England: What to do in Bournemouth – 1 day itinerary

Last updated: 05/26/2020

Check out what to do in the beach town of Bournemouth, on the south coast of England. With a lively atmosphere, it guarantees fun for the whole family. In this post, you will find information about the city and tips on attractions, food and accommodation. Shall we board?

THE CITY OF BOURNEMOUTH

Bournemouth is a seaside english town with about 200 thousand inhabitants, located about 150 km from London. I confess it took me a while to remember his full name, but it's easy when you think of two separate words “Bourne” (same as the movie “Bourne Identity”), which derives from an Old English word meaning “stream”, “stream”; and “Mouth”, which means “mouth”. And really, the name makes perfect sense, since the brook called Bourne, runs through the city.

Bournemouth was officially founded in 1810 and, in the past, was a relatively deserted place, often frequented by fishermen and smugglers. He later became a well-known resort with health spas. In 1870, the arrival of the railroad spurred the development of the city.

Fortunately, Bournemouth escaped the heavy bombings that England was subjected to during World War II. In 1993, the IRA (Irish Republican Army) carried out a terrorist attack on the city, but the damage was not very great. The center of Bournemouth has a remarkable victorian architecture and the city attracts around 5 million visitors every year.

WHAT TO DO IN BOURNEMOUTH

To help you plan your day in Bournemouth, we've put all the suggestions given in this post on the interactive map below. Next, we give more details about each of them.

1. GARDENS: UPPER, CENTRAL & LOWER GARDENS

In the center of the city there are beautiful green areas, where visitors usually enjoy the summer days with picnics, outdoor activities, as well as enjoying music and theater performances. The gardens are cut by the River Bourne, which forms a small channel dividing them into two parts. The main one of these gardens is the Central Gardens, located in the heart of the city. In this garden, there are areas for playing tennis, a children's playground, a war memorial, and lots of flowers.

2. BOURNEMOUTH PIER  

The first pier built in the city consisted of a small wooden structure that was completed in 1856. In 1866, the wooden structure was replaced by a cast iron one, but ended up being damaged by a windstorm. In 1877, the pier was demolished due to its very precarious structure. A new pier was then opened in 1880 and a bandstand was added to the site 5 years later, with the aim of hosting concerts by military bands. Due to World War II, the pier was demolished in 1940, as a precaution against a possible German invasion by sea. Currently, Bournemouth Pier has a concrete structure, with a bridge-like appearance. From there, it is possible to play zip-line, rock reef, and taste British cuisine at the Key West Bar & Grill.

• Address: Pier Approach, Bournemouth BH2 5AA, England
• Schedules:
  • Pier: October to May 9am to 7pm / June to September 9am to 11pm
  • Rock Reef: daily from 10 am to 7 pm
  • Key West Bar & Grill: daily – check the official website for hours
• Entrance: £1.20 (ticket valid for multiple entries year round)

Bournemouth Pier

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3. BOURNEMOUTH BEACH

Bournemouth Beach is one of the only famous beaches in England that has sand, as most of the beaches in the country are made up of rocks. In addition to sunbathing / sea, check out what else to do on Bournemouth beach:

• Amusement park: The park has a wide variety of entertainment machines and video games. Schedules: daily out of season 10am to 5pm / high 10am to 10:30pm
• Oceanarium Aquarium: The city's aquarium houses fascinating marine creatures such as sharks, sea turtles, stingrays, dwarf crocodiles, jellyfish, clownfish, a family of otters, penguins, among others. Schedules: daily from 10 am, closing times vary between 4 pm and 6 pm depending on the time of year | Entrance: £12.50 at the box office (there are discount shopping online)

• elevators: There are 3 lifts that take visitors from the beach to the top of Bournemouth's hills, providing beautiful views. O West Cliff Lift was built in 1908 and is in front of the Bournemouth International Center; O East Cliff Lift was also built in the same year and connects the beach to Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum; O Fisherman's Walk Cliff Lift It was built in 1935 and connects the beach to the top of the hill where there is a Café and a playground. Tickets: £1.50 one way
• Walk along the Boardwalk: For me, it's even more fun to take a walk along Bournemouth's waterfront and admire the colorful huts used by those who use the beach regularly to store their belongings.

4. RUSSELL-COTES ART GALLERY & MUSEUM

In my opinion, this is the best attraction in town. I didn't have very high expectations when I decided to visit and was surprised by its amazing, finely decorated interior. The house was built in 1897 by architect John Frederick Fogerty, who was commissioned by Merton Russell-Cotes, then owner of the Royal Bath Hotel, to build a house as a birthday present for his wife Annie. After Annie donated the house and her entire art collection to the city, the mansion opened as a museum and art gallery in 1922. The house and an annex that was built later display various items collected in the course of Sir Merton's travels. , especially for Japan, and paintings from his personal art collection.

• Address: Russell Cotes Rd, Bournemouth BH1 3AA, England
• Schedules: Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm
• Entrance: £7.50 adults and seniors | £4 children

Read more: England: Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum in Bournemouth

Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum

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5. CHURCH OF SÃO PEDRO & TOMB OF MARY SHELLY

Built between 1855 and 1879, the Church of São Pedro has a neo-Gothic style with a high tower 62 meters high. The chancel has been described as “one of the richest Gothic Revival interiors in England”. Next to the church is a grassy area where Mary Shelly's grave is located. She was a famous British writer whose most famous work is the classic Gothic horror novel “Frankestein: or The Modern Prometheus” (1818), considered the first work of science fiction in history.

• Address: 4 Hinton Rd, Bournemouth BH1 2EE, England
• Schedules: daily from 9 am to 5 pm
• Entrance: free

WHERE TO EAT IN BOURNEMOUTH

For the hour of hunger, we separate some suggestions of restaurants in the city of Bournemouth. Check out these tips:

RESTAURANTS

• Valentino Restaurant (Italian culinary)
• WestBeach (Seafood)
• NEO Restaurant (British cuisine)
• Crab at Bournemouth (Seafood)
• Harry Ramsden's (British cuisine)
• Key West Bar & Grill (British cuisine) – located on Bournemouth Pier
• BH2 Leisure Complex – restaurant and cinema complex

PUBS / BARS / GASTROPUBS

• Bar So
• 1812 Lounge Bar
• Eden
• The Moon In The Square

RESTAURANTS NETWORKS

• Zizzi (Italian culinary)
• Pizza Express (Pizza)
• Wagamama (Asian cuisine)
• Ask Italian (Italian culinary)
• price (Italian culinary)

WHERE TO BUY IN BOURNEMOUTH

If you want to take advantage of your time in the city to do some shopping, among the most famous places to shop in Bournemouth are:

• Bournemouth Arcade
• The Avenue

WHERE TO STAY IN BOURNEMOUTH

If you want to stay in the city, here are some tips for well-located and well-reviewed hotels, for all tastes and budgets:

• Travelrest Bournemouth (2 stars)
• Suncliff Hotel (3 stars)
• Ocean Beach Hotel & Spa (3 stars)
• Hampton by Hilton Bournemouth (3 stars)

BOOK NOW your hotel and save up to 50%. Travelers readers are with a SUPER DISCOUNT! And the best, with FREE CANCELLATION*!

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*check the hotels with free cancellation on the website

• Cumberland Hotel (4 stars)
• Royal Bath Hotel & Spa Bournemouth (4 stars)
• Bournemouth Highcliff Marriott Hotel (4 stars)
• Hilton Bournemouth (4 stars)
• Hallmark Hotel Bournemouth Carlton (4 stars)

HOW TO REACH BOURNEMOUTH

It's quite easy to get to Bournemouth if you're in London. The fastest way is by train. I usually buy tickets on the website of trainline. Trains depart from the station London Waterloo and the trip takes less than 3 hours. Arriving at the station, you can take a walk to the areas mentioned in the post or use public transport. I went on foot, following the directions on the signs towards the pier and, in about 20 minutes, I was in the tourist center of the city. See more information in the post “Tips for traveling by train in England“.

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See more travel tips from London:

• BRIGHTON (Londoners' favorite seaside town)
• CAMBRIDGE (University City)
• CANTERBURY (England's first Christian city)
• LIVERPOOL (Beatles town)
• MANCHESTER (industrial revolution city)
• OXFORD (University City)
• STRATFORD-UPON-AVON (Shakespeare's city)
• WINCHESTER (capital of England before London)
• WINDSOR (city of famous Windsor Castle)