Three ships sum up five centuries of naval history here: a Tudor carrack raised from the seabed, Nelson's flagship still in dry dock and the first iron-hulled warship in history. Portsmouth, England's naval base for generations, has turned its dockyard into one of the world's great maritime ensembles. The cruise terminal lies north of the city, about two and a half kilometres from the main attractions; shuttles and taxis cover the trip in a few minutes.

The Historic Dockyard, the heart of the port call

The historic dockyard brings the essentials together within a single enclosed area, where you walk between basins and Georgian brick storehouses. HMS Victory, Nelson's flagship at Trafalgar in 1805, can be explored from the hold to the gun decks; you duck beneath the beams, walk along the rows of cannons and quickly grasp the harshness of life on board. A few steps away, a modern pavilion houses the Mary Rose, Henry VIII's favourite ship, sunk in 1545 and raised in 1982 along with thousands of her crew's belongings: bows, chests and surgeon's instruments. The encounter between this ghostly hull and its frozen contents moves many a visitor. HMS Warrior, an iron-and-sail giant launched in 1860, completes the trio at the entrance to the site. Launches also offer harbour tours that skim past frigates and destroyers in active service, a living complement to the historic hulls.

Choosing your ships

Half a day lets you explore two ships in depth without rushing; combined tickets also give access to the site's museums, including the National Museum of the Royal Navy.

Spinnaker Tower and Gunwharf Quays

Following the waterfront south, the white silhouette of the Spinnaker Tower rises above the former ordnance wharves that have become the Gunwharf Quays shopping district. At 170 metres high and designed like a sail billowing in the wind, it offers from its viewing decks a plunging view over the harbour, the Isle of Wight and the comings and goings of the ferries. The glass floor on the first deck never fails to impress the passengers bold enough to step onto it. The shops and terraces of Gunwharf occupy former ordnance storehouses, steps from the Isle of Wight ferry terminal.

Old Portsmouth and the Round Tower point

A quarter of an hour's walk then leads to the lanes of Old Portsmouth, around the cathedral and the old fortifications at the point. Locals come to sit on the ramparts to watch warships and Channel ferries enter the harbour, pint in hand, in front of pubs that were already serving sailors in the 18th century. The scene is no stage set: the naval base remains active, and the ballet of grey hulls is part of everyday life. Farther south, the Southsea seafront lines up lawns, Henry VIII's castle and an exhibition devoted to the 1944 D-Day landings, largely prepared from these shores.

Back to sea

Few ports of call leave such a clear sense of what seafaring has meant through the centuries. Leaving the channel, the ship sails past the ramparts, the white tower and the masts of the Victory, and everyone appreciates the good fortune of leaving the harbour without cannonballs or storms. There will always be one more deck to explore in the dockyard: Portsmouth is one of those maritime rendezvous you keep more than once.