Living in Southampton

Southampton is a thriving city with a superb south central location and a pleasant, temperate climate. There is plenty to do and see within the city itself, including some award winning art galleries and museums, plenty of sprawling parks and a picturesque seafront.

City Centre

Given the size of Southampton, the city centre itself is relatively compact. The striking Civic Centre building sits at the heart of the centre, with a distinctive clock tower dominating the skyline. Joining the Civic Centre on an American style 'block' are the city's art gallery, central library, the central police station and The Guildhall, a popular multi-purpose entertainments venue.

Historic treasures

As a former medieval town, Southampton also has many historic treasures to its credit. Foremost of these is the Bargate, at the lower end of the High Street - once the city's main gateway for visitors, and now home to a modern art gallery with a weekly market in the pedestrianised area surrounding it.

Cultural attractions

Southampton is brimming with cultural attractions for an up-market evening out. The Mayflower Theatre attracts touring productions, ballets, operas and big name variety acts to walk its boards, while the Nuffield Theatre has been a launchpad for many successful West End plays.

The city also boasts 20 cinema screens, with something to suit all tastes. The Leisureworld entertainment complex leans towards Hollywood blockbusters for its 13 screens, and has nightclubs, bars, restaurants and a casino on site. Harbour Lights, overlooking the marina at Ocean Village, has in the past been voted 'Best Loved Independent Cinema' by Empire readers, with 2 screens showing the best in world and independent cinema. And also in Ocean Village, the 5-screen Cineworld focuses on blockbusters and family movies.

Shopping

Southampton is ranked as the seventh largest shopping destination in the south. The famous WestQuay Mall is the big attraction, with more than 100 stores under the one roof including John Lewis and Marks & Spencer. But The Bargate and The Marlands shopping centres also have their appeal, with many quirky and independent shops within their walls. In the wider region you will also find many retail parks populated by 'superstore' branches of household name retailers.

Sports & Leisure

The city offers a wealth of opportunity to sports lovers, including swimming at The Quays; diving at the Eddie Read Centre; ten pin bowling at Leisureworld; football, tennis and netball (and plenty more) at the Southampton Sports Centre; and skiing, snowboard and snowblading at the city's dry slope Alpine Ski Centre.

Transport links

As you would hope, Southampton is well served by an extensive network of buses connecting different parts of the city with each other and with towns in the wider region.

Southampton Central Train Station is a short walk from the city centre, and runs direct services to London every half hour (the journey time to London Waterloo is around 80 minutes). It also serves many towns and cities along the south coast, and major destinations around the country.

By water, passenger and car ferries for the Isle of Wight leave Southampton?s Town Quay every 10 minutes. And if you fancy something a big more exotic, Southampton is now the UK's principal cruise port, too - with cruise ships transporting delighted passengers to the Canary Isles, the Mediterranean and the Caribbean!

For holidays and business travel, Southampton International Airport provides frequent flights to more than 40 destinations across the country and the rest of Europe.

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