making the most of the Solent.

Inland towns like Alton and Andover offer a different pace, with farm visits, arcades and escape rooms filling out family days, alongside activity-based options such as paddleboarding and cue sports. Milford on Sea suits those wanting sea air and open space nearby. With such variety across the county, it's worth deciding whether you want coast, city or countryside first, since the towns each specialise in a different kind of day out.

Hampshire's dining scene runs from harbourside fish and chip shops to smart Italian and Indian kitchens, with plenty of proper pubs holding the middle ground. Portsmouth and Southampton offer the widest spread, from quick lunch spots to evening restaurants near the waterfront, while Fareham and Ringwood keep things more local, built around market town pubs and cafes.

Emsworth and Hayling Island lean into their coastal setting, good for seafood and a pint with a harbour view, and are worth building a day around rather than treating as a quick stop. Inland towns tend to mix long-standing pubs with newer independent openings, so it pays to look beyond the obvious high street choice.

Whether you want a quiet Sunday roast or somewhere for a family meal after a day out, the range across the county means style and setting vary more than price, so it's worth checking what each place is actually known for before booking.

Hampshire's camping and glamping options are shaped largely by the New Forest, and towns like Lyndhurst, Ringwood, Fordingbridge and Ower give easy access to its heathland and woodland trails. Sites here range from simple farm pitches to well-equipped glamping bases, with Duncombe Farm and Lake Farm among those offering a straightforward rural stay close to the forest boundary.

Away from the Forest, the county has quieter pockets worth considering. East Meon and Bishops Waltham sit within the South Downs fringe, good for walkers wanting a base among villages and chalk streams, while Emsworth and Lymington lean towards the coast, useful if sailing or harbourside walks are part of the plan. Chandler's Ford and Hook suit those wanting a base nearer Winchester or the Hampshire-Surrey border.

For something more distinctive, Fernwood Glamping, Old Dairy Farm Glamping and Beechen Glamping show the range of converted and purpose-built options now on offer, while Gambledown Farm, Shelley Oaks Farm Campsite and Pit Hill Camping keep things closer to traditional tent pitches. Choosing between them often comes down to whether the New Forest itself or a quieter village setting suits the trip better.

Hampshire's self-catering cottages range from converted barns in quiet countryside to smart waterside apartments in the city, giving a choice between a rural retreat and a base close to the action. Around Winchester, properties like Lovington Barn and Lay Your Hat In Winchester suit those wanting cathedral views and easy walking into the centre, while farm conversions such as Lower Whiteflood Farm Cottage and Mallard Cottage offer more space and a slower pace outside town.

In Portsmouth, the Gunwharf Quays apartments cluster around the harbour, putting shopping, ferries and the historic dockyard within easy reach, with several one-bedroom layouts and balcony views to pick from. Brookvale House and the Braganza Apartments add further options for those wanting a self-contained flat rather than a full house, so it's worth weighing up whether a harbourside base or a countryside cottage better suits the trip.