Do you ever fancy going away for the weekend and never having to worry about driving once you arrive at your destination. This weekend in Bournemouth itinerary does just that.
Once you arrive at your central Bournemouth accommodation, there will be no transport needed until you check out and head home again.
Bournemouth is the largest town in Dorset, has award winning beaches, plenty of attractions for families and adults alike. It’s no wonder that Bournemouth is a popular destination for a weekend away.
There are so many things to do in Bournemouth, (some of them are even FREE), that one weekend wont fit everything in, but I hope this itinerary will give you plenty of ideas on how to spend a weekend in Bournemouth.
Visiting in the Summer? Why not coincide your visit with the Bournemouth Air festival! Book early though as hotels and accommodation get booked up in advance.
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Getting to Bournemouth
Bournemouth has great transport links from across the UK, including an airport. Bournemouth airport is located around twenty minutes outside of the town centre, but if you’re arriving into the airport, there are plenty of transport options available.
Arriving To Bournemouth By Train
If you’re arriving into Bournemouth by train, you will find plenty of rail routes from all over the UK. A train from London Waterloo into Bournemouth takes around 100 minutes making it a very accessible route for a weekend break.
Bournemouth train station is around a 10 – 15 minute bus journey into the town centre, or a 20 minute walk.
Check out the current bus routes
Bournemouth By Car
If you’re driving into Bournemouth to your accommodation, there are good links from the M27 and M3 from London and will take around 2 hours 30 minutes depending on time of day and traffic.
Related post – parking in Bournemouth
Places to stay in Bournemouth
You will be spoilt for choice when looking for places to stay in Bournemouth. Whether you’re looking for a traditional hotel, B&B, or perhaps even a water front lodge, there is something for everyone to suit all budgets.
Related post – Hotels by the beach in Bournemouth
All of the hotels listed below are within half a mile of Bournemouth Pier making them the ideal base for your weekend stay. There is nothing worse than having a hotel outside of town and not being able to pop back during the day for a rest if needed.
Luxury Hotels In Bournemouth
Hilton Bournemouth
Terrace Rd, Bournemouth BH2 5EL
Facilities include free WIFI, spa facilities including sauna, steam room and bubble pool. The hotel has an on site restaurant, accessible rooms and on site car parking.
More information, prices and availability
The Cumberland Hotel
27 East Overcliff Drive, Boscombe, Bournemouth, BH1 3AF
Facilities include free WIFI, on site parking for guests, outdoor pool, restaurant, bar and room service.
More information, prices and availability
Royal Bath Hotel
Bath Rd, Bournemouth BH1 2EW
Facilities include a heated indoor pool, splash pool for children, gym, steam room, WIFI and accessible rooms.
More information, prices and availability
Mid Range Hotels In Bournemouth
Bournemouth Sands Hotel
2 W Cliff Gardens, Westbourne, Bournemouth BH2 5HR
Facilities include free WIFI and parking, quick access to the beach, free breakfast and child friendly,
More information, prices and availability
Hampton By Hilton
Upper Terrace Rd, Bournemouth BH2 5NW
Facilities include free WIFI and breakfast, parking on site, laundry service and air conditioning.
More information, prices and availability
Hotel Collingwood
11 Priory Rd, Bournemouth BH2 5DF
Facilities include free WIFI, parking, accessible rooms, indoor pool and air conditioning.
More information, prices and availability
Budget Hotels In Bournemouth
OYO Kingsley
15 W Cliff Rd, Westbourne, Bournemouth BH2 5EX
Facilities include free WIFI, breakfast option, air conditioning and room service.
More information, prices and availability
Holiday Inn Bournemouth
22 Bath Rd, Bournemouth BH1 2NS
Facilities include freeWIFI, breakfast option, laundry service and parking on site.
More information, prices and availability
Discover all the hotels in Bournemouth
Weekend In Bournemouth Itinerary
Arriving into Bournemouth on Friday afternoon, first stop has to be your accommodation. Once you have checked in and freshened up after your journey, I recommend taking a few moments to take in your surroundings.
Day 1
Start the day with breakfast at your hotel. It’s also a great time to talk to the hotel staff to find out more information about the local area. You may discover something new or interesting that you want to seek out.
A great way to start your weekend in Bournemouth is at Bournemouth Pier. A Victorian pier with an amusement arcade, theatre, cafe and seasonal boat trips along the coast.
Bournemouth Pier is also home to PierZip, a pier to shore zip wire starting 25 metres above the sea and covering 250 metres to the shore.
A great way to see some of the Bournemouth scenery is to glide through the air on a zip wire. The minimum height to enjoy the zip wire is 1.3 metres, and as long as there is no inclement weather conditions, the attraction will be open.
You can expect to spend around an hour to an hour and a half on your PierZip experience from start to finish.
After your exhilarating experience at Bournemouth Pier, enjoy a walk along the sea front towards Boscombe Pier. The walk is around 1.5 miles in length and depending on your pace will take just over half an hour.
Related Post – Beach walks in Bournemouth
Enjoy the scenery out to sea, as well as passing the colourful beach huts along your route. You can choose to walk along the sand or on the promenade which is flat and laid to tarmac.
As you arrive at Boscombe Pier, you may be getting hungry. There are a few choices for refreshments and lunch here, but the most prominent is the Neptune pub, part of the Harvester chain.
On a nice day there is a large outside seating area to enjoy the views with your drinks or meal.
Boscombe Pier is a lot smaller than Bournemouth Pier but a wander to the end and back is always a nice way to start working off that lunch.
After your walk back to Bournemouth Pier, why not stop off at Smugglers Cove Adventure Golf on your right hand side. One of the newest adventure golf courses in Bournemouth, themed to the town’s smuggling history. A round of golf will take around an hour to complete. Or why not try one of the many escape rooms in town.
After all the walking, why not pop back to your hotel for a sit down, perhaps an afternoon drink and snack before freshening up for dinner.
An evening meal with views across the water sounds idyllic doesn’t it. Why not dine at Hot Rocks on Pier approach. I’m sure you will have spotted it when out and about during the day.
The menu has items ranging from burgers, noodles, Mexican fare, fish, steak and sandwiches.
Why not end your day on the Bournemouth Big Wheel. Running until 10pm every day, you can enjoy the night time views across the Lower Gardens and out to sea as you reach heights of over 100ft.
Day 2
There are plenty of different beachfront cafes in Bournemouth, so why not start your day experiencing a breakfast different from your hotel offerings.
Why not see more of what the local area of Bournemouth and Poole has to offer by taking a tour on the City Sightseeing tour bus in Bournemouth. There are varying stops in and around Bournemouth, where you can literally hop on and off at any of the stops to enjoy the sights and attractions.
With a stop behind Hot Rocks restaurant near the pier, this is the ideal starting point. You can easily spend a few hours touring Bournemouth, Poole and Sandbanks along the 22 different stops along the way.
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This is a nice idea in all weathers. If the sun is shining sitting on the open top is amazing to see all the views. If it’s raining, you can sit on the lower deck of the bus.
Related post – Things to do when it’s raining in Bournemouth
Assuming you have decided to tour the local area on the sightseeing bus and not hop off and spend your day exploring more of Poole, back in Bournemouth near the pier you can enjoy afternoon tea with a difference.
If afternoon tea isn’t what you’re looking for, why not try a boozy bottomless brunch at one of the many restaurants in town.
If you’re looking for an activity to walk off all that lovely food, then why not wander through the Lower Gardens and into the town centre before going back to your hotel for a rest and freshen up.
On your last evening in Bournemouth, you will be spoilt for choice for where to enjoy dinner. If you’re on a budget, there are two Wetherspoons Pubs, the Moon in the Square, directly in Bournemouth Square near the Lower Gardens, or the Mary Shelley, a short walk through the high street.
If you are partial to chain restaurants, then there is plenty of choice in the BH2 complex from TGI Fridays, Prezzo, The Real Greek and plenty of other options.
Related post – Thai restaurants in Bournemouth
There are also plenty of local independent restaurants to choose from if you’re looking for something a little different as well.
Day 3
On the morning you check out of your hotel, why not enjoy your last breakfast in the hotel before packing up ready to go home. If you aren’t in a rush to start the journey home, why not spend some time enjoying more of the local area.
There are plenty of museums in Bournemouth to discover, as well as the Oceanarium on Pier approach. Let’s not forget about all the shopping you might be able to fit in as well!
Buy discounted tickets for Oceanarium Bournemouth
