//
Town in Dorset, England
Photo: Robert Linsdell from St. Andrews, Canada, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Bournemouth is a seaside resort town in the county of Dorset on the south coast of England. Bournemouth is known for its popularity with pensioners and has many residential care homes due to its constant and warm weather (by English terms). However, it is still possible to find vibrant nightlife and youthful activities like watersports.
From the travel guide. Select a place for details, a map and what is nearby.
This museum and gallery has some wonderful collections of 19th-century art and Japanese artefacts. The interior of the museum is worth seeing because it is lavishly decorated and shows Victorian interests in eccentric collecting and other cultures, especially Japan and China. Admission £9.50
At the Arts University Bournemouth. It runs artist talks, school workshops, events and film nights to support the exhibition programme.
The famous author Mary Shelley who wrote the horror novel Frankenstein is buried in the churchyard of this church along with the heart of her husband the Romantic poet, Percy Bysshe Shelley.
Built in 1905 in what would have been then a contemporary Art Nouveau take on the Moorish Revival style that was extremely popular for synagogues.
Includes a theatre.
BIC
Hosts conferences and is the largest music venue in the town. The BIC has become a venue for a round of Premier League Darts in addition.
Explore a series of picturesque ravines in the cliff. Can be combined with a stroll along the seafront.
A large arcade, slot machines, bowling and entertainment centre.
An entertainment complex with many eateries, a cinema, escape rooms, minigolf, and axe throwing.
"The Cherries" were promoted in 2022 and now play football in the Premier League, England's top tier. Their Dean Court (aka Vitality) Stadium has only 11,360 capacity and the club are looking to build a replacement, due to be completed in 2025 (exact date is unknown). Due to the small size of the stadium it is unlikely you will be able to get a ticket to a match without booking in advance. AFC Bournemouth is not to be confused with Bournemouth FC, "The Poppies", way down in the county leagues.
Concerts and exhibitions.
Free, every August.
Bournemouth's Pride Festival
Bournemouth's annual gay pride festival, on the second weekend in July.
Authentic, independent Spanish restaurant, between the Square and the Town Hall.
Affordable Chinese restaurant with super-authentic dim sum — crispy squid, deep-fried turnip paste, curried whelks, etc. Also a more typical menu.
Japanese
Queer-friendly cafe. Hosts regular events.
Vegan
Caribbean menu with outstanding decor.
South Indian restaurant with many unusual specialities. Good value lunchtime buffet.
Excellent frontline seafood restaurant adjacent to Bournemouth Pier. Definitely not cheap, but aboard the beachfront decked area, about as close to dining Californian-style as you'll get in the UK!
Seamoor road, Westbourne
An excellent fish and chip restaurant and takeaway, as attested by long queues.
English restaurant.
Exeter Rd
Upmarket fish restaurant, opposite the BIC.
Romantic restaurant with reliable French cuisine in trendy Ashley Cross.
An outstanding Wetherspoon's pub when it is quiet, dreadful when it is not. It is in an old department store, with outside seating and great views of the gardens from its two floors, and a good selection of guest ales. Idiot central on Friday and Saturday nights, though.
A swanky jazz music night club in the first mansion in Bournemouth.
The town's top real ale pub, located just off the Triangle and serving at least 10 varieties, also popular for its food.
A small "Cocktail Bar and Whisky Lounge" in the Triangle, with live acts.
Painfully hip and arty bar, bistro, club and live venue, in a building that looks like a huge, graffiti'd garage on the way to West Cliff from the Square. Definitely not for everybody.
At the far end of the Old Christchurch Road strip (number 260).
A traditional pub (Ringwood's) in the cute and quaint Westbourne district, a little to the west of the centre.
Medium-sized live entertainment venue in the Holdenhurst Road studentland. Run by the Student's Union of Bournemouth University. Almost exclusively catering towards students.
Wine bar and cellar bar. This two-in-one venue offers some kind of live music most days of the week. Continental beers and acoustic music in the wine bar on top, real ale in the scruffy cellar where the louder acts play.
Bournemouth's premier gay bar and club. Hosts drag nights.
Gallery Bar
Stylish bar and brasserie with spectacular views, great atmosphere with a wide range of drinks and cocktails.
The former Opera House vies with the BIC as the town's main entertainment centre, with major acts and club nights.
Handy for the beach, which is 200 m away down Bath Road.
Offers budget accommodation.
Comfortable hotel with leisure facilities and choice of dining. Sea and garden views with easy access to beach and surf reef.
The Carrington House Hotel in Bournemouth is perfect for a short break, family holiday (some rooms have bunk beds), or relaxing weekend stay from which to explore the areas many attractions whatever the time of year. Some rooms are windowless. Swimming pool. Breakfast available (additional charge). Pets accepted (£10 per night + £25 cleaning fee). Parking included in price.
Green as in eco, with organic emphasis. 32-room hotel is comfy and popular for weddings and other events. Their Arbor restaurant serves breakfast (for hotel guests), lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner (restaurant bans children after 19:00). Baby cots or fold-away beds available for extra charge, and some of the larger rooms have a sofa bed for children. No dogs.
This small hotel has several rooms crammed with lots of single beds (up to nine twin beds in a single room). Well suited for student groups and large families who plan to be gone all day, and only expect to be at the hotel long enough to sleep, shower, and dash out the door the next morning to do it all over again. No baby cots, no chairs in the rooms. No restaurant at the hotel, although there are several nearby. No pets, no service dogs. Limited onsite parking for £10 per night.
Central for shopping and the beach.
formerly Savoy
Great reviews for comfort and service after the makeover at this hotel.
Independent skate, streetwear and sneaker store.
By train
CrossCountry trains from Manchester via Birmingham New Street terminate at Bournemouth and some trains arrive from other cities like Nottingham and Newcastle upon Tyne.
By bus
National Express bus from London Victoria direct (approx. 2½ hours).
By plane
Bournemouth Airport has no train station however shuttle bus services operate.
By bus
The main bus operator is the "blue" More buses, whose routes extend over the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole area. The main stops are at the rail station and the Square.
By taxi
Orientation
The Square is the name given to the open space where the Tourist Information office is, the main gardens are, the pier can be accessed, and the river Bourne empties (although it is not in fact…
Choose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.
Bournemouth · Regional · BOH
Loading places around the airport…
Articles and travel topics about Bournemouth and United Kingdom.
Travel tipsCut London travel costs with contactless transit capping, avoid airport rail traps, and explore renowned national museums completely free of charge.
6 min read
Nature & adventureMaster driving single-track roads in the Scottish Highlands and Skye. Navigate passing places, explore Glencoe and the Quiraing, and manage summer midges.
6 min read
ItinerariesLeave London behind on easy direct train day trips. Discover Roman baths in Bath, honey-stone colleges in Oxford, and the royal castle in Windsor.
6 min read
InspirationFive small towns where you can unpack for a few days, walk everywhere, and hear yourself think, all reachable without a car.
7 min read
Every section of the guide. Open one to read it in full.