Portsmouth has always been a favourite place to visit for us as we both grew up in New Hampshire. When we lived in Kittery for Dan’s second travel nursing assignment, we were actually within walking distance to downtown Portsmouth so we spent a good amount of time there. Some of these are old favourites and some are new from our time in southern Maine this past fall.

The city of Portsmouth is over 350 years old and full of delicious food, super cute shops, and so much history. My mom used to work at Strawberry Banke in Portsmouth which is an outdoor history museum featuring the oldest neighborhood in New Hampshire settled by Europeans. There is so much to do and it is a great jumping off point to take trips to the beach (either in New Hampshire or Maine), Portland, and the Isles of Shoals. The downtown Market Square is a great place to stroll and discover restaurants and shops down cobblestone alleys. Prescott Park is beautiful and features an arts festival annually which is definitely worth checking out.

An oldie, but a goodie when it comes to our favourite places to eat in Portsmouth is the Book & Bar. On my way to my family’s camp on Sebago Lake, I would often make Portsmouth a halfway-ish stopping point and go to Book & Bar for some lunch and a coffee. I’ve also spent many afternoons there with friends and family, browsing their majorly discounted books while sipping on a coffee and waiting for my BLT. They have such a great BLT with lemon aioli, which sounds a little strange, but trust me it’s delicious.

For my 25th birthday this past summer, Dan and I got all dressed up and he took me out for the evening. He had planned out three stops for us so we could have drinks and appetizers at one restaurant, dinner at another, and then dessert at another. I love trying new places and sampling different menus, so this was right up my alley and walking from place to place was such a fun break in between all the eating! First, he took me to Book & Bar where we played some cribbage (they have games too!) and enjoyed the “bar” part of Book & Bar which was actually a first for me. Next up, we had dinner at the Rosa, a cute Italian spot right downtown. Finally, we finished off the night with dessert and an espresso martini at the rooftop at the Envio. We caught the end of the sunset which was incredible and very reminiscent of our rooftop bar experience in Savannah.

Also for my birthday, my grandma and a close family friend of ours took me out to lunch at Fezziwigs Food & Fountain which was magical. It’s the cutest, most whimsical little spot that offers coffee, tea, tasty food, and more. Afterwards, we wandered a bit and stopped in at La Cascade du Chocolat, also very up my alley of course 😉 There are endless restaurants and shops to explore, but I’m slowly working my way through many of them!

Not long after that, my mom and stepdad took my brother and I on a boat cruise/tour from the Portsmouth Harbor out to the Isles of Shoals. Dan and I were able to bring my brother to see the Albacore submarine the day before which he was SO excited for. If you have a military history buff in the family (or just history buff) it’s a must see.

When our friends Christy and Nick visited us from Montreal, we had a great time exploring Portsmouth and they got us to try all kinds of new places that we’ll definitely be going back to! Kaffee Vonsolln is a super cute family-owned café that we went to, with great coffee and delicious German pastries. Dan and I had our first fancy multi-course meal with them at Cava Tapas & Wine Bar which was incredible, probably the best meal we’ve ever had. We had a great time strolling around with them (and their twins who we are all head over heels for) stopping in at little shops, watching the boats in the harbor, grabbing an ice cream, and wandering local art galleries.

The city of Portsmouth is a must-see in New Hampshire. There’s something for everyone no matter your age or interests, be it shopping, history, architecture, or food…or all of the above! We loved living so close by for a time and had a blast exploring all that the city has to offer. We always make it a priority to bring friends who visit us there which gives us the chance to share our favourite places with them, but also helps us to keep finding new places to love!