Portsmouth’s Spinnaker Tower with kids – review

For years we’ve watched the sail shape of the Spinnaker Tower fade into the distance as we set off from Portsmouth across the Solent to the Isle of Wight, and each time I wondered what a visit up the Spinnaker Tower with kids would be like.

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Finally, with another trip to Hampshire and the New Forest lined up for half-term, I got the chance to find out, braving the glass floor at the first viewing level and peeking out from the top one at 110m up.

So if you’re planning a visit to Portsmouth’s Spinnaker Tower with kids, here’s everything you need to know before you jump into their superfast lift.

Visiting the Spinnaker Tower with kids

It sometimes seems that wherever you are in Portsmouth, you get sudden glimpses of the 170m tall structure peeking above the other buildings, so whether you’re strolling from Gunwharf Quays or walking from the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard as we were, you’ll have several sights of the Spinnaker Tower before you arrive.

I’ve always loved the sail-like shape, perfect for a Portsmouth landmark given the city’s seafaring history, and with some blue skies breaking through the previous weeks of October rain, we’d chosen a great day to head up.

As you walk in, there’s a ‘Sail of the Solent’ introductory film to start off the visit, with some of the history of Portsmouth, right from Henry VIII and the Mary Rose through to more modern times – my daughter was gripped, and would have happily sat and watched it through a second time.

But around the corner is the lift which takes you up to the viewing decks – the high-speed lift is completely enclosed, so if you hate those glass lifts which whisk you up tall buildings, you don’t need to worry.

And just 28 seconds later – although it seems even faster as you’re travelling at 4m per second – you’re at View Deck 1, and 100 metres above sea level.

This is the main viewing area, home to the Spinnaker Tower’s famous glass floor. Right in the centre of the room, it’s a relatively small section of floor, so if you want to avoid walking on it, you can.

There’s no way my 11-year-old could be persuaded onto it, but reassured by the fact that it can support the weight of two black rhino – a total of 288 stone – I decided to risk it and after taking off my boots, edged slowly across, looking down at the sea below.

It’s actually made up of four panes of glass which helps to give it its strength, but is still impressively clear to look through – a few kids were tiptoeing around the edge, others taking a short walk before darting back.

Check out my short video for a taste of walking on the glass floor at the Spinnaker Tower

But while that’s definitely a highlight, of the visit (if you brave it!), it can’t compare to the impressive views from the windows all around the side.

On a clear day, they stretch for up to 23 miles and you can see the Isle of Wight on the horizon – although not quite as far as France, as some visitors think – as well as the South Downs.

There are handy signs dotted around by the windows with some more information on what you can see as well – as soon as you enter, looking along the coast, you’ll see HMS Warrior and out to the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.

Check out my review of a visit to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard with kids

HMS Victory is under scaffolding so we couldn’t get a good glimpse of Nelson’s flagship but Warrior, the world’s largest warship when it launched in the mid 19th century, looked almost like a toy from 100m up.

Looking out across the Solent, we could see ships zipping and chugging across the water as well as the Solent forts in the distance and the waters which covered the Mary Rose wreck site.

And around the headland, you can see out across Portsmouth and along the coast the other way as far as Southsea Castle.

Heading over to the stairs, the next View Deck is 5m further up, exclusively for The Clouds cafe where you can prebook afternoon tea (though we stopped in to have a quick peek out through their window while it was quiet).

And then onwards, past a whole string of quirky facts about the tower’s history, to the highest viewing platform, the Sky Garden at 110m.

There’s a little Instagrammable garden wall to pose in front of, a few deckchairs to sit in, and open sections above the glass panels for the breeze to come in – it is a smaller viewing deck, and with a fairly brisk October wind blowing, it wasn’t the day to hang around.

I can easily imagine grabbing one of the seats on a sunny day and just soaking up the views though.

Because as well as looking great from the outside, it’s well worth finding time for a visit to the Spinnaker Tower with kids to enjoy the inside of this Portsmouth landmark as well.

For more things to do in Portsmouth with kids, check out my top picks

The Spinnaker Tower, Portsmouth: fun facts

The design for the Tower was chosen by Portsmouth residents around seven years before the Tower was finally complete – the two sweeping arcs are designed to look like a spinnaker sail, giving the Tower its name.

Over 15,000 people have abseiled down the tower since it became an option in 2011 – the total distance they’ve covered is greater than the distance from the Earth to the International Space Station and back!

The concrete used to create the Tower would fill five and a half Olympic sized swimming pools, and the steel used would stretch twice around the Isle of Wight. The structural steel used for the bows weighed 1,200 tonnes, the equivalent of 12 blue whales.

There are 570 steps from the base to View Deck 3. Thankfully, you won’t need to take them, although the Tower does sometimes have special stair climb events.

Spinnaker Tower, Portsmouth: Need to know

If you’re planning to visit the Spinnaker Tower with kids (or without!), here’s some of the essential information you need.

Tickets and opening hours

Standard all-day admission tickets cost £14.75 for adults, and £11.50 for children aged 4-15. Under-fours enter free. You can also get family tickets for £51.00 (2 adults + 2 children, or 1 adult + 3 children) as well as concessions.

You can also buy annual passes from £25 for adults, so well worth doing if you visit Portsmouth often, or live nearly. There are also tickets with free cancellation available via Tiqets – book through my link using the code MUMMYTRAVELS6 for a discount.

There are often special events and trails during school holidays which are included in general admission.

The tower is usually open from 10-6pm on Friday-Sunday, from 10.30-6pm on other days – opening times may vary so do check before you book.

There are no timed slots, your ticket is valid all day and you can return as many times as you want during the day, so if you fancy seeing the views at noon and then sunset, you can.

How long to spend

There’s no limit on how long you can spend in the Spinnaker Tower after you arrive – by the time you’ve watched the introductory video, taken the lift up to the first floor to enjoy the views, walked on the glass floor and checked out the higher floors, you’re likely to need around 30-45 minutes.

If you plan to have afternoon tea on the second floor, or stop in the ground cafe afterwards, you’ll obviously need a bit longer, or if you want to spend longer gazing out to sea, you can do so.

If you’re short of time, you could do everything within around half an hour, although any less and you’ll miss out on the experience.

What if the weather is bad?

You can’t always predict the weather – our forecast rain ended up being a pleasant, if slightly cloudy, October day.

But if you do visit with a prebooked ticket and you can’t spot all three Solent forts, you can return for free – you need to speak to a Duty Manager on the day if so (and the View Guarantee doesn’t apply to walk-up tickets).

If there are very high winds, the tower is designed to flex up to 150mm – while it’s perfectly normal for it to do so (and necessary otherwise it would start to crack), you might prefer not to experience any slight swaying feeling.

However, unless the weather is extremely bad, the tower doesn’t tend to close. Dramatic stormy views can be just as interesting as blue skies, after all.

What facilities are there?

There are toilets in the Spinnaker Tower including on the ground floor and the view decks, as well as baby-changing facilities.

There’s a cafe on the ground floor called the Spinnaker Kitchen and Bar – that’s open to all to buy food and drink.

There’s also The Clouds on View Deck 2, where afternoon tea is served – this must be prebooked. While there is a small bar with drinks and cake, it’s currently only available if you’ve booked in advance.

There’s no child option for the High Tea, although you can arrange for a kids lunch box option instead: if so, you need to call up to arrange this rather than booking online.

There’s also a shop on the ground floor with souvenirs, ranging from kids’ books to sea-inspired sculptures.

There’s buggy parking on the ground floor by the lifts. The first View Deck is accessible by lift although the higher levels are only accessible by stairs – inevitably there’s limited room, so it’s better to leave your pushchair downstairs.

Is there parking?

The Spinnaker Tower is at Gunwharf Quays, so you can park in the shopping centre car park during your visit – the shops, restaurants and cafes are also right on the doorstep if you’re looking for somewhere else to eat (or a bit of retail therapy) after your visit.

If you’re also planning to visit the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, as we were, the Spinnaker Tower is walking distance from the Historic Dockyard car park as well, as well as other public car parks in Portsmouth, such as on Havant Street.

You can also get trains directly to Portsmouth Harbour station nearby, while Portsmouth bus station, The Hard, is close to the Spinnaker Tower too.

Disclosure: My entry to the Spinnaker Tower with kids was free for the purpose of review. This post contains affiliate links – any purchases you make are unaffected but I may receive a small commission

Images copyright MummyTravels

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