The Spinnaker Tower offers great views of the Portsmouth area. A section of the floor on the observation deck is glass so one can see down through it. There is an easy lift up to the observation deck. That deck is an enclosed room, not open to the air. The only negative is the "sky garden" on the higher level. It is small with limited views. We love going to place high up to see views wherever we go and we were not disappointed except with the sky garden. Staff was nice, there was a good gift shop. A good amount of time to spend would be about 30-45 minutes probably.

Our ship arrived in the Portsmouth International Port after passing this delightful 560 foot-tall tower. Very modern. Dubbed the spinnaker, it could easily enough be called the giant snow-shoe or the frame of a kayak. But it is a beauty. Truly an elegant entry into Portsmouth Marina and a visual icon on the waterfront. One does not always need to "visit" a piece of architectural achievement to appreciate it. Sometimes the best views are from a distance.

Bit underwhelming! Lack of information about the tower, no interactive screens working and no much to do, seemed rather expensive to be honest. Bit disappointing and the visit completed within 30mins as not using the restaurant 😕

So the website encourages you to buy a ticket in advance and there is a discount. Great. That’s where it ends. Lovely views but no functioning interactive screens and no information on how he various things you can see. The service in the cafe was non-existent. No welcome from the staff. Sat down at a table but staff walked by and completely ignored me. When I left and complained to the manager, she couldn’t have cared less either.

Upon arriving by lift to the first level there was a glass floor, huge highlight for the children and grown ups alike. View was great as the weather was good. Not crowded so plenty of room to move around. There were stairs only to the top floor which is called a garden. We visited late afternoon in school holidays. Short walk from the dockyard/train station. Large variety of shops around the tower and plenty of chain restaurants.

We didn’t pre book but it was easy to gain access. When you go in they position you for souvenir photos The trip to the top is quick and the lift attendant gives you a quick introduction to the tower. Once at the top you have spectacular views over Portsmouth and the Solent. Of course you need a good day. There is a section of glass floor for those brave enough to take their shoes off. You can walk up a few flights of stairs to a semi-outdoor area and cafe. I would recommend as about a 30-40 minute activity.

This is a handsome tower that has come to be an iconic symbol of the city. After paying a fairly hefty amount, you watch a brief video before taking the short lift ride to the viewing platform. This is totally enclosed by glass, so care needs to be take to avoid reflections in any photographs. The view to the south is quite good, and looks out on parts of the Old Town and the Isle of Wight. The Mary Rose enclosure is visible in the other direction. A second, smaller viewing area on a higher level can be accessed via stairs. The gift shop and cafe back on ground level are quite pleasant.

Wonderful views of Portsmouth, the surrounding area and harbour. Lovely cafe for having afternoon tea while admiring the view, but that's it. So unless you're into views, its not that exciting, and the top two floors are accessed by stairs only.

I booked High Tea as a birthday treat for my husband who was thrilled by the surprise of such a unique venue. We had a lovely table on the edge BUT as it was a very warm day we were extremely hot within minutes. There did not appear to be an air condition system nor a fan of any description which would have made our experience more enjoyable. A platter of sandwiches and cakes came very quickly but we had to wait 30 minutes before we were asked to order any drinks. I would have thought a pot of tea would have accompanied the sandwiches etc. We noted that other guests had two teapots to match their other china but we received only one pot which did not match, giving us the feeling they did not have enough sets for the amount of guests. We then had to ask for another pot as the teapot only served two cups. The views are undoubtedly spectacular but the whole experience was spoilt for us by the apparent lack of care given to supply a service worthy of the £80 we paid. Sadly I will not recommend this experience to others.

We arrived 15 minutes before our booking, as we were advised. The viewing deck has really good views but unfortunately the air conditioning does not work so it was very warm and uncomfortable. We had to wait an extra 15 minutes which made it 30 minutes stood in an unpleasantly warm stuffy place. The restaurant area was not quite as hot as the viewing deck but really needed the air conditioning working on a day as warm as today. The afternoon tea was lovely but a little expensive for what was provided. We weren’t offered tea, we had cold soft drinks and to be honest hot tea would have made the experience worse so much preferred the cold drinks. This was a gift for me and a shame it wasn’t as good as it could have been. Feel sorry for the young staff having to work in those conditions.