It just happened that the day we were schedule to spend in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, the New York Times published a spread on the city in their Sunday Travel Section. We had fewer hours to spend in Portsmouth (their piece: 36 Hours in Portsmouth, NH) but took advantage of all their recommendations and mostly, the downtown map.  Portsmouth’s downtown feels incredibly European with many wide sidewalks, outdoor cafe seating and 19th-century architecture. It’s the third oldest city in America and the historic buildings and cemeteries are worth long strolls down unknown alleyways. As the Times mentions, the city has recently invested in cleaning up the waterfront but there is still a great deal of industrial equipment remaining. It gives the city some rustic charm. Portsmouth was our last stop on the Seacoast weekend and I highly recommend a visit!

18 Hours in Portsmouth, NH

Coffee, danishes and a newspaper from Breaking New Grounds Cafe in Market Square

Strolls through the city, visits to more tiny shops (each carrying a variety of moleskine notebooks) and bookstores

Lunch on the water at The River House.  I recommend beers (we sampled the Smuttynose and Tuckerman Brewing Company brews), fried whole belly local clams and a bowl of their award winning chowder.

Walk off the clams and walk to Prescott Park. They have great gardens and views of the water.

A walk over the Liberty Bridge.

A final iced coffee at Popovers Bakery & Cafe before heading to the airport.