Bournemouth's sandy shoreline regularly clocks up seaside awards. It stretches from Southbourne in the far east to Alum Chine in the west – an immense…
Bournemouth
If one thing has shaped Bournemouth, it's the beach. This glorious, 7-mile strip of soft sand first drew holidaymakers in the Victorian days. Today the resort attracts both elderly coach parties and youthful stag parties – on Saturday nights fancy-dress is everywhere; angels in L-plates meet men in mankinis. But Bournemouth is more than just a full-on party town. It also boasts some hip hideaways, great restaurants, tempting watersports, and in Boscombe, 2 miles east of the centre, a suburb with a cool urban-surfer vibe.
Explore Bournemouth
- Bournemouth Beach
Bournemouth's sandy shoreline regularly clocks up seaside awards. It stretches from Southbourne in the far east to Alum Chine in the west – an immense…
- Russell-Cotes
Ostentation oozes from almost every inch of this arresting structure – a mash-up of Italianate villa and Scottish baronial pile. It was built at the end…
- AAlum Chine
Bournemouth's 1920s heyday is beautifully evoked at a subtropical enclave containing plants from the Canary Islands, New Zealand, Mexico and the Himalayas…
- WWest Cliff Lift Railway
Built in 1908 to link Bournemouth's steep but relatively low cliffs to the beach, the West Cliff Lift Railway regularly trundles up and down a short…
- BBournemouth Beach Huts
Some 200 brightly painted beach huts are available for hire. They come equipped with three deckchairs and a gas stove.
- EEast Cliff Lift Railway
First built in 1908, this historic railway is closed indefinitely – possibly permanently – following extensive damage in a landslide.
Top attractions
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Bournemouth.
See
Bournemouth Beach
Bournemouth's sandy shoreline regularly clocks up seaside awards. It stretches from Southbourne in the far east to Alum Chine in the west – an immense…
See
Russell-Cotes
Ostentation oozes from almost every inch of this arresting structure – a mash-up of Italianate villa and Scottish baronial pile. It was built at the end…
See
Alum Chine
Bournemouth's 1920s heyday is beautifully evoked at a subtropical enclave containing plants from the Canary Islands, New Zealand, Mexico and the Himalayas…
See
West Cliff Lift Railway
Built in 1908 to link Bournemouth's steep but relatively low cliffs to the beach, the West Cliff Lift Railway regularly trundles up and down a short…
See
Bournemouth Beach Huts
Some 200 brightly painted beach huts are available for hire. They come equipped with three deckchairs and a gas stove.
See
East Cliff Lift Railway
First built in 1908, this historic railway is closed indefinitely – possibly permanently – following extensive damage in a landslide.
Guidebooks
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