Portsmouth Historic Dockyard

Home to 11 huge exhibits, one ticket will get you around the Dockyard Apprentice, the National Museum of the Royal Navy, the Royal Navy Submarine Museum, HMS Victory, HMS M33 and HMS Warrior as well as harbour tours, the Explosion Museum of Naval Firepower and Boathouse 4, a cavernous warehouse home to some amazing exhibitions and hands-on kids’ activities. In total, that’s three historic ships, three fully fledged museums and two boat trips covering 800 years of naval history. And we haven’t even covered the Action Stations centre.

Housed in Boathouse six, the warehouse is an essential destination in its own right, with a mini Ninja Warrior 40-metre course (the record is 36 seconds if you’re feeling competitive) and Sky Tykes, a challenging rope course for 2–7-year-olds full of rope bridges and balance beams. And there’s a two-floor Laser Quest inspired by Royal Navy and Royal Marines challenges, making it one of the toughest and most fun courses out there. Finally, Boathouse Six is where you’ll find Command Approved, a state-of-the-art screen and projector which screens a 25-minute-long James Bond-style movie across two of the Royal Navy’s frigates. Once you’ve seen the video, you can then try the 19-seat six-axis motion simulator which takes you on speedboat trip, Sea Harrier or Lynx Helicopter.

Perhaps our favourite exhibition is HMS Victory, arguably the most famous warship in British history. Helmed by Lord Nelson during the Battle of Trafalgar, the 250-year-old ship has undergone an incredible conservation project ensuring the Victory is in the best possible condition, with a hand-held audio guide bringing the ship to stunning life.

If you’re going to come more than once, the annual pass represents the best value, with online tickets 20% cheaper. Alternatively, you can sign up to specific attractions, as let’s face it, getting around all 11 sights in one day would need Superman-esque feats of speed!