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Major city · United States

Portsmouth, New HampshirePortsmouth

Go for 2 nights on foot: Strawbery Banke, Market Square and the harbour fit one full day; add a beach or Kittery day if you have a car.

Weather
see forecast
Currency
USD
Best months
May–Oct
avoid Jan–Feb (cold, some sights closed)
Airports
PSM · MHT · PWM · BOS
Nights
2
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Print / PDF guide
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
Google Maps Apple Maps Street View
Rules in force · 7Crossing between the US, Canada and Mexico by land needs …Cannabis is legal in Canada and in many US states, but ta…
  • North America ↗Crossing between the US, Canada and Mexico by land needs your passport even on a day trip; rental cars need the company's written permission to cross, and most US and Canadian rental insurance stops at the Mexican border.
  • North America ↗Cannabis is legal in Canada and in many US states, but taking any amount across the US, Canadian or Mexican border is a federal crime — including edibles and vapes.
  • North America ↗The busiest US and Canadian national parks need timed-entry, campsite or lodge reservations in summer; release dates are months ahead.
  • United States ↗Check whether you need an ESTA (Visa Waiver Program) or a visa on the official CBP and State Department sites; apply only through esta.cbp.dhs.gov, not third-party sites, and allow time before you book.
  • United States ↗Several popular national parks use timed-entry or vehicle reservations in peak season; check each park's page on nps.gov and book on recreation.gov before fixing your dates.
  • United States ↗Medical care is very expensive for visitors; buy travel insurance with high medical cover before you fly.
  • United States ↗Tipping is expected: about 15–20% at sit-down restaurants and bars, and a tip for taxis, hotel staff and guides.

Portsmouth is a walkable colonial seaport on the Piscataqua river, 2 miles inland from the Atlantic, settled in 1623 and still the third-oldest city in the US. Downtown is small enough to cover on foot in a day; the wider Seacoast region — beaches, forts, the naval shipyard across the river in Maine — needs a car. Most travellers use it as a 2-night base between Boston and Portland.

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about Portsmouth, New Hampshire, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Cost cheat-sheet

2026 desk estimate · check

Typical prices for the everyday things, as ranges. Your currency is shown next to the local price.

  • Coffee$3–6
  • Sit-down mealDinner main, mid-range seafood restaurant$22–38
  • Street or quick mealLunch main (chowder, sandwich)$12–20
  • BeerDraught beer in a brewpub$7–10
  • Museum or sight ticketStrawbery Banke adult admissioncheckabout $25
  • Budget bedHostel or budget bed, a night, per personUS$55
  • Mid-range bedMid-range double room, a night, per roomUS$220
  • High-end bedMid-range double room, a night, per roomUS$380

A day, not counting the bed: Budget US$90 · Mid US$170 · High US$320

Prices in local money; change the currency in the header to see yours next to them. Every price and the budget calculator →

Decide

What it is known for, and when the weather works

At a glance

What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.

Strawbery Banke living-history museumMarket Square and the harbourPrescott Park Arts FestivalCraft breweries (Portsmouth Brewery, Smuttynose)
Airports
PSM Portsmouth International Airport at Pease (Small local field, limited routes; check current service.) · MHT Manchester-Boston Regional (About 1 h by car.) · PWM Portland International Jetport (About 1 h by car.) · BOS Boston Logan International (About 1 h by car in good traffic; about 1.5 h by train plus bus.)

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

Portsmouth, New Hampshire: next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Air quality

Loading…

Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.

Jan

1°C

−9°C

10 rd

Feb

2°C

−8°C

9 rd

Mar

7°C

−3°C

10 rd

Apr

13°C

2°C

11 rd

May

19°C

8°C

12 rd

Jun

24°C

13°C

11 rd

Jul

27°C

16°C

10 rd

Aug

26°C

16°C

9 rd

Sep

22°C

12°C

9 rd

Oct

16°C

6°C

10 rd

Nov

10°C

1°C

10 rd

Dec

4°C

−6°C

11 rd

High / low °C · rd = rain days

Arrive & move

Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Getting around

Downtown is compact and best on foot; the Portsmouth Harbor Trail links the main historic points. COAST runs a free summer–fall trolley and local bus routes to Dover and Rochester. A car helps for beaches, forts and Kittery; I-95 gets congested on summer afternoons.

See & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time

Kittery, Maine (outlets and shipyard views)

go

Door to door: About 15 min

Drive over the Memorial Bridge, 5–10 min

Outlet shopping plus river views back to Portsmouth.

Hampton Beach

go

Door to door: About 30 min

Drive south on Route 1A, about 20 min

Busy boardwalk and sand; go early on summer weekends.

Isles of Shoals by boat

caution

Door to door: About 45 min to the islands

Thomas Laighton cruises from Market St

Seasonal; book about a week ahead in summer.

Boston

go

Door to door: 1.5–2 h

C&J bus from the Transportation Center, or Amtrak Downeaster via Dover

Doable as a long day; easier as an onward leg.

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.

Downtown / Market Square

Walk to Strawbery Banke, Prescott Park and the waterfront; book early in summer and fall.

Portsmouth Transportation Center area (Grafton Rd)

Cheaper chain hotels by I-95; 3 miles from downtown, no easy walk — taxi about $15–20.

Across the river in Kittery, Maine

Often cheaper rooms, 5–10 min drive to downtown Portsmouth.

Practical

What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Cost per day

2026 estimate, excluding the bed unless stated
Budget
$90–140 excl. bed
Mid
$150–250 excl. bed
High
$280+ excl. bed

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
Mid-range double room1 × 2 nights × US$220US$440
Food, local transport, entries2 × 2 days × US$170US$680
C&J bus Boston Logan → Portsmouth, one way2 × US$30 · checkUS$60
Taxi Transportation Center → downtown1 × US$18 · checkUS$18
eSIM, about a week of data2 × US$15US$30
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurgeUS$123
Trip total≈ US$338 per person per day, bed includedUS$1,351

2026 estimate in US dollars; sales tax added at the till, flights excluded. Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

Coffee$3–6
Lunch main (chowder, sandwich)$12–20
Dinner main, mid-range seafood restaurant$22–38
Draught beer in a brewpub$7–10
Strawbery Banke adult admissioncheckabout $25
USS Albacore adult admissioncheckabout $5

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

A low-crime, walkable downtown; the main risks are winter ice on brick pavements, summer beach crowds and late-night drinking on the waterfront. Standard US city precautions apply.
  • The bus station is 3 miles from downtown with no signed walking route and no Sunday buses — arrange a taxi.
  • Summer beach traffic and I-95 congestion peak in the early afternoon.
  • Some historic houses and museums close outside May–October: check dates before you go.
  • Sales tax is added at the till; restaurant tipping is expected at 18–22%.

Emergency numbers

Police, fire, ambulance
911

Pocket card

One page · print or save as PDF

Fill in, then print or save as PDF

Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

Portsmouth, New HampshirePortsmouth

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

To this address, pleaseTo this address, please

Emergency

  • Police, fire, ambulance911

Embassy

No embassies in Portsmouth; nearest consulates-general are in Boston.

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • C&J bus Boston → Portsmouth: about $30 one way, about 1 h 15 min (check)
  • Taxi Transportation Center → downtown: $15–20
  • COAST summer trolley: free (check season)

Say or show

  • Where is Market Square? — Where is Market Square?
  • Can I pay by card? — Can I pay by card?
  • Is this walkable? — Is this walkable?

US tipping: 18–22% at sit-down restaurants, $1–2 a drink.

Deep dive

What this guide covers so far, and its sources

Not a trip line yet

This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.

What we know, and what is coming

On this page

  1. Best months: May–Oct · avoid Jan–Feb (cold, some sights closed) · month by month →
  2. 4 airports and 3 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 4 day-trips, door to door
  6. 4 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. Airport-to-bed contract for PSM, MHT, PWM and BOS: last bus and train times, taxi fallback.
  2. Walking clusters: Market Square, Strawbery Banke and Prescott Park, the waterfront, Peirce Island.
  3. Place pages with verified hours for Strawbery Banke, the Albacore and the John Paul Jones House.
  4. Eat pages with last orders for downtown seafood and brewpub kitchens.

Meanwhile

Back to United States

Sources