Places of interest include: Portland Bill, Pulpit Rock and Lighthouse overlooking the English Channel; Portland Castle, one of the best preserved of Henry VIII's Coastal forts; and the mighty sweep of Chesil Beach.

The Island is a huge tilted table of limestone, 4.5 miles long and 1.75 miles wide, rising to nearly 500 feet before sloping gently southwards to Portland Bill.

Portland's stone has been used for the construction of many famous buildings, such as; St Paul's Cathedral, Waterloo Bridge, New Scotland Yard and United Nations Building, New York.