Southampton

About Southampton

Southampton is the UK's primary cruise homeport, handling Cunard transatlantics and most British Isles and Norwegian fjord turnarounds. Ships dock at one of five terminals along the River Test, with direct trains from London Waterloo in about 80 minutes. The SeaCity Museum's Titanic galleries and the medieval city walls are the main in-town stops. Heathrow is about 90 minutes north by motorcoach.

• Southampton is the busiest cruise terminal in the UK and was the departure port for the ill-fated RMS Titanic in 1912 — 500 of those who perished on board were Southampton residents.
• The port experiences a rare 'double tide' phenomenon: thanks to tidal dynamics in the English Channel, Southampton gets 17 hours of rising water per day, giving large ships access 80% of the time.
• The Spitfire, the iconic WWII fighter aircraft, was designed and built in Southampton.
• Southampton's medieval town walls, originally built after French pirates raided the city in 1338, still largely stand today.
• It is the second-largest container port in the UK (after Felixstowe), handling 1.5 million TEUs annually alongside cruise ships and roll-on roll-off cargo.