When I’m not working I like to spend my weekends either at home destressing, walking around West Quay shopping area when I can be brave enough to tackle the mass crowd of shoppers or simply exploring the city I live in. But for those of you who have not moved to, or don’t currently live in Southampton, here are my tips to you on how to spend a weekend in Southampton.
If you have a friend in Southampton, I’d always say to give them a shout and a heads up first that you’re coming to the city, because you never know, they might have a spare bed or sofa for you to crash on for a night or two. Or they could even recommend a place to stay. Either way, you’re sure to get slightly cheaper accommodation if you have any connections with people in the city.
If not, then don’t worry! There are plenty of hotels scattered around Southampton for you to sleep over at for a couple of nights. The ones closest to the heart of the city are the Premier Inn and Travelodge if you’re one to go for a branded stay. If not then there is also the Ibis Hotel or Novotel located next to the train station, just minutes away from the centre.
So now the boring and slightly more pricey part of the weekend is dealt with, I can move on to telling you about what Southampton has to offer for a weekend visit. For this part I will offer you the three categories of Shopping, Food and Entertainment that Southampton have to offer.
The two most popular (and therefore busiest) places to visit to splash some cash are Marlands Shopping Centre and West Quay shopping Centre, open until 8pm. These are at the heart of the city and offer you a wide range of brands such as Superdry, New Look, Hollister and Primark. Besides the latest fashion trends, you can also pop along to Hawkins Bazaar, Forbidden Planet and Build-A-Bear if clothes is not your bag. Shopping is always a definite must when you visit this city…Although be prepared to battle the crowd as these fashion filled areas are the centre of attention over the weekend.
Within the main shopping centre, West Quay, plenty of restaurants are available to keep you from going hungry whilst on your shopping adventures. You’ve got a big range of cuisine to take your pick from with restaurants such as Handmade Burger, Nandos, Pizza Hut and Cosmo for if you can’t quite decide on a particular cuisine.
Southampton has a lot else to keep you busy for a weekend visit. There is the SeaCity Museum and Art Gallery as well as 3 cinemas around the city all at good prices with comfortable interiors (although I’d say Showcase if you wanted the most relaxed viewing). Then after a move trip to Showcase cinema you can pop downstairs to their bowling and arcade centre where food and drink is also available.
But if you’re looking for outdoor activities, particularly if the sun is shining for once, then I would suggest buying picnic style food and walking up to the common. A spacious area with paths leading you in and around the trees to find ponds scattered everywhere.
After a busy day of shopping and exploring the city why not head out to a number of our local pubs and clubs for a drink to finish the day. No matter your music taste, Southampton have a place for everyone. My personal favourites consist of The Hobbit where you can get character themed cocktails, Pre-Bar which is a slightly smaller venue but has great drink deals and various music genres and of course, Wetherspoons for those cheaply priced cocktail pitchers.
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