Hampshire is one of those counties where deciding what kind of weekend you want is probably harder than finding somewhere to go.

You can spend a couple of days eating, drinking and exploring Winchester, disappear into the New Forest, head to the coast at Lymington or Southsea, or base yourself in Southampton and combine a city break with trips further afield.

And because much of Hampshire is relatively close together, you don’t necessarily have to choose just one.

If you’re looking for inspiration for your next weekend away, here are 10 of our favourite places to visit in Hampshire.

1. Winchester

If you want history, good food, independent shops and countryside without needing to spend your weekend driving around, Winchester is difficult to beat.

The city is compact enough to explore on foot, with Winchester Cathedral at its heart. From there, wander through Cathedral Close and Kingsgate before exploring the independent shops around The Square, Parchment Street and Jewry Street.

Make sure you have a look around The Hambledon, one of Winchester’s best-known independent shops, before finding somewhere for lunch.

The other reason we like Winchester is that you can get out of the city incredibly quickly.

Follow the River Itchen through the Water Meadows towards St Cross or walk up St Catherine’s Hill for views back across Winchester and the surrounding Hampshire countryside.

In the evening, there are plenty of good restaurants, pubs and cocktail bars within walking distance of each other. The Chesil Rectory is always worth considering for dinner, while Helch Market is a newer, more relaxed option if you fancy a food hall, drinks and music.

If you’re visiting as a couple, have a look at our Things to Do in Winchester for Couples: The Perfect 48-Hour Weekend guide. We’ve planned out exactly how we’d spend a weekend in the city, from breakfast and shopping to walks, dinner and drinks.

If you’ve got two days, Winchester is just about the right size for a weekend without feeling as though you’re rushing around ticking things off a list.

Best for: couples, history, food, walking and independent shopping.

2. The New Forest

If your ideal weekend involves walking boots, country pubs and considerably fewer buildings, head for the New Forest.

The New Forest National Park covers a huge area of woodland, heathland and open countryside, with ponies, cattle and deer found throughout the landscape.

You can spend the morning walking through ancient woodland, stop for lunch at a village pub and then head somewhere completely different for the afternoon.

Lyndhurst, Brockenhurst and Burley all make good starting points, while the coast isn’t far away if you want to combine forest and sea.

There are miles of tracks and footpaths across the National Park, so you don’t need to be a serious hiker to explore it.

If you’re staying for a couple of days, we’d choose one area each day rather than trying to drive around the entire forest.

For walking routes, cycling ideas, places to eat and events, the official New Forest visitor guide is a useful place to start planning.

Best for: walking, cycling, country pubs, nature and escaping the city.

3. Lymington

If you can’t decide between a New Forest weekend and a coastal break, Lymington gives you a bit of both.

This Georgian market town sits on the edge of the New Forest overlooking the Solent and has long been associated with sailing.

Start around the High Street, where you’ll find independent shops, cafés and restaurants, before following the cobbled street down towards the Old Town Quay.

If you’re visiting on Saturday, time your trip to catch Lymington Charter Market, which has been part of the town for centuries.

Then wander down to the waterfront and watch the boats coming and going.

In warmer weather, Lymington Sea Water Baths is another option. It’s one of the oldest sea water baths in the UK and sits right beside the marina.

For a drink or something to eat, head back towards the quay and find somewhere overlooking the water.

And if you have another day, you’re already perfectly positioned to head into the New Forest.

Best for: couples, coastal walks, sailing, markets and combining the coast with the New Forest.

4. Southampton

Southampton is a very different weekend from Winchester or the New Forest.

It’s bigger, busier and has much more of a modern city feel, but there’s considerably more history here than many visitors realise.

The obvious place to start is SeaCity Museum, where you can learn about Southampton’s connection with the Titanic and the city’s wider maritime history.

Then walk down towards the Old Town.

You’ll find medieval walls, old city gates, Tudor buildings and some of the oldest surviving parts of Southampton hidden amongst the modern city.

Tudor House & Garden is particularly worth visiting if you’re interested in the city’s history.

For shopping, Westquay has most of the major brands, while Oxford Street and Ocean Village are better bets when it’s time to eat and drink.

We’d finish the afternoon at Ocean Village, grab a drink overlooking the marina and stay there for dinner.

If you’re spending the whole weekend here, take a look at our 48 Hours in Southampton: The Perfect Weekend Itinerary. We’ve put together a full two-day plan covering the Old Town, waterfront, food, drinks and some of our favourite parts of the city.

Southampton also works well as a base if you want to explore more of Hampshire. The New Forest is close by, Winchester is easily accessible and ferries run across to the Isle of Wight.

Best for: shopping, maritime history, nightlife, restaurants and combining a city break with day trips.

5. Portsmouth

If maritime history is your thing, you could easily spend an entire weekend in Portsmouth.

Portsmouth Historic Dockyard is the obvious starting point.

It’s home to HMS Victory, HMS Warrior and the Mary Rose Museum, amongst other attractions, so don’t assume you’ll get around the whole place in an hour or two.

You could comfortably spend most of a day here.

Next door you’ve got Gunwharf Quays, with outlet shopping, restaurants and bars overlooking the harbour.

You’ll also find the Spinnaker Tower here, giving you views across Portsmouth, the Solent and towards the Isle of Wight.

The following day, head towards Southsea for the seafront and a completely different side of the city.

Best for: naval history, shopping, museums and waterfront weekends.

6. Beaulieu

Beaulieu is small, but it packs quite a lot into a weekend.

The village sits beside the Beaulieu River in the New Forest and is particularly well known for the National Motor Museum.

Even if you’re only vaguely interested in cars, it’s worth a visit.

The wider Beaulieu attraction also includes Palace House, Beaulieu Abbey and gardens, so you can easily spend a good part of the day there rather than simply walking around a room full of cars.

From Beaulieu, you can also head towards Buckler’s Hard, the historic shipbuilding village further down the river.

Alternatively, forget attractions entirely and spend the rest of the weekend exploring the New Forest.

Beaulieu works particularly well as one part of a bigger New Forest weekend rather than somewhere we’d necessarily spend two full days.

Best for: cars, history, New Forest scenery and a slower weekend.

7. Stockbridge

Stockbridge is much smaller than most of the places on this list, and that’s exactly why we’d include it.

It sits in the Test Valley with the River Test running through the town and has a wide High Street lined with independent shops, cafés, galleries and places to eat.

This isn’t somewhere you come with a huge itinerary.

Have breakfast, wander around the shops, go for a walk and then find somewhere good for lunch.

The River Test is one of England’s best-known chalk streams and is particularly famous for fly fishing. You can sometimes spot trout from the town itself.

For something more substantial, The Greyhound on the Test sits right in Stockbridge and is a lovely place to stop for food or a drink.

There are also several places worth visiting nearby, including Mottisfont, Houghton Lodge Gardens and Danebury Hill Fort.

The Visit Test Valley website is useful if you want to explore more of the surrounding area.

Stockbridge is particularly good if you want the kind of weekend where you don’t feel under any pressure to actually do very much.

Best for: food, independent shops, countryside, walking and slowing down.

8. Brockenhurst

If you’re heading to the New Forest without a detailed plan, Brockenhurst is one of the easiest places to start.

It’s a proper New Forest village where ponies and other livestock regularly wander through and around the village.

But its biggest advantage is its location.

There are walking and cycling routes heading straight out into the forest, and Brockenhurst has its own railway station with direct connections from Southampton and London.

If you want to explore on two wheels, you can hire a bike from Cyclexperience near the station and spend the day following the forest trails.

For walkers, Whitefield Moor and the Tall Trees Trail around Rhinefield are good options nearby.

Then come back into Brockenhurst, find a pub and do considerably less for the rest of the evening.

Simple.

Best for: walking, cycling, car-free New Forest weekends and country pubs.

9. Southsea

You could technically include Southsea within Portsmouth, but it has enough of its own personality to deserve a separate mention.

This is where we’d head if we wanted more of a traditional seaside weekend.

Start with a walk along Southsea Common and the seafront, then visit Southsea Castle before carrying on towards the pier.

Southsea also has plenty of independent cafés, pubs and restaurants, particularly around Palmerston Road, Albert Road and Marmion Road.

That makes it easy to spend the afternoon wandering rather than following a rigid sightseeing itinerary.

You can also combine Southsea with Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, giving you a weekend that mixes the seafront with some of Hampshire’s biggest attractions.

Best for: seaside weekends, independent restaurants, pubs and combining the coast with Portsmouth.

10. Romsey

Romsey sometimes gets overlooked in favour of Winchester and the New Forest, but it’s a lovely little Hampshire market town.

The centre is built around Romsey Abbey, whose history stretches back more than 1,000 years.

From there, explore the streets around the town centre, stop for coffee and follow one of the riverside walks.

Just outside the centre you’ll find Broadlands, the historic country estate closely associated with Lord Mountbatten. Public opening is seasonal, so check before making it part of your plans.

Romsey is also well positioned for exploring the wider Test Valley and the edge of the New Forest.

It’s another place we’d recommend if your idea of a good weekend is wandering around somewhere attractive, having a long lunch and not worrying about seeing ten attractions before 5pm.

Best for: history, market-town weekends, countryside and a slower pace.

Which part of Hampshire should you choose?

It really depends on the weekend you’re after.

For a proper city break with restaurants, shopping, history and plenty you can reach on foot, we’d look at Winchester or Southampton.

If you want countryside, walking and pubs, go for the New Forest, with Brockenhurst making a particularly easy base.

For the coast, Lymington and Southsea offer two quite different options. Lymington feels smaller and more relaxed, while Southsea gives you the seaside alongside everything Portsmouth has to offer.

And if you really want to slow things down, Stockbridge or Romsey are difficult to beat.

The good news is that Hampshire isn’t enormous.

You can stay in one place and still see considerably more of the county over a couple of days.

Staying in Hampshire for the weekend

If Winchester or Southampton is part of your Hampshire weekend, that’s where we can help.

Settle Winchester puts you within easy reach of Winchester city centre, the Water Meadows and St Cross.

It makes a great base if you want to spend a couple of days exploring Winchester itself, while still being well positioned for places such as Stockbridge, Romsey and the New Forest.

If you’d rather stay closer to the coast, Settle Southampton gives you easy access to the city as well as the New Forest, Winchester and the wider Hampshire coast.

Both locations offer individual rooms with private en-suite bathrooms, fast Wi-Fi, Smart TVs and simple self check-in.

No complicated check-in and no unnecessary extras.

Just somewhere comfortable to come back to after a day exploring Hampshire.