Applicants taking a walking tour of the Portsmouth campus and surrounding area

Go your own way

Spend a day walking through our campus and exploring the city

Our port city has always been a gateway. And we’re at its heart. Begin your journey of discovery now and get closer to a place that’s buzzing with purpose and possibility.

If you can't make it to an Open Day or you'd like to take another look around, this self-guided tour will give you a feel for the campus and the city.

Bookmark this page to follow the route below or download our Walking Tour PDF for a more detailed itinerary. You can use our locations page to find the addresses of these buildings.

Find your route on a map

With your next step, everything changes. Take a walk into your future.

Photo of Holly

I loved the feel of the campus – almost all the teaching buildings are in the city centre, but you get the feel of a campus university because everything’s close by and interspersed with cafes, sports facilities and the library.

Holly Essen, MEng Mechanical Engineering

Start your day with breakfast

Portsmouth is a thriving city for small business. You'll find some of our favourite independent cafés below to fuel your day in Portsmouth.
So grab breakfast and then head to Guildhall Walk to begin your walking tour of campus.

Smashed avocado on toast with cherry tomatoes and mascarpone

Garage Lounge

Explore a delicious brunch menu or select your choice of pancakes from their sweet breakfast menu. And you can always start your day with hot chocolate and cake as a treat
> thegaragelounge.co.uk

Bread addiction loaf, image copyright Bread Addiction

Bread Addiction

Unbelievably good breads, pastries, sandwiches and cakes, made fresh on site. It's tiny inside, so getting a table is tricky, but the sourdough sandwiches and cinnamon buns are worth it 

breadaddiction.co.uk

Lunch in Hunter Gatherer, copyright Hunter Gatherer

Hunter Gatherer

Catch the U1 to Festing Road to find Hunter Gatherer, where specialty coffee and incredible brunches and lunches await – 100% of the menu is vegetarian and almost everything is vegan too > huntergatherer.coffee

Donut, copyright Hideout Coffee

Hideout Coffee and Donuts

Opposite St. Andrews Court in the University quarter is Hideout – an insanely instagrammable place whose coffee and eye-popping donuts are as tasty as the interiors > @hideoutcoffeecompany 

Route part 1: The Guildhall campus

Aerial view of Guildhall

Start at the Careers and Employability Service on Guildhall Walk. As well as advising you on your career choices, the team can help you find part-time work, volunteering opportunities, mentoring, internships and work experience.

Look up to see Rosalind Franklin Halls, student accommodation. From the Careers and Employability Service, walk on past the bars and clubs of Guildhall Walk.

New Theatre Royal

Down the first road on your left, you’ll see White Swan Building, home of our performing arts courses. Linked to the New Theatre Royal, it has a TV studio, performance studios and music practice rooms.

On the other side of this street, just beyond Rosalind Franklin Halls, is St Michael’s Building, for pharmacy and biomedical science.

At the top of Guildhall Walk is Guildhall Square. On the left you’ll see Portsmouth Guildhall – that’s where your graduation ceremony will happen.

Park building

Just before you get to Guildhall Square, turn left onto King Henry I Street. Along here, you’ll find the historic Park Building on your right. This was the first building to be part of the future University. It's now home to one of the UK’s largest schools of language and area studies.

Ahead of you, at the end of King Henry I Street, is King Henry Building, where psychology and biological sciences are taught.

Route part 2: The Northern Quarter

Rooftop view of Anglesea building

Take the pedestrian path to the right of King Henry Building. Cross over at the traffic lights on the main road – you're now on Park Road.

The University building to your right is Anglesea Building. It’s the home of engineering, as well as our law school and the replica law court.

Walk straight down Park Road, taking a right under the railway bridge onto Burnaby Road. On your left is Milldam Building. This former military barracks now houses social, historical and literary studies.

Portsmouth Business School building

Walking further into the Northern Quarter Square you’ll see Richmond Building on your left, home of business and law, with amazing facilities including our Bloomberg Suite, SAP Lab and Business Simulation Suite.

On your right is Dennis Sciama Building, home to the Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation and The Hub, one of our students’ favourite cafes.

Just past Dennis Sciama Building and slightly set back from the square is Burnaby Building, for earth and environmental sciences and civil engineering labs.

In front of Burnaby building, you’ll find Buckingham Building where geography and computer studies happen. 

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Pass through the brown gates to your right and you’ll see our new £12m Future Technology Centre ahead of you. Just behind it is Lion Gate Building, home of computing and mathematics.

To the left of the Future Technology Centre is Portland Building – an award-winning example of sustainable architecture with a hydraulics lab, great learning spaces and a café. Portland is home to civil engineering, surveying and property development.

Exit the Northern Quarter the same way you came in under the railway bridge and stop at the crossroads. If you head right, you'll reach Gunwharf Quays – packed with designer outlets, restaurants and the Spinnaker Tower.

Lunch break: Gunwharf Quays and the Historic Dockyard

Exit the Northern Quarter the same way you came in under the railway bridge and stop at the crossroads. If you head right, you'll reach Gunwharf Quays – packed with designer outlets, restaurants and the Spinnaker Tower. And a short walk further will take you to the Historic Dockyard.

two women with shopping bags in gunwharf quays

Gunwharf Quays

Gunwharf is a shopping outlet on the waterfront that boasts high discounts for designer brands such as Vans, Armani, Kate Spade and Nike. It's also a great place to eat at your favourite chains, including Nando's, Five Guys, Pho and Wagamama.
> Gunwharf Quays

Historic dockyard

Portsmouth Historic Dockyard

Our historic dockyard is home to the 16th-century Tudor navy warship, the Mary Rose, Lord Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar, HMS Victory, and the 40-gun steam-powered iron-clad warship, HMS Warrior. Take a picnic, or grab lunch in one of the renovated boathouses.
> Portsmouth Historic Dockyard

Route part 3: Ravelin Park

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Head back to the crossroads after lunch and go all the way along Burnaby Road. At the end, you’ll see the University Library. Open 24/7 in term time, it gives you access to information in all kinds of formats to help you study and research.

If you turn right and walk down to the roundabout, you’ll see St George’s Building straight ahead, opposite Portsmouth Grammar School.

Turn to your left and carry on up Cambridge Road. On your right you’ll come to the Students’ Union – home to our social learning venue 3rd Space, the student activities centre and your Student Union representatives. It’s a place to study, feast and chill out and a hub for all their societies.

You’ll also see Student IT Help.

Aerial view of campus

Across the road from the Union is the Spinnaker Sports Centre. With the latest indoor facilities, it’s perfect for a range of fitness classes, gym workouts and social sports.

Behind the Sports Centre is the Spinnaker Building, home to sport and exercise science. This purpose-built facility has world-class laboratories, including two high specification climatic chambers, an immersion facility and an integrated swimming flume.

Ravelin park entrance

Head towards the Café Coco and walk between them. Pass under the walkway, through an area known as Gunhouse Green, with the Union on your right. Continue along with the Library on your right. You’re now in Ravelin Park, and you’ll come to a ‘crossroads’ level with the rear of the Library.

If you carry on you’ll come to Ravelin House on your left, just before the path joins Museum Road. This is a leading centre for all kinds of criminal justice research and studies, and one of the biggest departments of its type in the UK. If you head left at the crossroads you’ll quickly come to our Dental Academy.

On the corner of Ravelin Park to your right is where Ravelin Sports Centre will be located. The building is designed to be one of the UK’s most sustainable sports centres and will be opening Saturday 3 September to staff, students and current community members and Saturday 1 October to new community members.

  • Saturday 3 September to staff, students and current community members

Route part 4: Explore our halls

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Cross the road directly opposite the Students' Union building, walk past Mercantile House and take the immediate left. Just before the main junction is St Andrew’s Court, home to the latest facilities for developing tomorrow’s health-related scientists.

Cross at the junction ahead, so you’re on the same side of the road as University House, where the Vice-Chancellor’s Office is based. Continue along Winston Churchill Avenue and stop at the second turning on your right – Middle Street.

On this corner, to your right, is Trafalgar Hall.

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Opposite is Eldon Building, home to creative courses including architecture, art and design, creative technologies, media and performing arts. Inside Eldon, discover a host of industry-standard facilities ranging from animation and design studios, to virtual reality and motion capture suites.

Continue along Winston Churchill Avenue and cross over at the next crossing. Take the wide path between the Courts of Justice and Crown House. You’ll come to Harry Law Hall on the left and Bateson Hall on the right.

Continue between the two halls, and you'll be in Guildhall Square with the Big Screen to your right. The Big Screen is a collaboration between the University and Portsmouth City Council. It showcases student work, plus some TV programmes, films, special events and broadcasts.

Halls

Walk under the Civic Offices, immediately to the right of the Big Screen, and Portsmouth and Southsea train station will be ahead of you, to the right. Turn right just before the station for more halls of residence.

At the centre of the city is Margaret Rule Hall and Greetham Street Hall. If you retrace your steps back to the train station and turn right, passing under the railway bridge, you’ll see Catherine House to your left, on the corner of Victoria Park.

If you’d like to go back to where you began, turn around and walk towards Guildhall Square. Pass under the Civic Offices, through the Square and keep going straight ahead, onto Guildhall Walk.

The rest of the day is yours...

Now you're back where you started, the rest of the day is yours. Eat out at our favourite restaurants, discover the incredible beaches, parks and piers on our doorstep or explore . If you're staying into the evening, we've even got a guides to our favourite nightlife spots and the best places to see live music in the city.

Places to eat in Portsmouth

Hungry for adventure? Here's a taster of the great food and drink you can savour in the city.

Busy meal at table from top-down
Grub's up

Beaches, piers and parks

Portsmouth is a bustling city with the sea on our doorstep and green spaces all around.

Ferry in the sea
Start exploring

Art, culture and nightlife in Portsmouth

There's so much to see and do in Portsmouth – from art galleries and museums, to nightclubs and late-night cafes

Old Portsmouth
Read more

Portsmouth's music scene

Want to get involved in Portsmouth's music scene? Here's all you need to start.

Rapper Krept, University of Portsmouth graduate, performing
1, 2, 3, 4...
Gloabl/ICP Photoshoot, Women in STEM, May 2019

I wanted a medium-sized city with proximity to places and I got exactly that in Portsmouth. I get to walk everywhere without spending much money on transportation. The seaside and beach was another factor that influenced my decision.

Rubie Targema-Takema, PhD Computing

Congratulations – you’ve completed your walking tour!
 

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We hope you enjoyed getting closer to Portsmouth and the University and that you're looking forward to an exciting future here.

Want to continue exploring online? Visit our virtual experience hub for a deeper dive into our halls and facilities, and hear from current students about their experiences.