Bournemouth, Home to the UK’s Best Beach, Is a Classic Seaside Getaway

Bournemouth in Dorset is the classic English seaside getaway. And it has the beach to prove it. In 2025 Bournemouth Beach was named the best in the UK and 12th best in the world in the prestigious TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Awards. Boasting seven miles of perfect sand, an elegant Victorian pier, and leafy clifftop gardens, Bournemouth also makes an ideal base from which to explore neighboring Poole and the Jurassic Coast. I visited this beautiful part of England recently to find out whether TripAdvisor users were right. They were.

Seven Miles of Award-Winning Sand

Followed for most of its seven miles by a flat, traffic-free promenade, Bournemouth Beach stretches from Hengistbury Head in the east to the Sandbanks peninsula in the west. The main beach either side of Bournemouth Pier took the UK's top spot in 2025, and nine beaches across the wider Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole coastline hold Blue Flag status, an international award for water quality, safety, and environmental management.

The best way to appreciate the full sweep of this magnificent coastline is on two wheels. I cycled the promenade end to end, from close to Hengistbury Head all the way to Poole, and it's a level ride the whole way that's easy if the wind's behind you, though you'll have to pedal a little harder at least one way.

The route passes Southbourne Beach, Boscombe Beach and its pier, Bournemouth Beach and pier, and the quieter beaches of Durley Chine and Alum Chine before continuing toward Sandbanks. Make sure you stop at one of the café huts along the way for a little break, and to dip your toes in the English Channel.

Bike rentals are available from several places along the beachfront, including Front Bike Hire, located near Bournemouth Pier. And if you bring your own, accommodations like the Marsham Court Hotel, which I come back to shortly, offer secure lockups. Some accommodations, such as the Amarillo Guesthouse in Boscombe, have loaner bikes for guest use.

A word of warning: cycling isn't permitted on the promenade between 10 am and 6 pm in July and August, so plan a morning or evening ride when the crowds are at their peak. And if you'd rather not pedal, seafront land trains run along the promenade from the pier, one heading east to Boscombe Pier and another west to Branksome Chine.

Things to Do on Bournemouth Seafront

Most of Bournemouth's big tourist attractions are located around its pier, making this easy-to-spot landmark a great place to start having fun. In addition to an amusement arcade at its entrance, the RockReef activity center partway along is where you'll find PierZip, a zip line that runs from a tower on the pier down to the beach.

Next door at Pier Approach, the Bournemouth Big Wheel is a fun way to get your bearings. From the top you can see the full curve of the bay, as well as the chalk cliffs of the Isle of Wight on the horizon. Next door to the observation wheel is the Oceanarium, a family-friendly aquarium that'll keep the kids entertained for a few hours with its walk-through shark tunnel, penguins, and otters.

The town's standout cultural attraction, the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum, overlooks the beach from its East Cliff perch. A former seaside villa, it's stuffed with art and artifacts from around the world. Its Victorian grotto and gardens are also worth seeing.

Exploring the Lower Gardens and Chines

As much fun as it was exploring Bournemouth Beach, I found the town's green spaces equally compelling. The easiest to find, the Lower Gardens follow the Bourne stream inland from Pier Approach to the town center and the town's main shopping area.

Laid out in the Victorian-era, these formal pleasure gardens feature flower displays, a bandstand, mini golf, and the Bournemouth Aviary, a park staple for more than 50 years. I found them an ideal escape from the beach crowds, shaded and surprisingly quiet.

The town's chines offer something a little wilder, but equally attractive. A chine is a steep, dry river valley cutting through the cliffs to the beach, and Bournemouth has several of them. Alum Chine, the largest, takes its name from a failed 16th-century alum mining venture and now features an award-winning tropical garden. Originally planted in the 1920s and replanted in 1996 to take advantage of the coastline's mild microclimate, its exotic plants almost fool you into believing you're in the Mediterranean, rather than Britain.

A little further along the beachfront, Boscombe Chine Gardens is located directly opposite Boscombe Pier and is equally delightful. Developed from heath and swamp into a showpiece Victorian garden, you'll see original Victorian spa shelters, a water play area on the site of the old boating pond, a mini golf course, and the Squirrel Cafe. A land train connects the gardens to the beach, making them an easy add-on to a day on the sand.

The Jurassic Coast Cruise from Poole

Bournemouth's neighbor, Poole, is an easy 15-minute drive west along the coast and is where I joined one of the best cruise excursions in the area. Departing from Poole's historic quay, Coastal Cruises Poole took me on a sightseeing adventure along the eastern end of the Jurassic Coast, a UNESCO World Heritage Site protecting 185 million years of fascinating geological history.

My round-trip cruise from Poole Quay to Swanage was scenic from the get-go. Brownsea Island, where the Scouting movement held its inaugural camp, was the first landmark to be pointed out by the crew. Then, after gawping at the luxury homes lining Sandbanks peninsula, an area now known as "Millionaires' Row," we followed the coastline of the Studland nature reserve.

The highlight of the cruise is seeing the Old Harry Rocks, the brilliant white chalk stacks marking the eastern gateway of the Jurassic Coast. Seen from the water, with the sun on the chalk and the sea shifting in tone from green to blue and back, they're worth the trip on their own. Next up was pretty Swanage Bay, where we docked to pick up folks starting their Jurassic Coast journey in Swanage.

Back on dry land in Poole, I found the quay a pleasant place to linger. One of the world's largest natural harbors, watching ferries and pleasure craft come and go is certainly fun. If you've got time, it's also worth popping into Poole Museum to learn more about the town and its place in English history.

Where to Stay and Eat

For accommodations, it's hard to beat the Marsham Court Hotel. I stayed at this first-rate, family-run, 4-star hotel for two nights and can vouch for its quality. Set high up on Bournemouth's East Cliff, the best of its 95 rooms face south over the beach. My sea-view room on the building's top floor came with a decent-sized balcony and commanding views over the beach and pier, an especially awesome sight at sunset.

Amenities include a south-facing outdoor pool that's heated May to September, and great grub at the Retreat and Plantation restaurants. Parking here is plentiful and included with your stay, so I was able to forget about the car, apart from my visit to Poole, as it's just a short walk to the beach and the town's beachfront attractions.

For off-site dining, head to the Urban Garden. Located in the Lower Gardens just 10-minutes' walk away, this independent restaurant boasts shady multi-level terraces overlooking the gardens and a vast patio strung with lights. The food here is excellent, with the kitchen focusing on local, seasonal ingredients from Dorset suppliers. My faves? The New Forest asparagus went down a treat as a starter, followed by the West Country beef cheeks and a classic English sticky toffee pudding.

Planning Your Bournemouth Break

Here's what you need to know to pull together your own Bournemouth seaside getaway:

• Marsham Court Hotel, Russell Cotes Road, East Cliff, Bournemouth BH1 3AB. Visit www.marshamcourthotel.co.uk.
• Urban Garden, Exeter Crescent, Bournemouth BH2 5AG. Open daily from breakfast through dinner. Check out their menus and make reservations at www.urbangarden.co.uk.
• Coastal Cruises Poole departs from Poole Quay, Poole BH15 1HJ. Details of sailing times and tickets can be found at www.coastalcruisespoole.co.uk. Poole Quay Visitors Car Park is a two-minute walk from the departure point.
• For attraction listings and events, visit the official Bournemouth tourism site at www.bournemouth.co.uk.
• For Poole information, including Brownsea Island ferries and quayside dining, see www.pooletourism.com.
• For ideas and inspiration about the wider county, including the Jurassic Coast, visit the official Visit Dorset site at www.visit-dorset.com.