How to Find Cheap Hotels in Portsmouth, New Hampshire

As the country's third oldest city, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, is both historic and quaint. A relatively small town of just 21,000, it sits on the Piscataqua River on New Hampshire's border. Although small in size, it's the region's hub and a cultural center featuring historic buildings, picturesque views, water parks and plenty of museums.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Credit card
• Hotel reservation
• Map
• Camera
• Computer
• Plane tickets
• Rental car

Know Your Destination

1. Explore Portsmouth's distinguished history by paying a visit to Fort Constitution. The fort dates back to 1774 and welcomes visitors daily with cheap (sometimes free!) admission.

2. Head to the water. Water activities are huge in Portsmouth, including fishing excursions, whale watching, scuba diving and kayaking.

3. Forget the calendar. Since weather is mild all year, visitors can take advantage of the lower rates offered in the winter months and still experience all that Portsmouth has to offer.

Choose Your Accommodations

4. To book accommodations, contact The City of Portsmouth at [phone] or visit their Web site (see Resources below).

5. Plan to make early reservations. Portsmouth is both popular and on the small side, so cheap rooms fill up quickly.

6. Stay centrally located. Just as it was almost 400 years ago, the downtown commercial district is pedestrian-friendly, and it's within walking distance of the major attractions and the public parking garage.

7. Search for cheap accommodations near Portsmouth's historic waterfront district, a charming place to shop, stroll or just wander. With more than 2,500 public parking spaces downtown and many attractions just a trolley ride away, this area provides a convenient home base from which to explore the town.

8. Book far in advance for stays that fall between Memorial Day and Columbus Day, the busiest time of the year for Portsmouth.

Explore the City

9. Keep it on the light side. For those interested in the convergence of land and sea and how to keep ships from crossing that line, there are four historic lighthouses in the greater Portsmouth area.

10. Stay indoors. Portsmouth contains many historic homes, mansions, churches and other buildings that tell the history of the state through the people who lived there, those who visited and the architecture itself.

11. Go back in time. You can visit eras from the 1600s to the 1950s by interacting with costumed guides at the John Paul Jones House.

Tips & Warnings

• Parking is cheap--just 75 cents per hour at the downtown meters or in the public parking garage, and free in adjoining areas.